WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.200 Welcome to another deep dive. Have you ever bought 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:05.500 a gadget that, you know, promised to completely 00:00:05.500 --> 00:00:07.879 transport you into the future, but then you open 00:00:07.879 --> 00:00:10.599 it up and it's basically just a headache inducing 00:00:10.599 --> 00:00:13.240 piece of cheap plastic? Oh, I think we've all 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:15.759 been there with tech hype. Right. If you've ever 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:18.000 been burned by that kind of marketing, you are 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:19.600 going to really appreciate the journey we're 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:21.559 taking today. It's a rough one. It really is. 00:00:21.820 --> 00:00:24.379 Our mission today is to explore what is widely 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:26.859 considered one of the most infamous commercial 00:00:26.859 --> 00:00:30.239 misfires in all of video game history. Absolutely 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:33.710 legendary for all the wrong reasons. We are drawing 00:00:33.710 --> 00:00:36.729 from a single source today, a really comprehensive 00:00:36.729 --> 00:00:40.329 Wikipedia article detailing this piece of 1990s 00:00:40.329 --> 00:00:44.009 technology that time has thankfully mostly forgotten. 00:00:44.450 --> 00:00:47.509 We are looking at the Tiger Electronics R -Zone. 00:00:47.549 --> 00:00:49.609 The R -Zone. We're going to examine what happens 00:00:49.609 --> 00:00:52.969 when a company tries to capitalize on a massive 00:00:52.969 --> 00:00:55.789 tech trend. engineers a deeply bizarre piece 00:00:55.789 --> 00:00:58.429 of hardware and just watches the entire endeavor 00:00:58.429 --> 00:01:01.170 collapse in record time. And the timeline alone 00:01:01.170 --> 00:01:03.109 here tells such a compelling story. I mean, the 00:01:03.109 --> 00:01:06.370 R -Zone hit the market in 1995 and by 1997, completely 00:01:06.370 --> 00:01:09.650 discontinued. But treating this as just another 00:01:09.650 --> 00:01:13.409 bad product, I think. misses the real lesson. 00:01:13.670 --> 00:01:16.909 It serves as a textbook case study in prioritizing 00:01:16.909 --> 00:01:19.170 form over function. Yeah, marketing over engineering. 00:01:19.450 --> 00:01:21.829 Exactly. It's a prime example of marketing vision 00:01:21.829 --> 00:01:25.090 severely outpacing the actual technological reality 00:01:25.090 --> 00:01:28.370 of what a company is trying to push onto consumers. 00:01:28.689 --> 00:01:31.370 Okay, let's unpack this because we need to understand 00:01:31.370 --> 00:01:33.590 the environment that allowed a device like this 00:01:33.590 --> 00:01:35.709 to even make it to a store shelf in the first 00:01:35.709 --> 00:01:38.590 place. Right. So the setting is February 1995 00:01:38.590 --> 00:01:42.920 at the American International Toy fair. Tiger 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:45.980 Electronics chooses this massive event to unveil 00:01:45.980 --> 00:01:48.920 the R -Zone. Now, at that time, Tiger was mostly 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:50.879 known for producing those really inexpensive 00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:53.200 single -game handhelds. The ones you'd find in 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:55.239 the toy aisle or hanging near a checkout counter. 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:57.359 Exactly, the cheap ones. So the R -Zone was a 00:01:57.359 --> 00:01:59.719 major pivot for them. It marked their first multi 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:01.879 -game entry into the portable electronic game 00:02:01.879 --> 00:02:04.719 market. And the initial iteration, which they 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:07.480 dubbed the R -Zone Headgear model, launched at 00:02:07.480 --> 00:02:11.620 $29 .99. Which included a pack -in game, importantly. 00:02:11.900 --> 00:02:15.419 Right. But for that $30 entry fee, consumers 00:02:15.419 --> 00:02:18.099 were buying a rather baffling physical configuration. 00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:20.900 Baffling is definitely the right word. The design 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:23.139 choices for the original headgear model are just 00:02:23.139 --> 00:02:26.240 incredibly difficult to rationalize from an ergonomic 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:28.939 standpoint. I mean, picture this. You would strap 00:02:28.939 --> 00:02:32.360 this primary device directly onto your head using 00:02:32.360 --> 00:02:35.139 this thick headband. That's comfortable. Oh, 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:39.520 just wait. Attached to that headband was a transparent 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:41.780 lens that you'd flip down to sit right in front 00:02:41.780 --> 00:02:43.719 of your right eye. Just the right eye. Yeah. 00:02:43.939 --> 00:02:46.599 But the unit on your head wasn't even self -contained. 