VFX1 Headgear

VFX1 Headgear
	Forte VFX1 Headgear
Developer	Forte Technologies, Inc.
Release date	1995
Introductory price	US$995 (equivalent to $1,990 in 2023)
Display	Dual 263 × 230 color LCD displays
Platform	IBM-compatible PC, ISA bus, MS-DOS
Mass	2.5 lb (1.1 kg)
Successor	VFX3D

The Forte VFX1 Headgear was a consumer-level virtual reality headset marketed during the mid-1990s. It comprises a helmet, a handheld controller, and an ISA interface board, and offers head tracking, stereoscopic 3D, and stereo audio.^[1]

History

The VFX1 Headgear was developed in the early 1990s by Forte Technologies, Inc. of Rochester, New York. It was released in 1995 with an MSRP of US$695 and an average retail price of $599, and was sold in the US in retail stores including CompUSA and Babbage's.

It was superseded by Interactive Imaging Systems' VFX3D in 2000. IIS was founded in 1997 after purchasing the assets of Forte Technologies and does business as Vuzix as of 2023.

Features

Visual: The helmet features dual 0.7" 263 × 230 active matrix Liquid-crystal displays from Kopin capable of 256 colors.^[2] Optics comprise dual lenses with adjustable focus and interpupillary distance. Field of view is 45 degrees diagonally.

Auditory: The helmet includes built-in stereo speakers and a condenser microphone. Audio signals are routed to the sound card's line in/out jacks.

Tracking: Head movements are tracked with internal sensors for pitch (70 degrees), roll (70 degrees), and yaw (360 degrees). A hand-held controller called the CyberPuck offers three buttons and internal sensors for pitch and roll. It can emulate a mouse and is connected to the helmet by an ACCESS.bus interface cable.

Interface: Audio, video, and tracking information is transmitted through the VFX1 Headgear Interface Protocol (VIP) board, a 16-bit ISA card that receives video input from the video card's 26-pin VESA feature connector and routes audio signals to the sound card's line in/out through external 1/8" audio jacks. Audio, video, and tracking data is exchanged with the headset over a single proprietary 8-foot cable, which can be daisy-chained for improved mobility.

System requirements

IBM-Compatible PC with 386 CPU^[3]
VGA video card with 26-pin VESA feature connector
16-bit ISA expansion slot for VIP board
MS-DOS 5.0 or later
500 KB free hard-drive space for drivers and utilities
20 KB conventional memory for drivers
Optional: stereo sound card

References

^ "Forte VFX1". VRWiki. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.
^ "Venture Funding". October 28, 1994.
^ "VFX1 Specifications".

External links

[1] "Forte VFX1". VRWiki. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.

[2] "Venture Funding". October 28, 1994.

[3] "VFX1 Specifications".

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