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Retro Gaming Rarity: SEGA Master System Store Demo Unit

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There are a few holy grail and rare items in the video gaming industry, and then there are those that are so rare that you probably didn’t even know they existed.

Well, it seems that this SEGA Master System Store Demo Unit on eBay falls in the category of ultra rare and an absolute holy grail! The seller has put up a considerable price tag on their auction, but we reckon it is totally justifiable, as they are being honest in their description and also opened to best offers.

This rarity is unique as there hasn’t been any precedent set before it – this is the first one we have encountered that is for sale which is in great working condition which also comes with very rare Master System demo game cartridges and cards!

It goes without saying that we would love this in our collection. How about you guys, do old gaming demo units interest you?

source: eBay Australia

 

Thrill Of The Chase: Virtual Reality Holy Grail

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TakaraHMD_HDRThis year will be the year of Virtual Reality (VR). If you have been gaming as long as we have, you’ll know that this isn’t the first time we have all gone gaga over VR!

Long before the Playstation VR, the biggest name in virtual reality gaming was the Virtuality Group. Their ‘Virtuality’ arcade gaming machines promised and delivered immersive gaming via their stereoscopic visor (aka: the visette) while standing on a platform in a huge round pod waving your hands around like you were swatting flies – ah, how we miss the good old days of VR.

The popularity and mass media coverage of VR meant that it would always make its way into our homes. In 1994, Virtuality signed an agreement with Atari to develop a head-mounted-display (HMD) unit for use with Atari’s 64-bit Jaguar console. The agreement was expected to lead to the production and sale of the Jaguar VR HMDs in 1995. Sadly, it all went belly-up between Atari and Virtuality, with all Jaguar VR prototypes headed for the scrapheap.

Alas, the salvaged Jaguar VR prototype(s) have now become the most sought after and holiest of gaming grails, with the last known prototype selling for $14,500 on ebay in 2013.

TakaraHMD_JagVRsource: eBay

From the ashes of the Jaguar VR HMD technology arose Takara’s HMD DynoVisor and Philip’s Scuba Visor. The DynoVisor sported the Pupil Projection System with a ground breaking 120-degree field of view (FOV) display using Sony’s Active TFT and LCD lenses. Coupled with Hi-Fi stereo and Inter Pupil Distance (IPD) focus adjustment, these consumer products quickly sold-out upon release in Japan.

Even though the Takara HMD DynoVisor is considered to be laughable, their uniqueness and rarity in the wild makes them highly desirable among gamers and collectors alike. At a fraction of the cost of the Jaguar VR headset and being indentical in technology, Takara’s HMD DynoVisor has become a retro gaming grail itself.

To finally find the Takara HMD DynoVisor and be able to play the Atari Jaguar (and any NTSC console with composite / AV output) with a VR headset, has truly been a unique experience, one that every old school gamer should encounter! Viva la VR!

Holding tight onto the first retro gaming holy grail for 2016!
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Takara’s HMD DynoVisor arose from the ashes of Atari’s Jaguar VR
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Made from high impact ABS moulded components, this is one tough headset!
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The DynoVisor can connect to any NTSC composite / AV console
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Luckily Virtuality’s work wasn’t wasted
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Contrast, Brightness and IPD control is within reach
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Immersing myself in some old school VR on the PlayStation
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Peeking into the VR abyss!
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Commodore 65: The Holiest Of Holy Grails

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C65_auction_resultIf you needed evidence in how desirable a rare retro computing item could be, then surely the auction result for the holiest of holy grails, the Commodore 65, is a great case in point – selling for a record €20,050 (Ed: that’s $26,915AUD!), it’s rarity and desirability is assured.

Being just a collector is not enough to be able to compete and procure such extremely rare and very expensive items. Hardcore collectors or collectors backed by some very generous benefactors are the only ones that can hunt and end up with these precious pieces of computing history.

The Commodore 65 is definitely the epitome of rare – created by Fred Bowen and his buddies at Commodore Business Machines at the beginning of the 1990s, the computer never saw the light of day and was subsequently canned. When Commodore met its demise in 1994, a number of prototype C65 computers were sold on the open market. For those that picked one up, well, let’s just say that they were investing in a goldmine which would reap benefits in the future – and that it has on this occasion!

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Source: Thomas Conté | Zed Yago | eBay