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NINTENDO ANNOUNCES SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS FOR VIRTUAL BOY
Developers Have Signed On to Create Games for First Mass-Market, 3-D, Virtual Immersion Video Game System
LOS ANGELES, May 11, 1995 -- Today, Nintendo announced that Acclaim, Bullet-Proof Software, Hudson Soft, Ocean of America, Rare Ltd., Software Creations and T&E, among others, have signed on to develop software for Virtual Boy, the first three-dimensional, virtual immersion, 32-bit video game system developed and produced for the mass market. Nintendo is previewing Virtual Boy, with several new first- and third-party software titles, during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, May 11 - 13.
"Nintendo hosted a Virtual Boy Technical Symposium for developers earlier this year and the response was very positive," says Peter Main, Nintendo's vice president, marketing. "While we can't disclose specifics about games under development at this time, the development community is excited about creating games which highlight the unique technical capabilities and 3-D perspective of Virtual Boy, such as first-person simulation and 3-D flying games."
Virtual Boy is a RISC-based, 32-bit system which uses two high-resolution, mirror-scanning LED (light emitting diode) displays to produce a 3-D experience not possible on conventional television or LCD screens. Its 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 multi-directional spatial movement.
Virtual Boy combines 3-D image immersion technology developed by Nintendo with proprietary display technology created by Reflection Technology, Inc., of Waltham, Mass., and licensed exclusively within the video game market to Nintendo on a worldwide basis. Reflection is a recognized leader in miniaturized display products and holds exclusive worldwide patents for technology that incorporates color matrix LED displays which, when combined in the stereoscopic Virtual Boy, produce a complete 3-D experience.
Virtual Boy will be launched in the U.S. on August 14, 1995, for a suggested retail price of $179.95*.
Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is the leader in the worldwide $15 billion retail video game industry. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Washington, serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere, where more than 40 percent of American homes own a Nintendo system.
*NOTE: ALTHOUGH NINTENDO OF AMERICA INC. MAY SUGGEST RETAIL PRICES FOR PRODUCTS, THE DEALER IS FREE TO DETERMINE ON ITS OWN THE PRICES AT WHICH IT WILL SELL PRODUCTS.
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