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:49.759 To actually play the game, you had to hold a 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:51.879 separate dedicated controller in your hands. 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:54.340 And here is the kicker. That controller was tethered 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:57.400 to the headband by a cable that the source notes 00:02:57.400 --> 00:02:59.060 was only about two and a half feet long. Two 00:02:59.060 --> 00:03:01.969 and a half feet. It forces the user into an incredibly 00:03:01.969 --> 00:03:04.930 unnatural posture. You literally can't move your 00:03:04.930 --> 00:03:06.930 arms away from your face. Right. You're physically 00:03:06.930 --> 00:03:09.389 tethered from your hands to your forehead. It 00:03:09.389 --> 00:03:11.650 severely restricts your movement while you're 00:03:11.650 --> 00:03:13.689 trying to focus on this single lens hovering 00:03:13.689 --> 00:03:16.699 over one eye. So why do this? Well, to understand 00:03:16.699 --> 00:03:19.599 why Tiger Electronics committed to such a restrictive, 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:22.300 head -worn design, you really have to look at 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:25.819 the cultural zeitgeist of 1995. There's a strong 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:28.080 consensus regarding the strategy here. The virtual 00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:31.719 reality boom. Exactly. The R -Zone featured this 00:03:31.719 --> 00:03:35.259 distinct... dark red visual presentation paired 00:03:35.259 --> 00:03:37.740 with this head -mounted gimmick. And it's widely 00:03:37.740 --> 00:03:40.520 understood that this design was rushed to market 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:43.840 to capitalize on the massive industry buzz surrounding 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:46.599 Nintendo's Virtual Boy. Which was dominating 00:03:46.599 --> 00:03:49.400 the press with its own red and black virtual 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:51.759 reality promises at the time. Yeah, they saw 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:54.099 the VR hype train leaving the station and just 00:03:54.099 --> 00:03:55.900 sprinted to get on board. Although the source 00:03:55.900 --> 00:03:57.840 material does point out that Tiger never actually 00:03:57.840 --> 00:03:59.680 officially confirmed that theory. They never 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:01.840 went on record to admit they were just riding. 00:04:02.030 --> 00:04:03.750 the coattails of the virtual boy's aesthetic. 00:04:04.009 --> 00:04:06.569 True. But what's fascinating here is that despite 00:04:06.569 --> 00:04:09.909 mimicking the external wearable look of a virtual 00:04:09.909 --> 00:04:12.659 reality headset. The technology powering the 00:04:12.659 --> 00:04:15.360 R -Zone was fundamentally different from true 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:18.300 VR. Or even the stereoscopic 3D that the Virtual 00:04:18.300 --> 00:04:21.160 Boy was attempting. Right. The R -Zone was merely 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:23.259 projecting the illusion of high -tech immersion 00:04:23.259 --> 00:04:26.180 using hardware that was decidedly low -tech. 00:04:26.279 --> 00:04:28.060 Which brings us to what was actually under the 00:04:28.060 --> 00:04:30.180 hood. And this is the part that I find genuinely 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:32.839 surprising. Oh, the hardware specs. Yeah. Because 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:34.920 when you pick up a video game console, even a 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:37.459 budget portable one, you naturally assume there's 00:04:37.459 --> 00:04:40.100 a central processing unit inside of it. A grain. 00:04:40.620 --> 00:04:44.220 Right. But the Arizona console itself, the bulky 00:04:44.220 --> 00:04:46.439 piece of plastic strapped to your face, contained 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:50.040 absolutely no microprocessor and no memory. Nothing. 