Virtuality 1000SD: Difference between revisions

|image =  

|Subtype = PC-Powered VR

|Developer = W Industries (later Virtuality Group)

|Manufacturer = Virtuality Group

|Announcement Date = 1990

|Price = £20,000 - £30,000 (arcade unit)

|Versions = 1000SD (Sit Down)

|Predecessor = Virtuality prototypes

|Operating System = AmigaOS

|Chipset = Texas Instruments TMS34020 (x2)

|CPU = Motorola 68030 (Amiga 3000)

|Storage = CD-ROM

|Memory = 4 MB Fast RAM

|Display = LCD

|Field of View =  

|Horizontal FoV =  

|Vertical FoV =  

|Optics = Mirror-based system

|Ocularity = Stereoscopic 3D

|IPD Range =  

|Adjustable Diopter =  

|Tracking = 6 DoF

|Base Stations =  

|Hand Tracking = No

|Rotational Tracking = Yes

|Positional Tracking = Yes

|Tracking Volume =  

|Play Space = Seated position

|Audio = Built-in speakers

|3.5mm Audio Jack =  

|Connectivity = Network capability for multiplayer

|Ports =  

|Power = AC mains power

|Dimensions = Large arcade cabinet

|Weight =  

|Material =  

|Headstrap =  

|Color =  

|Sensors = Magnetic tracking sensors

|Input = Joystick controller

The '''Virtuality 1000SD''' was a sit-down [[virtual reality]] arcade system produced by [[Virtuality Group]], released in 1991 as part of the groundbreaking 1000 series<ref name="wikipedia">Wikipedia. "Virtuality (product)." May 25, 2025.</ref>. The "SD" designation stood for "Sit Down," distinguishing it from its stand-up counterpart, the 1000CS (CyberSpace)<ref name="vrs">Virtual Reality Society. "Virtuality – A New Reality of Promise, Two Decades Too Soon." April 17, 2018.</ref>.

Waldern subsequently formed W Industries in October 1987 to commercialise 3D visualisation technology together with colleagues Al Humrich, Richard Holmes and Terry Rowley<ref name="wikipedia"/>. The team produced multiple prototype VR units, with a fifth prototype version being produced by 1989 that would form the basis of the first commercially released Virtuality system<ref name="wikipedia"/>.

The Virtuality 1000SU VR system was launched in 1990 at the Computer Graphics '90 exhibition held at [[Alexandra Palace]] in London<ref name="wikipedia"/>. The 1000SD and 1000CS models were released in arcades in 1991, during what was one of the biggest years the amusement arcades would ever see<ref name="vrs"/>.

===Market Position===

The 1000SD was positioned as a slightly cheaper alternative to the stand-up 1000CS model<ref name="vrs"/>. However, "slightly cheaper" is a term used under strong advisement, as compared to the usual price of between £2000 and £10,000 for a contemporary arcade machine, Virtuality units cost between £20,000 and £30,000 per pod<ref name="vrs"/>. This was before the added expense of having to pay for an attendant to help people in and out of the machine, hook up the Visette Head Mounted Display, and deal with player confusion<ref name="vrs"/>.

The 1000SD was powered by a [[Commodore Amiga 3000]] with:

* [[Motorola 68030]] CPU

* 4 MB of Fast RAM

* CD-ROM drive

* A pair of graphics accelerators (one for each eye) based around the [[Texas Instruments TMS34020]] chips with a TMS34082 floating point co-processor<ref name="wikipedia"/>

Each graphics card could deliver about 40 Mflops with a capability to render 30,000 polygons/s at 20FPS<ref name="wikipedia"/>.

* The screens were positioned either side of the headset and reflected with mirrors into the lenses, as they were too heavy to be positioned directly in front of the user's eyes<ref name="wikipedia"/>

* 20 Hz refresh rate (20 frames per second)<ref name="vrs"/>

Unlike the 1000CS version which featured [[6 degrees of freedom|6DoF]] AC magnetic tracking delivered by a [[Polhemus]] Fastrack unit embedded in the waist height ring<ref name="wikipedia"/>, the 1000SD's tracking system was adapted for seated gameplay.

The 1000SD ran the same games as the 1000CS, including<ref name="virtuality-com">Virtuality.com. "Home - Virtuality.com." June 17, 2019.</ref>:

{| class="wikitable"

! Game Title !! Description

| [[Dactyl Nightmare]] || Multiplayer arena combat with pterodactyl enemies

| Grid Busters || Robot shoot-em-up

| Hero || Locked door puzzle game

| Legend Quest || Fantasy adventure

| Battlesphere || Space battle

| Exorex || Robot warriors combat

| Total Destruction || Stock car racing

| VTOL || Harrier Jump Jet simulator

|-

| Flying Aces || Biplane dogfight simulator

* At best the hardware could render up to 30,000 polygons at up to 20 frames a second<ref name="vrs"/>

* The 20 Hz refresh rate was far below what would later be considered necessary for smooth VR (60+ Hz)<ref name="vrs"/>

* The world consisted of flat shaded polygons and simple geometry<ref name="segaretro">Sega Retro. "Mega Visor Display." September 23, 2022.</ref>

The first two networked VR systems were sold to [[British Telecom]] Research Laboratories to experiment with networked [[telepresence]] applications<ref name="wikipedia"/>. The system supported multiplayer gaming, allowing players in different pods to interact in the same virtual environment.

The Virtuality 1000SD, along with its stand-up counterpart, was instrumental in:

* Sparking public interest in virtual reality during the early 1990s<ref name="wikipedia"/>

* Establishing many of the design patterns for VR arcade systems

Many other systems were sold to corporations including [[Ford]], [[IBM]], [[Mitsubishi]] and Olin<ref name="wikipedia"/>. At its peak, Virtuality was worth over £90 million and was the top player in the arcade virtual reality business<ref name="vrs"/>.

==Restoration and Preservation==

Due to the age and complexity of the systems, restoration of Virtuality 1000SD units presents significant challenges. Common issues include<ref name="ukvac">ukVac. "Virtuality 1000 SD restoration." July 31, 2014.</ref>:

* Dead Amiga computers requiring replacement

* CRT display failures

* Joystick malfunctions

* Sound system problems

The [[Retro Computer Museum]] in Leicester, UK maintains working Virtuality machines<ref name="pureamiga">Pure Amiga. "The Amiga not-quite-3000." July 26, 2022.</ref>.