About: This was a head mounted display (HMD) that was meant to immerse users into a computer simulation. It could track head movements. The headset used Fresnel lenses.
The EyePhone Specs and Info…
Device: The EyePhone, (VPL EyePhone)
Manufacturer: VPL Research
Announced Date: June 1989
Release Date: Unknown
Launch Price: $250,000 (£183,569)
Device Type: VR Headset (PC Powered)
Display: 3″ B&W LCD Screens at 320 x 240 (Per Eye)
Diagonal Field of View(FOV): 80°
Refresh Rate: 30 Hz
Weight: Unknown
CPU: N/A
GPU: N/A
Battery: N/A
Tracking: 3 DoF Non-positional (Gyroscope Based)
Controllers: N/A
Our Thoughts: First up let’s get the obvious question out of the way: Is this where the I-phone got its name? No. But it would have been nice if it had. There is nothing smartphone about this VR headset. Made by VPL Research, the EyePhone was a full VR headset that was meant to immerse users into a computer simulation. It could track head movements and at the time had pretty good technology to back it up.
But sadly it was not meant to be and the EyePhone was seen as just another VR failure. But the people who designed them and the companies how produced them were all visionaries of their time. The VR pre-millennium was not a failure, it was just a testing ground for better things to come.
Sources used…
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPL_Research