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:53.779 It was, for all intents and purposes, a hollow 00:04:53.779 --> 00:04:57.220 shell. It's a clever, albeit incredibly limiting, 00:04:57.259 --> 00:04:59.279 engineering workaround to keep manufacturing 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:02.410 costs down. The actual computing components, 00:05:02.730 --> 00:05:04.769 the microprocessor and the memory, they weren't 00:05:04.769 --> 00:05:06.850 housed in the main unit at all. They were in 00:05:06.850 --> 00:05:09.910 the cartridges. Exactly. Built right into a microcontroller 00:05:09.910 --> 00:05:12.050 located inside each individual game cartridge. 00:05:12.350 --> 00:05:15.230 So if the cartridge is acting as the brain, what 00:05:15.230 --> 00:05:17.649 is that head -mounted console actually doing 00:05:17.649 --> 00:05:20.319 while you play? The console served three very 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:23.339 basic functions. First, it housed a front polarizer 00:05:23.339 --> 00:05:26.120 for the LCD screen. That's essentially a specialized 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:28.360 filter that manages the light passing through 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:30.579 so the display is visible to your eye. Okay, 00:05:30.660 --> 00:05:32.860 that makes sense. Second, it contained a single 00:05:32.860 --> 00:05:35.579 mono speaker for basic audio output, just beeps 00:05:35.579 --> 00:05:38.819 and boops. And third, it utilized a shift register. 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:41.899 A shift register. Yeah, it was basically a simple 00:05:41.899 --> 00:05:44.920 electronic traffic cop. It takes the button presses 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:47.439 from your controller, lines those signals up, 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:50.019 and... sends them down the wire to be processed 00:05:50.019 --> 00:05:53.040 by the cartridge. And that was the extent of 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:55.879 the console's internal hardware. So the visual 00:05:55.879 --> 00:05:58.579 experience is entirely dependent on the cartridge. 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:01.060 Completely. And the physical cartridges themselves 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:04.160 were weird. They were transparent in the center, 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:06.500 which allowed ambient light from the room to 00:06:06.500 --> 00:06:08.740 pass right through them. Right. And then that 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:10.699 light would reflect off his specialized mirror 00:06:10.699 --> 00:06:13.240 on the headset, which actually had a minor tilt 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:15.180 adjustment to help you line up the angle. You 00:06:15.180 --> 00:06:17.870 had to dial it in manually. Yeah. And that reflection 00:06:17.870 --> 00:06:20.550 is what you saw in the lens over your right eye. 00:06:20.970 --> 00:06:23.850 But you weren't looking at pixels rendering dynamic 00:06:23.850 --> 00:06:26.009 environments. No, not at all. You were looking 00:06:26.009 --> 00:06:29.069 at an LCD screen that used the exact same technology 00:06:29.069 --> 00:06:33.250 as Tiger's cheap handheld games from the 1980s. 00:06:33.250 --> 00:06:35.870 And that is the critical limitation of the entire 00:06:35.870 --> 00:06:39.709 system. The graphics were not generated in real 00:06:39.709 --> 00:06:43.050 time. Every single visual element for the entire 00:06:43.050 --> 00:06:46.569 game was pre -drawn and physically, permanently 00:06:46.569 --> 00:06:50.050 set into the liquid crystal display. Like a calculator 00:06:50.050 --> 00:06:52.149 screen. Exactly like that. The device could not 00:06:52.149 --> 00:06:54.550 generate a new shape or a new character. It simply 00:06:54.550 --> 00:06:57.029 activated or darkened different pre -existing 00:06:57.029 --> 00:06:59.209 segments of the screen at different times to 00:06:59.209 --> 00:07:01.569 simulate crude animation. And all of it was filtered 00:07:01.569 --> 00:07:04.089 in that singular dark red color to bounce off 00:07:04.089 --> 00:07:05.930 the mirror. Yep. Here's where it gets really 00:07:05.930 --> 00:07:07.959 interesting. Because you have this incredibly 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:10.980 static pre -drawn visual setup, right? Mm -hmm. 