Friday Fun – Old-school Flashback Edition: Virtual Gaming that Precedes the Wii and Xbox Kinect By More Than 10 Years

Nintendo, Microsoft, and now even Sony are all investing heavily into the virtual-motion gaming market.  But, is this technology really something new?  The concept certainly isn’t.  Over 10 years ago the first successful virtual-gaming interface was created for a television show that aired on Nickelodeon.  The system didn’t require any controllers or peripherals, but it also didn’t have the number of games that modern platforms have, but for a good reason.

The system was called InVideo.  It was developed by Dean Friedman, and was the first virtual interaction game ever aired on television.  InVideo didn’t come cheap either, the system cost a minimum of $2,500 to install! Additionally, the system requires an entire room 120+ square feet.  With that said, you can see how few game developers would want to produce for a system that few people could afford (or want clogging up their home).

But, despite the limitations of the system it was still an effective platform.  The television show “Nick Arcade” aired for one year between 1992 and 1993, and each episode featured contestants battling it out in the virtual environment.  Check out the video below to see it in action!

Overall the InVideo system was pretty groovy.  Though, by modern standards the technology can be considered archaic.  The most impressive part was the climbing of staircases, trees, and ladders that the machine recognized.

Do you own a Nintendo Wii, Xbox Kinect, or Playstation Move?  How do you think it compares to the old virtual reality system from the early 1990’s?