Nintendo's "Virtual Boy," the first Mass-Produced Virtual Reality Game System

In 1995 Nintendo introduced The Virtual Boy (バーチャルボーイ), a table-top video game console that was supposed to be capable of displaying "true 3D graphics" out of the box, in a form of virtual reality. It was the first virtual reality device produced for the mass market. In its press release dated November 14, 1994 Nintendo stated that

"The RISC-based, 32-bit system utilizes two high-resolution, mirror-scanning LED (light emitting diode) displays to produce a 3-D experience not possible on conventional television or LCD screens.

"Virtual Boy's unique design eliminates all external stimuli, totally immersing players into their own private universe with high-resolution red images against a deep black background. The 3-D experience is enhanced through stereophonic sound and a new specially designed, double-grip controller which accommodates multidirectional spatial movement.

"It will transport game players into a 'virtual utopia' with sights and sounds unlike anything they've every experienced -- all at the price of a current home video game system" (http://www.planetvb.com/modules/advertising/?r, accessed 10-13-2013).

Though 770,000 systems were sold, the Virtual Boy system was considered a failure and Nintendo quietly withdrew it from the market in 1996.