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:13.620 Yet when you look down at the controller. Attached 00:07:13.620 --> 00:07:15.879 to that two and a half foot cable, it features 00:07:15.879 --> 00:07:19.100 ten face buttons. Ten? Ten buttons for a game 00:07:19.100 --> 00:07:21.339 where the graphics are literally just a handful 00:07:21.339 --> 00:07:24.500 of permanently etched LCD shapes. The disparity 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:27.040 between the input device and the visual output 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:29.300 is striking. You have your standard directional 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:32.000 pad on the left, but then on the right side there 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:35.379 are four distinct action buttons. A, B, C, and 00:07:35.379 --> 00:07:38.120 D. You'd naturally assume a four button layout 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:40.939 implies complex game mechanics. Sure, like a 00:07:40.939 --> 00:07:43.100 fighting game. But the source notes that typically, 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:46.040 these just corresponded to a basic four -direction 00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:48.459 attack scheme. The C button might attack left, 00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:52.500 D attacks up, B attacks right. And the A button 00:07:52.500 --> 00:07:55.250 either attacks down... or in some specific titles, 00:07:55.470 --> 00:07:57.790 it serves no function at all. It's an architectural 00:07:57.790 --> 00:08:00.189 choice designed entirely to create an illusion 00:08:00.189 --> 00:08:02.670 of complexity for the consumer holding the box 00:08:02.670 --> 00:08:04.629 in the store. It looks advanced on the shelf. 00:08:04.810 --> 00:08:07.569 Exactly. A controller with 10 buttons implies 00:08:07.569 --> 00:08:11.129 a deep, robust gaming experience, which completely 00:08:11.129 --> 00:08:14.689 masks the reality of the outdated LCD technology 00:08:14.689 --> 00:08:16.829 inside. And the bottom of the controller takes 00:08:16.829 --> 00:08:19.350 that illusion even further. You have six utility 00:08:19.350 --> 00:08:23.560 buttons. On, start, select, sound, pause, and 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:25.439 off. The utility buttons are my favorite part. 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:28.259 The source specifically points out the absolute 00:08:28.259 --> 00:08:31.220 absurdity of the on button. It was largely unused 00:08:31.220 --> 00:08:33.980 because the simple act of inserting a game cartridge 00:08:33.980 --> 00:08:36.480 into the slot automatically powered the unit 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:39.720 up. So they manufactured a dedicated face button 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:41.919 for a function the hardware already handled by 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:44.320 default. Yes. It just reinforces the idea that 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:46.879 the R zone was engineered purely for shelf appeal 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:49.940 rather than user experience. But of course, that 00:08:49.940 --> 00:08:52.320 strategy quickly unravels once the consumer actually 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:54.539 starts playing the game. Because of the severe 00:08:54.539 --> 00:08:57.279 limitations of that pre -drawn LCD tech. Right. 00:08:57.379 --> 00:09:00.419 The gameplay across the entire R zone library 00:09:00.419 --> 00:09:03.820 was almost identical from one title to the next. 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:06.240 Wait, if the gameplay is virtually identical? 00:09:06.379 --> 00:09:08.940 across the board. How are they convincing kids 00:09:08.940 --> 00:09:11.299 to buy multiple games? How do you sell someone 00:09:11.299 --> 00:09:13.600 a new cartridge if it plays exactly like the 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:15.500 one they already own? You do it by leveraging 00:09:15.500 --> 00:09:18.059 intellectual property. The games vary primarily 00:09:18.059 --> 00:09:20.419 in their title and the subject matter of those 00:09:20.419 --> 00:09:23.379 permanent LCD drawings. So the shapes just look 00:09:23.379 --> 00:09:26.519 different. Exactly. Tiger Electronics masked 00:09:26.519 --> 00:09:28.659 the repetitive gameplay by securing licenses 00:09:28.659 --> 00:09:31.000 for some of the biggest entertainment properties 00:09:31.000 --> 00:09:33.320 of the decade. The list of licenses they secured 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:36.360 is genuinely staggering. We are talking about 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:39.379 massive, heavy -hitting franchises. The R -Zone 00:09:39.379 --> 00:09:42.919 library included Batman Forever, Virtua Fighter, 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:47.299 Mortal Kombat 3, Indy 500, Star Wars, and The 00:09:47.299 --> 00:09:50.409 Lost World. Jurassic Park. Huge names. They had 00:09:50.409 --> 00:09:53.110 Men in Black and VR Troopers. They even managed 00:09:53.110 --> 00:09:55.330 to get a Mask of Zorro game that served as an 00:09:55.330 --> 00:09:57.830 exclusive pack -in title for the UK and the Netherlands. 