Few people have heard of it, yet John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 was the first commercially available personal computer.
Three Dimensional Nintendo
By James Grahame
The gaming industry has always been cut-throat, with each company looking to obliterate the competition by introducing 'must have' systems. Nintendo often takes enormous risks to keep market share. In the mid-1990s, Nintendo took their most extreme gamble so far by introducing the Virtual Boy 3D gaming system. This odd-looking cross between a Viewmaster and Virtual Reality goggles attempted to redefine the portable console world. Unfortunately, the technology wasn't quite ready for prime time -- not only was the system bulky and power hungry (6 AA batteries lasted a mere 7 hours), it displayed images in four ghostly shades of red & black.
The device used a complicated dual LED/mirror system (licensed for a reported $5 million from an American company) to generate a 384 x 224 pixel monochrome image for each eye. The oscillating mirrors generated a distinctive buzzing sound while running and proved too fragile for a portable system: one good drop and things would never be the same again in Mario Land.
Nintendo probably intended to release a system that was small enough to wear like goggles or large sunshades. Unfortunately, the final machine weighed 760g and required a fiddly 'bipod' stand. This made it impossible to use as a truly portable system -- it was too unwieldy to take to school, play outdoors or use in a vehicle. Probably the only thing that kept Nintendo from canceling the project was that it was helmed by visionary Nintendo designer Gunpei Yokoi (the driving force behind the Game & Watch, Game Boy and other landmark products).
The system was introduced in the USA with much fanfare on August 14, 1995. Unfortunately, customers were immediately underwhelmed by the nightvision-style red display and awkward shape. It carried a price tag of $179.95 but failed to sell well against less gimmicky full-color handheld devices. The system sold a mere 750,000 units worldwide and was relegated to the bargain bin shortly after the Christmas season. I've been waiting over a decade for someone to introduce an improved 3D console based on modern full-color technology, but perhaps the moment has passed.
Games That Defined the Nintendo Virtual Boy [Retro Gaming with racketboy]
Nintendo Virtual Boy pixs and info [vidgame.net]
