Virtual reality is no longer a dream. HTC Vive, Oculus Quest and other PlayStation VR have fulfilled the promise that many novelists and high-tech companies have been making for years. In the 90s, several leading brands tried their hand at virtual reality on consoles without ever realizing the test. And an extremely rare holdover from one of those tests has just resurfaced.
The only working copy of the Atari Jaguar’s virtual reality headset has just surfaced in a video posted to Twitter.
As shown in the video and photos below, this Atari Jaguar headset works with a special VR version of the Missile Command 3D game. An imposing sensor also serves as a relay between the virtual reality headset and the console.
A virtual reality so 90s
According to the author of this video, there are currently only two Atari Jaguar virtual reality headsets in the wild. The first is red, not working and belongs to a British museum. The second, visible in the video above, is therefore blue and works. It belongs to the Italian collector Marco Pasquali.
In the mid-1990s, Atari and a British company called Virtuality were working on a virtual reality headset for the Jaguar. A prototype of the latter had also been presented at the first E3 in 1995. However, as fans of video game history know, this product never made it to market.
Too ambitious a project for the Atari Jaguar?
Atari’s financial difficulties at the time did not offer an optimal creative framework for this project. Its exorbitant price, as well as the limitations of the technology of the time, certainly overwhelmed it in the end. It’s certainly surprising to see that an Atari Jaguar virtual reality headset is now in the hands of a single person.
Anyhow, for anyone interested in preserving video game heritage, the existence of a working copy is excellent news. It is now hoped that more information about this helmet and its game will be released soon.
Are you surprised to learn that there is still a working Atari Jaguar virtual reality headset? Do you remember the existence of such a project? Would you like to try it? Tell us all about it in the comments below.