00:09:58.129 --> 00:10:00.009 And you have to remember, Tiger Electronics was 00:10:00.009 --> 00:10:02.470 uniquely positioned to acquire those licenses. 00:10:02.850 --> 00:10:05.429 Because they dominated the inexpensive toy aisle, 00:10:05.629 --> 00:10:08.009 they were viewed as a very low -risk, high -volume 00:10:08.009 --> 00:10:10.090 licensing partner for movie studios and major 00:10:10.090 --> 00:10:11.789 game publishers. The studios probably didn't 00:10:11.789 --> 00:10:13.889 even care about the hardware. They didn't. They 00:10:13.889 --> 00:10:16.149 weren't concerned with the deep technical flaws 00:10:16.149 --> 00:10:18.889 of the R -Zone. They're just interested in getting 00:10:18.889 --> 00:10:22.129 a Batman or Star Wars product onto retail end 00:10:22.129 --> 00:10:25.210 caps. And the consumer isn't buying the cartridge 00:10:25.210 --> 00:10:27.830 for innovative game design. They're buying it 00:10:27.830 --> 00:10:29.870 because they want to engage with the Mortal Kombat 00:10:29.870 --> 00:10:32.370 brand in a format that looks somewhat like virtual 00:10:32.370 --> 00:10:35.730 reality. But that strategy clearly had a short 00:10:35.730 --> 00:10:39.049 shelf life. The source lists several high -profile 00:10:39.049 --> 00:10:41.190 games that were planned but ultimately canceled 00:10:41.190 --> 00:10:43.710 as the console's popularity collapsed. Oh yeah, 00:10:43.769 --> 00:10:46.090 the canceled list is fascinating. They were developing 00:10:46.090 --> 00:10:48.889 versions of A Bug's Life, Alien vs. Predator, 00:10:49.029 --> 00:10:53.539 Sonic R, Star Trek, and Godzilla. They were swinging 00:10:53.539 --> 00:10:55.500 for the fences with these properties right up 00:10:55.500 --> 00:10:57.779 until the bitter end. And to their credit, Tiger 00:10:57.779 --> 00:11:00.159 Electronics did recognize the fatal flaws of 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:02.179 the original headgear design pretty quickly. 00:11:02.580 --> 00:11:04.879 Rather than abandoning the platform immediately, 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:07.960 they engaged in a series of frantic hardware 00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:10.379 pivots. They tried to save the ship. They really 00:11:10.379 --> 00:11:13.179 did. Over the next two years, they redesigned 00:11:13.179 --> 00:11:15.500 the physical console three separate times in 00:11:15.500 --> 00:11:17.980 an attempt to salvage the product line. Let's 00:11:17.980 --> 00:11:20.259 walk through those variations, because the design 00:11:20.259 --> 00:11:23.370 logic gets stranger with each iteration. Late 00:11:23.370 --> 00:11:26.850 in 1996, they released the Arzone Superscreen. 00:11:26.909 --> 00:11:30.009 The Superscreen? This model abandoned the wearable 00:11:30.009 --> 00:11:32.710 concept entirely. It was a tabletop console, 00:11:32.990 --> 00:11:36.600 still hitting that $29 .99 price point. But the 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:39.039 major marketing hook was that it finally offered 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:42.039 color, though that claim requires a heavy asterisk. 00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:44.120 Yeah, the implementation of color was essentially 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:46.759 a visual trick. Right. To get color, you had 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:49.399 to insert a special lens that simply provided 00:11:49.399 --> 00:11:52.419 a static, non -animated color background. Just 00:11:52.419 --> 00:11:54.940 a colored piece of plastic. Exactly. The actual 00:11:54.940 --> 00:11:57.519 dynamic game movements, the LCD shapes turning 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:00.600 on and off, remained entirely black. And this 00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:03.139 tabletop unit was not sleek. It required four 00:12:03.139 --> 00:12:05.879 heavy D batteries to operate. Four D batteries 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:09.240 for an LCD screen. Unbelievable. And they swapped 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:11.299 the traditional D -pad on the controller for 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:13.799 four separate directional buttons. But I guess 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:16.480 the main benefit was a much larger screen. You 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:18.519 were no longer forcing one person to squint through 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:20.759 a tilted mirror. The display was large enough 00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:22.279 that other people in the room could actually 00:12:22.279 --> 00:12:24.820 see the game. The super screen was a stark admission 00:12:24.820 --> 00:12:26.879 from Tiger that the head -mounted mirror system 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:29.779 was fundamentally flawed and uncomfortable. Definitely. 