From bdel@WELL.SF.CA.US Fri Jul 8 07:54:15 1994 Date: Thu, 19 May 1994 21:18:00 -0700 From: Ben Delaney To: Multiple recipients of list VIRTU-L Subject: VR Product of the Year Winners 1993 CyberEdge Journal Announces ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 1993 Virtual Reality Product of the Year Award Winners ++++++++ Top 9 companies in the industry honored for advancing the state of Virtual Reality ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ SAUSALITO, CA, April 25, 1994 - The winners of the 1993 CyberEdge Journal Virtual Reality Product of the Year Awards, the oldest and most prestigious awards in the industry, (known as the CJs) were announced today by CyberEdge Journal's Publisher, Ben Delaney. CJ winners are recognized for introducing innovative products that advanced the state of the art and industry of Virtual Reality (VR) in 1993. Awards are presented in three categories: Virtual Reality Hardware, Virtual Reality Software and Virtual Reality Applications. Winners were chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of 31 judges known for their integrity, experience and knowledge of virtual reality. The panel chose nine winners from 39 finalists, the largest finalist pool ever for the CJs. "While virtual reality isn't even close to the fantasy levels suggested by popular media, such as Star Trek's Holodeck or the movie Total Recall," asserts Ben Delaney, publisher of the CyberEdge Journal, "this years high volume of qualified finalists clearly marks the booming expansion of this industry and indicates that VR is definitely getting out of the lab and into the office." Along with a plaque, each company will receive a coveted CJ award for their corporate mantle. The presentations will be made at a gala ceremony and reception on June 9, 1994, at the Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities Conference, sponsored by the California State University, Northridge Center on Disabilities, in San Francisco. All conference attendees are invited to the awards presentation. Significant Industry Advances "Our winners represent the very best of what's right in high-tech. These are the most significant, functional and innovative developments in an explosive field that's changing the face of all computer-driven technologies," explained Delaney. "Each of these products is an important advance, accomplished primarily by the extraordinary efforts of entrepreneurs in small companies. That is why so many people look to the CJ winners for tomorrow's industry leaders. We are extremely proud to recognize these VR pioneers with the most prestigious award in the industry." Hardware Winners The three winners in the Virtual Reality Hardware category provide the muscle that makes VR work. Two of the three manufacture viewing devices, essential for "getting your head into VR." The third Hardware winner is the developer of a system that brings 3D sound to virtual worlds. * Crystal River Engineering's Beachtron sound spatialization system provides 3D audio at low cost. * Fakespace's BOOM 3C, a high resolution, full color, head-coupled display * Kaiser Electro-Optics' VIM Personal Viewer head-mounted display system Software Winners This hardware is great, but it would just sit idle if it weren't for software. These Software Winners are the best ever. This year, four different approaches to "world building" are represented in the winners circle. * Autodesk's Cyberspace Developers Kit * Division Group's dVISE world builder's toolkit * Sense8's WorldToolKit for Windows * Superscape's Superscape VRT, Version 3 world builder Applications Winners This is the first year that applications of VR were significant enough to warrant a separate award category. The first-ever applications winners are two VR applications that epitomize the value of VR, and the innovation and imagination that makes it really work. * Johnson Space Center's Software Technology Branch's Hubble Space Telescope Repair Training System * Virtual Worlds Entertainment's Virtual Worlds Center Virtual Reality is a Revolution in Computing Virtual Reality is one of the most exciting technologies of the late 20th century, and promises to revolutionize the way we play, work, and live. Virtual Reality refers to the 3D modeled, computer-generated world of sights and sound that you can interact with in a random manner. To the user this feels and sounds like you're in the middle of a different world, even though that world that exists only in the computer. Currently used for entertainment, training, and visualizing large collections of data, VR represents an entirely new way of interfacing with computers, and let's you use the computer in ways previously unimagined. In the near future it will be used as a surgical tool, to explore the oceans and other planets, and to teach students at all levels. These devices will also help people share experiences and information across the digital superhighway (Infobahn). "VR is in the same point of its evolution now that the personal computer was in 1979," explained Delaney. "At that time PCs were just starting to be common, and prices were falling. It took a few years to figure out what to do with them, but now PCs are everywhere. We can expect exactly the same scenario with virtual reality." Keep up with the Latest in Virtual Reality CyberEdge Journal is the world's leading newsletter of virtual reality. With over 3,000 readers and subscribers in nearly 3 dozen countries, CyberEdge Journal is where the world goes for news about Virtual Reality, Artificial Reality, Telepresence, Tactile Feedback, Force Feedback, 3D Sound and the other technologies making up the field. Now in its fourth year, CyberEdge Journal provides product news, business developments, new product information, book reviews, conference reports, and the world's most complete calendar of VR events. Publisher and Editor Ben Delaney is a recognized expert in the field, writing in several other publications and speaking around the world. Contact CyberEdge Journal at #1 Gate Six Road, Suite G, Sausalito, CA 94965 USA, 415 331-EDGE (3343), FAX: 415 331-3643, on Internet: bdel@well.sf.ca.us, on CompuServe: 76217,3074.