<s>
VR-1	B-Device
is	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
amusement	O
park	O
attraction	O
released	O
by	O
Sega	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Installed	O
publicly	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
in	O
July	O
1994	O
at	O
the	O
opening	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Joypolis	O
indoor	O
theme	O
park	O
,	O
Yokohama	O
Joypolis	O
,	O
it	O
represented	O
the	O
culmination	O
of	O
Sega	O
's	O
Japanese	O
AM	O
teams	O
and	O
the	O
Virtuality	B-Application
Group	I-Application
's	O
collaborative	O
developments	O
in	O
the	O
field	O
of	O
VR	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combining	O
4	O
eight	O
seater	O
motion	O
base	O
pods	O
with	O
32	O
VR	O
headsets	O
and	O
a	O
3	O
minute	O
long	O
first-person	O
rail	O
shooter	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
attraction	O
offered	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
experience	O
believed	O
to	O
be	O
unparalleled	O
in	O
its	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
headset	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
attraction	O
,	O
officially	O
dubbed	O
the	O
"	O
Mega	O
Visor	O
Display	O
"	O
,	O
has	O
been	O
retrospectively	O
credited	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
advanced	O
head-mounted	B-General_Concept
displays	I-General_Concept
of	O
its	O
generation	O
,	O
not	O
fully	O
matched	O
in	O
performance	O
until	O
the	O
2010s	O
,	O
and	O
influencing	O
newer	O
attempts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VR-1	B-Device
is	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
confused	O
with	O
the	O
similarly	O
titled	O
Sega	B-Device
VR	I-Device
,	O
which	O
,	O
though	O
developed	O
under	O
the	O
same	O
company	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
separate	O
project	O
and	O
headset	O
,	O
ultimately	O
seeing	O
no	O
permanent	O
public	O
use	O
or	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
commercial	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
craze	O
across	O
the	O
world	O
occurred	O
around	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Virtuality	B-Application
products	O
,	O
developed	O
by	O
W	O
.	O
Industries	O
 '	O
Virtuality	B-Application
Group	I-Application
under	O
the	O
leadership	O
of	O
Dr.	O
Jonathan	O
Waldern	O
,	O
were	O
among	O
the	O
most	O
well-known	O
and	O
high-profile	O
examples	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
were	O
competitors	O
as	O
far	O
back	O
as	O
the	O
1960s	O
,	O
however	O
this	O
relationship	O
had	O
grown	O
through	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
taikan	O
"	O
motion	O
experience	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
OutRun	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1990	O
,	O
a	O
year	O
in	O
which	O
both	O
made	O
considerable	O
advancements	O
,	O
Sega	O
released	O
the	O
rotational	O
R360	B-Application
arcade	O
cabinet	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
then	O
significantly	O
outclassed	O
by	O
Namco	O
's	O
Galaxian	B-Application
3	I-Application
ride	O
attraction	O
,	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
only	O
available	O
at	O
The	O
International	O
Garden	O
and	O
Greenery	O
Exposition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
two	O
companies	O
were	O
also	O
competing	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
by	O
opening	O
increasingly	O
bigger	O
entertainment	O
facilities	O
in	O
their	O
native	O
countries	O
;	O
Namco	O
again	O
led	O
the	O
way	O
,	O
launching	O
the	O
Plabo	O
venue	O
in	O
Osaka	O
with	O
a	O
downsized	O
version	O
of	O
Galaxian	B-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
Virtuality	B-Application
pods	O
in	O
late	O
1991	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
theme	O
park	O
ran	O
by	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
company	O
,	O
Wonder	O
Eggs	O
,	O
at	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
original	O
Galaxian	B-Application
3	I-Application
installation	O
was	O
permanently	O
relocated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
had	O
also	O
shown	O
more	O
interest	O
in	O
creating	O
their	O
own	O
VR	O
hardware	O
,	O
initially	O
with	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
VR	I-Device
project	O
headed	O
by	O
Sega	O
of	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Sega	O
of	O
America	O
developed	O
the	O
ultimately	O
never	O
released	O
Sega	B-Device
VR	I-Device
project	O
,	O
Sega	O