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:32.500 But their next pivot, released around the same 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:36.259 time in late 1996, is perhaps the most perplexing 00:12:36.259 --> 00:12:39.159 piece of hardware in their entire lineup, the 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:42.059 R -Zone data zone. The data zone is a product 00:12:42.059 --> 00:12:45.200 of its era in the most absurd way possible. They 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:47.379 took this heavily criticized gaming platform 00:12:47.379 --> 00:12:50.379 and mashed it up with a digital data organizer. 00:12:50.970 --> 00:12:52.929 The engineering of the data zone stripped away 00:12:52.929 --> 00:12:55.169 the complex mirror projection system entirely. 00:12:55.769 --> 00:12:58.889 Instead, it presented the LCD image on a flat 00:12:58.889 --> 00:13:02.409 screen, utilizing a simple backlight. Okay, slightly 00:13:02.409 --> 00:13:04.409 more normal. But because it was attempting to 00:13:04.409 --> 00:13:06.870 serve as a hybrid gaming and productivity device, 00:13:07.149 --> 00:13:09.509 the power requirements were completely fragmented. 00:13:09.750 --> 00:13:12.490 It required two AAA batteries to run the gaming 00:13:12.490 --> 00:13:15.490 hardware, but it relied on a separate, dedicated 00:13:15.490 --> 00:13:18.110 watch battery simply to save the data entered 00:13:18.110 --> 00:13:20.440 into the organizer portion of the device. is 00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:23.419 such a strange demographic to target. You have 00:13:23.419 --> 00:13:26.500 an audience buying cheap, pre -drawn LCD games 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:29.399 based on Jurassic Park, and Tiger assumes that 00:13:29.399 --> 00:13:32.779 same user base urgently needs a digital planner 00:13:32.779 --> 00:13:35.000 to schedule their dentist appointments on the 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:37.399 same device. It makes no sense. It feels like 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:39.639 a desperate attempt to add perceived value to 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:42.620 a failing system. And then finally, we reach 00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:45.500 1997 and the last hardware revision hits the 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:48.519 market. That would be the R -Zone XPG or the 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:51.600 Extreme Pocket Game. This was their final attempt 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:54.419 at creating a truly standard handheld console. 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:56.580 No more head straps. The headset was completely 00:13:56.580 --> 00:13:59.179 gone. Instead, the device projected the display 00:13:59.179 --> 00:14:01.539 onto a mirrored surface that was permanently 00:14:01.539 --> 00:14:04.080 affixed directly above the controller area. It 00:14:04.080 --> 00:14:06.580 was fully self -contained, didn't require a tabletop, 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:10.100 and ran entirely on standard AAA batteries. So 00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:12.100 what is this? all mean? They tried a head strap, 00:14:12.340 --> 00:14:14.860 a massive tabletop unit, hybrid data organizer, 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:17.100 and finally a standard handheld with a built 00:14:17.100 --> 00:14:19.779 -in mirror. How did the gaming press and the 00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:22.000 general public respond to this constant shifting 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:24.399 of hardware? Well, the response was universally 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:27.909 harsh. From its initial launch in 1995 straight 00:14:27.909 --> 00:14:30.850 through to the final XPG model, the platform 00:14:30.850 --> 00:14:33.090 was heavily criticized. They didn't hold back. 00:14:33.330 --> 00:14:36.110 Not at all. Despite the impressive roster of 00:14:36.110 --> 00:14:38.529 licensed titles and the continuous hardware adjustments, 00:14:38.990 --> 00:14:41.710 the R -Zone remained a complete commercial and 00:14:41.710 --> 00:14:44.600 critical failure. The contemporary reviews were 00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:46.379 devastating. I have to share this quote from 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:49.139 the source material. David Jones reviewed the 00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:51.659 console for the Chicago Tribune in November of 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:54.080 1995, so right around the initial launch. Oh, 00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:56.759 this quote is brutal. He did not mince words. 