My oh my!....another missed opportunity for the Amiga...to the enemy!

Right now Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality is rapidly becoming the next BIG computer platforms. I have personally found the same joy and excitement with virtual reality, as I once had with the Amiga. Eagerly awaiting any new hw development, or software title to blow me away with it's extremely cool visual game changing capabilities!

So I follow every news site, and own three different virtual reality headsets now. I love this new platform, and really feel like I'm back at those wonderful days I once knew from the Amiga heydays. And ever so often I think how those two platforms shared so many common things, with innovative, new, fresh, disrupting stuff. And then I think about how VR could have been an exciting new platform for the Amiga...a new opportunity...and then i suddenly stumble upon THIS news article!....ARGH!!

https://www.roadtovr.com/atari-open-game-themed-hotels-across-us-latest-vr-ar/

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On Planet Boing Trevor is God

Quote:

Hondo wrote: So I follow every news site, and own three different virtual reality headsets now.

That, friend Hondo, explains why you still talk of "the enemy".
And many other things, too.









IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

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@Hondo

The most mainstream use of VR back in the 90s was the TV show CyberZone with Craig Charles. Having researched it, it used PC hardware not Amiga 3000s. Shame, but interesting show.

CyberZone 1993 - YouTube

Quote:

The computers used were a cluster of 486 PCs, each with an astounding 8Mb of memory - the most tasty machine you could buy at the time. The VR software was an early version of Superscape - which had previously been used for another Broadsword production, The Satellite Game. One of the scenarios was nicknamed "CyberSwindon" owing to its alleged likeness to the little-regarded Wiltshire town.

Even the much hyped Virtuality only used A3000s for the 1000 series. By 1994 the 2000 series was also using 486 PCs!

Maybe the home VR machines will become mainstream with PSVR 2 for the PS5. Once it goes wireless it should become a mainstream gadget! However, 3D TVs didn't fair very well even though they worked well for games!

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@Hondo

Amiga powered VR Arcade Machines were some of the first.

https://www.vrs.org.uk/dr-jonathan-walden-virtuality-new-reality-promise-two-decades-soon/


Wol.

Last edited by Wol on 03-Feb-2020 at 07:43 PM.

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@Hondo

Also, as demonstrated above the real 'enemy' was always the PC. The Atari ST was far too similar to the Amiga to be true competition. Only the cheaper price point, being quicker to market and having a built in MIDI port gave it an early lead. The PC was in workplaces and when mediocre multimedia features became available i.e. Soundblaster cards, it was deemed 'good enough' for UK homes too! It wasn't good enough for our family home until the Windows 98 era.

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

I must admit to getting into VR a big way, I do believe it the future of home entertainment, I have a Oculus rift and a quest. Being able to take VR anyway is pretty nuts in the quest, outside (dont use in direct sunlight, but at dusk or dawn) it amazing, there a tennis game and I feel like I own a tennis court. Nuts really.

The Atari theme hotels, kinda feel like there would be a market for a gaming themed hotel in certain places of the world, esports have taken off and as these events get bigger people need hotels to crash in, so why not. I guess good luck to them, maybe we could convice them to setup Amiga systems in everyone room?

But also Amiga has beat them to it
https://www.hotel-amiga.de/

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@Hondo
You dont't forget this Atari isn't original the only difference with Amiga is that Atari was sello to company that want the Mark Atari and make new things like games in Amiga we has the titanic captains like Petro, Bill McEwen only interested in reaching the end of the month instead of do big things like Atari (games, etc.) or more modest like Sega making games for other companies.

@amigang
The good of a generic name like Amiga, you can use It freely without copyrights and trademarks.

Last edited by Templario on 03-Feb-2020 at 08:27 PM.

@BigD

Quote:

Also, as demonstrated above the real 'enemy' was always the PC.

In the case of Commodore, it was the 'enemy within'.

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@bison

Quote:

bison wrote: @BigD Quote: Also, as demonstrated above the real 'enemy' was always the PC. In the case of Commodore, it was the 'enemy within'.

Yeah, and that was still in part 'the PC' as Commodore decided at invest in making PCs instead of the higher profit margin (and unique) Amiga line! C= management even chose the PC as a loss leading product! How did they expect any one else to choose the Amiga and give them sustainable profits?

_________________
"Art challenges technology. Technology inspires the art."
John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@Hondo

Quote:

Hondo wrote: My oh my!....another missed opportunity for the Amiga...to the enemy! Right now Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality is rapidly becoming the next BIG computer platforms.

This seems like an echo from the past, 3D and Virtual Reality was thought to be the next BIG thing for computers back in 1995 and there was at leas one 3D VR headset sold for the Amiga by 'Amiga Technologies'. It was supported by some 3D games like Gloom or NemacIV.

https://www.bigbookofamigahardware.com/bboah/product.aspx?id=769
(This are not the same as the 3d glasses that where sold by Amiga Technologies)

Here are the 'i-glasses' from 'virtual IO', that where also sold from Amiga Technologies:
https://vrtifacts.com/1995-virtual-io-i-glasses/
https://amitopia.com/full-virtual-3d-experience-vr-revealed-amiga/gloomdeluxeiglassessup/

There where optional trackers that gave back an information about the orientation of the gamers had, but only a view games supported them.

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@OneTimer1

Great post and thanks for the links.

Maybe VR and head mounted displays seems like a echo from the past, but back at the time we simply didn't have the technology to make it properly. We do today!

Virtual reality is taking off - and where Commodore was the Amigas moneypit, Facebook is for VR - and Facebook has deeper pockets

I'm very much looking forward to follow this newly re-vitalized VR platform - this time it is here to stay. Thousands of companies work with it, and Sony alone has sold over 5 million headsets - and Oculus will probably sell 10 million within the next couple of years. They have a wireless all-in-one VR headset which ROCKS.

@Amigang - i have made a small amateur Amiga VR museum.


Visit the Amiga VR museum

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On Planet Boing Trevor is God