Things are looking up though. We sit down with Bob Ladrach, President and COO of 3001 AD, who is working to launch an affordable and easy to use HMD called Trimersion this coming October.

Game Over Online: Bob, over the years, makers of head mounted displays have found themselves in an industry that has been a hot and cold subject. It always feels like the next piece of hardware will solve everything but mass adoption never follows. Why has virtual reality never really been reality yet?

3001 AD: The biggest hindrance for VR has usually been hardware capability and cost. Even now the pricing for “quality” VR products is just starting to reach down low enough where the average consumer could afford it. On the hardware side, new technologies that were considered exotic a few years ago are more common. This pushes the technology forward but [all things considered] we’re just at the beginning of the real evolution of VR.

Game Over Online: Where did the original idea for Trimersion come from?

3001 AD: When we decided to start 3001 AD[,] our mission was to be the premier VR applications company for the theme park and arcade industries. Trimersion [started with] a game system called Virtual Knight that we sold to [coin-op] arcades [and to theme parks like] Six Flags of America 

After evaluating our business at the theme parks and after realizing the tremendous demand that there must be for a technology like this for the home consumer, we redirected our research and development team in 2004...into a company that offers VR hardware that is a true plug-and-play item for the home consumer. The name, Trimersion, is derived from the three benefits of the product[:] an authentic virtual reality experience stimulating you visually, [and] also by sound and head tracking. The tracking element is a key feature [for] companies to deliver.

The fact that it is wireless is the brain child of [myself] and 3001 AD’s Director of new product development, Bobby Edwards. The original Virtual Knight system available in 1994 allowed a player to walk around in an arena and fight with a large knight while using a sword. Because first person shooter games are the most appropriate gamers for this hardware, we have also decided to add the choice of a 3001 Phazer, a gun with 20 buttons that allows you to move around shoot and other special features. The Trimersion is the culmination of 12 years of design, research and development.

Game Over Online: It definitely sounds like Trimersion has come a long way. Obviously some of your competitors have already been shipping product in the consumer market. What does Trimersion bring to gamers that other products do not?

3001 AD: Even though Trimersion is our first home consumer product, we’ve been building theme park attractions and arcade games since 1998.  This experience has given us a unique opportunity to really “burn-in” test our technology.  Our headsets have had to handle extremes of 10 hour days under out door canopies in theme parks.  Thousands of people have already used our products and played our games.  You learn a few things along the way. 

We believe we have a solid perspective on what consumers like and want.  The biggest differences are wireless video, gun input device and compatibility with console game systems. Coupling this with a price tag of less than $400 [US], we think we will motivate a substantial portion of the...gaming community, a huge multi-billion dollar market[,] to purchase a single item that can change the way that the gamer has played [the] first person shooter.

The question of how many competitors there will be at less than $400 [US] is unknown at this time. We are...building brand recognition for the product with the assistance of our PR firm S & S Public Relations [who] have gotten us press in major industry trade magazines and newspapers, internet stations, radio stations and television. [We hope to] build brand awareness so that when the product hits the shelves in late October of this year[,] the home consumer will understand the product and want to purchase [it] as a gift for themselves or a gamer in the family. Additionally, when the product hits the shelves of retailers like Radio Shack, Best Buy Circuit City, etc. in November, we will be offering the Trimersion for $395 [US] or less, wirelessly, 2D tracking and possibly up to 60 degree field of view or the equivalent of a 60 inch screen television 4 feet from your face. 

Game Over Online: Have graphics makers like ATI or Nvidia shown interest in supporting or promoting head mounted displays?

3001 AD: Not that I know of.  Proprietary compatibility is not a good idea for HMDs.  The Trimersion is designed to be as flexible and compatible with as many systems as possible.

Game Over Online: Can game developers do anything special to enhance the experience with Trimersion?

3001 AD: Because the Trimersion requires no drivers to play the game, there isn’t much to do to enhance the VR system.  Essentially the computer sees the Trimersion as a mouse and keyboard.  When you first plug it in to the USB port on a PC, you will see the mouse cursor start moving around the screen as the headset is moved.  If you open a typing program like Notepad and push the buttons on the gun, you can see it type letters on the screen. 

We will be adding more features to Trimersion as new technology becomes available. We have added things like a double trigger for more shooting capability. This feature was well received by the avid gamers we met at E3...this year.