of	O
Japan	O
sought	O
outside	O
help	O
for	O
their	O
own	O
separate	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
endeavours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
July	O
1993	O
,	O
W	O
.	O
Industries	O
,	O
owners	O
of	O
the	O
Virtuality	B-Application
Group	I-Application
,	O
had	O
won	O
a	O
£3.5	O
million	O
contract	O
with	O
Sega	O
to	O
work	O
alongside	O
company	O
's	O
"	O
AM	O
"	O
arcade	O
research	O
and	O
development	O
divisions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtuality	B-Application
and	O
Sega	O
worked	O
together	O
in	O
the	O
offices	O
of	O
the	O
latter	O
company	O
's	O
AM3	O
division	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
with	O
two	O
programmers	O
(	O
Andy	O
Reece	O
and	O
Stephen	O
Northcott	O
)	O
and	O
two	O
artists	O
from	O
the	O
former	O
relocating	O
there	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
Sega	O
's	O
official	O
theme	O
park	O
attraction	O
development	O
division	O
,	O
AM5	O
,	O
joined	O
AM3	O
and	O
Virtuality	B-Application
to	O
create	O
a	O
high-tech	O
theme	O
park	O
attraction	O
for	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
first	O
venues	O
in	O
the	O
sector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
on	O
VR-1	B-Device
'	O
s	O
team	O
included	O
head	O
planner	O
Masao	O
Yoshimoto	O
,	O
sound	O
designer	O
Kazuhiko	O
Nagai	O
,	O
and	O
Shingo	O
Yasumaru	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VR-1	B-Device
'	O
s	O
first	O
appearance	O
was	O
at	O
Yokohama	O
Joypolis	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
Joypolis	O
indoor	O
theme	O
park	O
,	O
in	O
July	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VR-1	B-Device
was	O
installed	O
at	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
other	O
indoor	O
theme	O
park	O
venues	O
opened	O
by	O
Sega	O
in	O
Japan	O
during	O
the	O
following	O
months	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
's	O
attempt	O
at	O
worldwide	O
theme	O
park	O
entertainment	O
had	O
ultimately	O
proven	O
to	O
be	O
uneconomic	O
by	O
the	O
early	O
2000s	O
in	O
the	O
face	O
of	O
VR-1	B-Device
'	O
s	O
acclaim	O
and	O
the	O
satisfactory	O
visitor	O
numbers	O
of	O
some	O
of	O
their	O
parks	O
,	O
with	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
Joypolis	O
branches	O
and	O
two	O
overseas	O
Sega	O
World	O
parks	O
either	O
closed	O
permanently	O
or	O
downsized	O
in	O
the	O
midst	O
of	O
a	O
restructuring	O
in	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
no	O
VR-1	B-Device
units	O
remain	O
in	O
operation	O
today	O
,	O
and	O
none	O
are	O
currently	O
believed	O
to	O
exist	O
in	O
any	O
form	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alongside	O
the	O
likes	O
of	O
the	O
earlier	O
R360	B-Application
and	O
AS-1	O
,	O
the	O
VR-1	B-Device
can	O
be	O
seen	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
Sega	O
's	O
greatest	O
achievements	O
in	O
the	O
field	O
of	O
high-technology	O
entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
being	O
significantly	O
less	O
widely	O
released	O
and	O
well-known	O
than	O
the	O
former	O
two	O
examples	O
,	O
the	O
attraction	O
has	O
ultimately	O
made	O
a	O
tangible	O
mark	O
on	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
consumer	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
stands	O
to	O
this	O
day	O
as	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
most	O
successful	O
and	O
critically	O
acclaimed	O
attempt	O
at	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
attraction	O
's	O
Mega	O
Visor	O
Display	O
headset	O
in	O
particular	O
has	O
been	O
often	O
cited	O
as	O
VR-1	B-Device
'	O
s	O
most	O
significant	O
aspect	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
graphics	O
it	O
outputted	O
were	O
still	O
somewhat	O
rudimentary	O
,	O
the	O
MVD	O
stands	O
alone	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
technologically	O
advanced	O
head-mounted	B-General_Concept
displays	I-General_Concept
of	O
its	O
generation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rumors	O
which	O
state	O
that	O
an	O
early	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
On	I-Application
:	I-Application
Cyber	I-Application
Troopers	I-Application
arcade	O
game	O
was	O
planned	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
headset	O
also	O
circulate	O
-	O
though	O
these	O
are	O
not	O
confirmed	O
,	O
the	O
MVD	O
design	O
is	O
incorporated	O
into	O
the	O
original	O
"	O
Virtuaroids	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
