The World's First Consumer HMD: VictorMaxx Stuntmaster

 
One of our core goals at Future Vision Technologies was to bring VR technology to the masses. Our first success was the VictorMaxx Stuntmaster HMD. The display's design and patented head tracking system was licensed from Future Vision Technolgies by VictorMaxx, Inc. Although we wished the execution could have been better, it was the first of it's kind mass-market immersive head mounted display.

For cost and reliability, it used a monocular display which was magnified by a lenticular lens. Yaw tracking was accomplished by a zero-lag mechanical system which clipped to the user's shirt. [See US Patents 5,323,174 and 5,353,042.] Reflecting the fact that we perfected the tracking by testing it against Wolfenstein 3D on the PC, it did a good job at "look and shoot." The Stuntmaster shipped with connectors for Sega and Nintendo game consoles, but resourcful hackers back engineered the PC mouse support we left in the firmware. Below are some photos of prototypes.


Figure 1. Detail on early infrared version of headtracker.
 

Figure 2. Final prototype delivered for licensing.
 
Alas, the Stuntmasters manufactured by VictorMaxx were not of the same quality as the prototypes we created. The manufactured units had faulty glue connecting the tracker sleeve to the potentiometer. Also, the headset was not properly balanced. As a result, it was a short lived fad product. There is still a subculture of hackers out there though, using them for various garage VR experiments.