00:14:57.059 --> 00:14:59.720 He called the Arizone a waste of time and money. 00:15:00.220 --> 00:15:02.539 He pointed out the poor visibility of the screen 00:15:02.539 --> 00:15:04.879 and the awkwardness of the controls. But the 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:07.360 most damning part of his review focused on the 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:10.059 physical toll of the headgear itself. The comfort 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:12.779 issue. Yeah. He noted that wearing the headband 00:15:12.779 --> 00:15:15.519 for just five minutes resulted in two deep lines 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:18.019 on your forehead and a headache. Which highlights 00:15:18.019 --> 00:15:20.639 a massive failure in the product's physical design, 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:22.700 considering Tiger Electronics had explicitly 00:15:22.700 --> 00:15:25.279 added extra padding to the headband to prevent 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:27.840 that specific issue. The padding was entirely 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:30.940 ineffective. Jones finishes review by stating 00:15:30.940 --> 00:15:34.340 the R zone should be dumped into the trash can 00:15:34.340 --> 00:15:37.799 where it belongs. That is a brutal assessment 00:15:37.799 --> 00:15:40.340 for a product trying to establish itself during 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:42.740 the holiday shopping season. And the enthusiast 00:15:42.740 --> 00:15:46.490 gaming press echoed those exact sentiments. Electronic 00:15:46.490 --> 00:15:48.730 Gaming Monthly reviewed the hardware in December 00:15:48.730 --> 00:15:52.809 of 1995. They did offer a minor concession, pointing 00:15:52.809 --> 00:15:54.950 out that the R -Zone was significantly cheaper 00:15:54.950 --> 00:15:57.970 than Nintendo's Virtual Boy and that it was functionally 00:15:57.970 --> 00:16:00.429 easier to transport. Which is true, technically. 00:16:00.789 --> 00:16:03.429 However, they stressed that the display required 00:16:03.429 --> 00:16:05.970 a significant adjustment period for the user's 00:16:05.970 --> 00:16:08.590 eyes, and more importantly, they concluded that 00:16:08.590 --> 00:16:11.779 the R -Zone was not even in the same league as 00:16:11.779 --> 00:16:14.360 the Virtual Boys immersive experience. And when 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:16.299 the product you're seemingly attempting to imitate 00:16:16.299 --> 00:16:19.139 is already struggling in the market and reviewers 00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:21.039 say you aren't even in the same league as that 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:23.259 struggle. The writing is on the wall. Exactly. 00:16:23.740 --> 00:16:25.840 And the retrospective views on the console have 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:28.679 only grown harsher over the decades. In 2008, 00:16:28.899 --> 00:16:31.840 the publication GamesRadar Plus included the 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:34.419 R -Zone on a list of the 10 worst consoles ever 00:16:34.419 --> 00:16:37.360 made. Deservedly so. Mikel Reporaz summarized 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:39.220 the system as a poor imitation of the Virtual 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:42.399 Boy, describing it as just a gimmicky version 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:45.899 of the same awful, clicky -beepy LCD games that 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:47.700 Tiger had been dumping on the market since the 00:16:47.700 --> 00:16:50.620 80s. It's an abrasive critique, but it's technically 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:52.960 sound. The core architecture of the games had 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:55.600 not evolved in over a decade. Tiger had merely 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:57.980 built a more complicated, restrictive plastic 00:16:57.980 --> 00:17:00.559 housing around the same obsolete technology. 