I-O Display Systems: Difference between revisions

 

'''I-O Display Systems, LLC''' (originally styled '''Virtual i·O''') was an American technology company that specialized in the development and manufacturing of [[head-mounted display]]s (HMDs). Founded in 1993 in Seattle, Washington by entrepreneurs [[Greg Amadon]] and [[Linden Rhoads]], the company is best known for its ''i-glasses'' product line, which provided personal display systems for [[virtual reality]] (VR) and video applications.<ref name="PSBJMar97">"Financial reality pressures Virtual i‑O into Chapter 11", Puget Sound Business Journal, March 16, 1997, https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/1997/03/17/story6.html</ref> The company was a significant pioneer in the early consumer VR market of the 1990s, attracting almost US$20 million in venture funding before filing for bankruptcy in 1997.<ref name="PSBJMay97">"Effort to salvage Virtual i‑O fails", Puget Sound Business Journal, May 25, 1997, https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/1997/05/26/story4.html</ref>

The i-glasses line included several models with varying specifications and target markets:

| '''i-glasses (Original/PC Version)''' || Full color video, [[stereoscopic 3D]] capable, optional head tracking, see-through capability ("VideoMute"), could be worn with eyeglasses.<ref name="MindfluxPC">"i-O Display Systems i-glasses! PC - Mindflux", Mindflux, https://www.mindflux.com.au/products/hardware/iglassespcd.html, accessed May 7, 2025</ref> || 640x480 || Claimed equivalent to an 80-inch screen from 13 feet.<ref name="MindfluxPC"/> || Approximately 8 ounces (227g) || PC (VGA), Video (Sega, Nintendo, Atari, 3DO) || Released May 1995 at US$549.<ref name="VRShop">"Virtual IO I‑Glasses – Specs and Info", The VR Shop, 14 Feb 2022, https://www.virtual-reality-shop.co.uk/virtual-io-i-glasses/</ref>

| '''i-glasses SVGA''' || Portable monitor, flicker-free (120Hz refresh), built-in stereo headphones, adjustable color/brightness/contrast.<ref name="MindfluxSVGA">"i-O Display Systems i-glasses SVGA - Mindflux", Mindflux, https://www.mindflux.com.au/products/hardware/iglassessvga.html, accessed May 7, 2025</ref> Supported frame sequential stereo with nVidia game drivers or other applications (optional stereo version).<ref name="ManualsLibSVGA">"IO Display Systems i-glasses User Manual - ManualsLib", ManualsLib, https://www.manualslib.com/manual/110089/Io-Display-Systems-I-Glasses.html?page=1#manual, accessed May 7, 2025</ref> || 800x600 (scaled from VGA/SVGA/XGA) || Virtual image of a 90cm screen from 2m (approximately 35 inches from 6.5 feet) || 7 ounces (198g) || VGA || Released 1998 at US$699 for 3D version.<ref>"i‑glasses SVGA product sheet", Mindflux Archive, https://web.archive.org/web/20000818064717/http://www.mindflux.com.au/products/io-display/iglassesSVGA.html, accessed May 7, 2025</ref>

| '''i-glasses HRV''' || High-resolution video monitor for camcorders, VCRs, DVDs. Intended for patient comfort in dental/medical settings.<ref name="PearsonDentalHRV">"I-Glasses HRV (iO Display Systems) | Dental Product", Pearson Dental Supply, https://www.pearsondental.com/catalog/product.asp?majcatid=6655&catid=4529&subcatid=7091&pid=35311, accessed May 7, 2025</ref> || 640x480 (each eye) || Equivalent to viewing a 70-inch monitor from 13 feet<ref name="jpdhrv">"i-O Display shows off PRO SVGA compatible headset at SID 2003", Jon Peddie Research, https://www.jonpeddie.com/news/i-o-display-shows-off-pro-svga-compatible-headset-at-sid-2003/, accessed May 7, 2025</ref> || Not specified || S-Video, RCA stereo-audio, composite video (Incompatible with computer signals for the Pro version) || A "Pro" version offered better video quality and contrast. Released 1999 at US$499.<ref name="VRShop"/>

| '''i-glasses HRV Pro''' || Introduced in April 2003, used Three Five Systems Z86D-3 microdisplays<ref name="jpdhrv"/> || 800x600 (1.44 million pixels per display) || Equivalent to viewing a 70-inch monitor from 13 feet || Not specified || S-Video, composite video || Priced at $1,199 for 2D version and $1,499 for 3D-capable version in 2003.<ref name="jpdhrv"/>

| '''Personal I-O Eye-Glasses/I-Glasses (GVD310)''' || Marketed for private entertainment in vehicles, public transport, and for hospital patients.<ref name="RockyAmericasGVD310">"Personal I-O Eye-Glasses/I-Glasses Virtual Reality Head-Mount Display (HMD) LCD - Rocky Americas", Rocky Americas, http://www.rockyamericas.com/gvd310.htm, accessed May 7, 2025</ref> || 180,000 pixels (800 x 225) || Virtual 36-inch screen from 6 feet || 7 ounces (198g) for head-wear part || RCA type AV source with 2-channel stereo audio (DVD, VCD, VCR, MP4, Game Console, PC, Digital Camera, Video Camera) || Featured detachable Dolby surrounding stereo earphones and on-unit controls for volume, brightness, and contrast.

1. **Patent Portfolio**: Its patent portfolio covering lightweight catadioptric optics and magneto-inertial tracking was cited by subsequent VR manufacturers throughout the early 2000s.<ref name="Patent5642227"/>

 

2. **Virtual Cinema Concept**: The company's emphasis on an "80-inch virtual cinema" foreshadowed the media-consumption positioning later used by Sony Glasstron, Myvu, and Meta Quest "theater mode" features.<ref name="Wired99"/>

 

3. **Technological Advancements**: The challenges and innovations addressed by I-O Display Systems and its contemporaries helped pave the way for the more sophisticated immersive technologies available today.

 

4. **Historical Significance**: Surviving i-glasses units remain a reference platform for retro-VR enthusiasts and museums such as the Deutsches Museum in Munich.<ref>"Virtual i‑O i‑glasses! Personal 3D Viewer", Google Arts & Culture, https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/virtual-i-o-i-glasses-personal-3d-viewer-head-mounted-display/4wHrXHZrWs9ZBA, accessed May 7, 2025</ref>