I [want] to mention that we were in attendance at E3 in 2004 as attendees and then as exhibitors in 2005 where we occupied an 800 sq. ft. booth and 2006 as noted earlier. We offered a tethered unit in 2005 at a wholesale cost of $595 [US] making the cost prohibitive to retailers..[at] $895 [US] MSRP. The 2D tracking in the Trimersion has [since] been updated and costs have also been decreased. 2D allows you to move around in 360 degrees and when you look up, you see up. When you look down, you see down. The same is also true of looking left and right.

A vest has also been talked about as an item to accompany the Trimersion for full contact from your first person shooter opponents. This peripheral was first considered in our 1994 design of Virtual Knight. With this vest, you can feel the contact from a sword, a bullet, a dart, etc. This vest is being considered as a 2007 upgrade that will be sold both separately so that Trimersion owners can pick up the item without needing to purchase a new Trimersion or as a coupled package [with the] Trimersion [and the] full contact vest. Also in 2007, we will be offering Augmented Reality upgrade HMD’s and our new Trimersion 4D. It is also our intention to have the product Bluetooth compatible by July 14th which is a race to the market for if we do hit this goal and another company has not developed the means to transmit video via Bluetooth [then] we will have a strong competitive edge.

Game Over Online: With the vest, the Bluetooth and new Trimersion gear, are you talking about multiple versions of the product?

3001 AD: The [initial] product is scheduled for delivery in late October. We want to ensure that we are providing the best technology for the market and are using the next few months as a gateway to offering some of the new features we have discussed. We’re going to be making some announcements soon covering some very impressive breakthroughs for us but I can’t go into too much detail.  But the answer is YES!

Game Over Online: Bob, the trend for gaming these days is to push graphics on to ever larger LCD screens – sometimes even multiple LCD screens.  Has this helped or hindered the adoption of head mounted display technologies?

3001 AD: The new LCD panels that are coming out are higher quality and less expensive.  This means constant improvement in HMD technology and if anything it has helped bring VR into the home.

Game Over Online: Although there is a lot of press about the high end gaming market, the majority of gamers do not have the means to spend top dollar on every component that comes out.  One constant worry for these gamers is whether special hardware like the recent AGEIA PhysX add-on will become obsolete.  Should they worry about Trimersion too?

3001 AD: The Trimersion follows the KISS Principle - Keep It Simple and Straightforward.  All of the circuitry of the Trimersion is modular.  When a technology improves, we can adapt easily.  For example, the LCD optics module can be replaced by unplugging one connector, pulling two plastic catches back and dropping in a different module – instant upgrade.  Some upgrades will be free, some will be offered as optional components and some will be all inclusive in a different model version.

The Trimersion will retail for less than $400 [US.] [T]his cost and more has been paid for by avid gamers for new console systems that do not offer the immersion factor that the Trimersion provides. The gamer is literally in the game...in a 360 degree environment. Games like Halo and other first person shooters can be replayed in a new way adding value to the gamers existing library of titles that they have.

Game Over Online: Let's talk a bit about the future Bob. Where do you see the industry going in the next few years?

3001 AD: Smaller, better, less-expensive.  We also will be introducing new products like a motion tracked gun controller (without HMD) and a new technology called Trimersion 4D (Augmented Reality).   

Game Over Online: The first launch has the potential to make or break a product. The Xbox 360 is a good example of a great product plagued by a less than perfect launch. Is there anything keeping you guys up at night?

3001 AD: It is a tight schedule and the first 100,000 units...will be scheduled for late October delivery.  Our goal is to put the Trimersion on store shelves in time for the Christmas season. 

We’re all feeling the pressure to keep things moving, and the adrenaline is high. We’re blown away by the positive response we’re getting from the public [including] networks like Bloomberg. Following our rush to hit the market for Christmas 2006 debut, we will be able to produce as many as 100,000 units per month for what we anticipate will be a big demand for the product.

Price points will also be adjusted in Q1 2007, we plan to offer a $295 [US] MSRP around this time. We will also offer retailers a redemption coupon for any Trimersion they having sitting on there shelves equal to $25 [US] to allow for them to adjust their sales price on inventory that they may be carrying. Our target price is $199 [US], and it may be achievable by Christmas 2007. We believe at $199 [US] that we will compete with any peripheral available and that with the Augmented Reality feature also being added that we will have another Christmas homerun, with more than 100,000 units sold per month.