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:03.879 Fast forward to 2016, and the tech outlet Motherboard 00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:06.599 revisited the console. They labeled the R -Zone 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:08.960 perhaps the most infamous product ever associated 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:11.799 with Tiger. They echoed the sentiment that the 00:17:11.799 --> 00:17:13.880 games were just glorified versions of their old 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:16.579 LCD titles. And in comparing it again to the 00:17:16.579 --> 00:17:19.299 Virtual Boy, they concluded the R -Zone was much, 00:17:19.420 --> 00:17:21.759 much worse. If we connect this to the bigger 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:24.759 picture, the brief, troubled lifespan of the 00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:27.740 R zone represents a recurring trap within the 00:17:27.740 --> 00:17:30.859 technology sector. It illustrates the sheer danger 00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:34.039 of prioritizing a trendy aesthetic, like the 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:36.980 1990s obsession with virtual reality and wearable 00:17:36.980 --> 00:17:39.559 tech, without actually possessing the foundational 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:42.220 engineering to deliver on that promise. They 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:45.930 sold a look, not an experience. Precisely. Tiger 00:17:45.930 --> 00:17:48.210 promised an immersive, futuristic experience, 00:17:48.450 --> 00:17:50.950 but the reality they shipped was a 2 .5 -foot 00:17:50.950 --> 00:17:53.869 tether, a static red screen, and physical discomfort. 00:17:54.230 --> 00:17:56.430 It serves as a great reminder for you, the listener, 00:17:56.589 --> 00:17:59.190 as you evaluate the constant stream of new gadgets 00:17:59.190 --> 00:18:01.769 hitting the market today. Just because a device 00:18:01.769 --> 00:18:04.190 adopts a visual language of the future, featuring 00:18:04.190 --> 00:18:06.769 complex button layouts and aggressive sci -fi 00:18:06.769 --> 00:18:09.109 styling, does not mean the internal technology 00:18:09.109 --> 00:18:11.869 is actually pushing any boundaries. Often a flashy 00:18:11.869 --> 00:18:14.109 new headset is just an elaborate housing for 00:18:14.109 --> 00:18:16.150 the same basic technology we've been using for 00:18:16.150 --> 00:18:18.329 years. Before we conclude, I know you had a final 00:18:18.329 --> 00:18:20.119 thought you wanted to leave everyone with. I 00:18:20.119 --> 00:18:22.720 do. I want to pose a thought based on a specific 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:26.339 detail from our source. The official 1997 patent 00:18:26.339 --> 00:18:29.619 for the R -Zone categorizes it as a head mounted 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:32.519 modular electronic game system. That sounds so 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:34.859 advanced. Consider the ambition of that phrasing 00:18:34.859 --> 00:18:37.259 compared to the flawed reality of the actual 00:18:37.259 --> 00:18:40.160 product. The tech industry's pursuit of an immersive 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:42.880 experience has been ongoing for decades now. 00:18:43.059 --> 00:18:46.500 If the R -Zone was what a 1995 attempt at modular 00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:48.839 wearable gaming looked like, it raises an interesting 00:18:48.839 --> 00:18:51.559 question. What was that? How many other uncomfortable, 00:18:51.799 --> 00:18:54.920 fundamentally flawed prototypes had to be built, 00:18:55.019 --> 00:18:57.119 shipped, and ultimately relegated to the trash 00:18:57.119 --> 00:18:59.720 cans of history just so the industry could slowly 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:02.180 map out what doesn't work when merging screens 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:04.599 with human vision? The R -Zone is a failure, 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:07.400 yes, but it is also a necessary data point on 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:09.400 the long trajectory toward functional, wearable 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:11.859 technology. The trash cans of history are full 00:19:11.859 --> 00:19:15.319 of necessary stepping stones. I love that. Well, 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:17.339 thank you for joining us on this deep dive into 00:19:17.339 --> 00:19:19.640 the strange, dark... reality of the R -Zone. 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:21.640 We appreciate you taking the time to explore 00:19:21.640 --> 00:19:23.759 the forgotten corners of tech history with us, 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:26.180 and we look forward to uncovering another story 00:19:26.180 --> 00:19:28.779 next time. Keep questioning the tech you use, 00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:29.960 and have a great rest of your day.