In the mid 1990s, Atari had wanted all of us to “Do The Math” and pick their Jaguar console over the other consoles of the era. For most people, the Atari Jaguar is a bittersweet system. Not only would it be Atari’s final console in the US market, but it would also be one of the best “love-hate” relationships you could have. One of the add on devices that was planned, but never released, was the Atari VR Headset. Over the years, it has been known that only 2 of these bad boys were ever made, and it’s very rare that we get a chance to own one of the two. Well, an eBay seller from the UK wants to change all of that, since one of the two are now up for bids on eBay!

Atari and Virtuality had gotten together in 1994 to make a home version of what was known as Virtual Reality. Of course, VR was all of the rage back in the 1990s, and it was supposed to be an important part of our future. (Of course, it didn’t turn up quite as expected, but it became reality in some cases like The Sims and Second Life, but even that wasn’t the original intent of VR.) The first unit that was created was the “red unit”, which was low resolution, and when Atari reviewed the device, they were not happy with the final output. Virtuality went back to the drawing board, and upgraded the quality to Atari’s standards. While all of this was happening, Atari was already planning to exit the video game market all together. Meanwhile, Virtuality created the upgraded “blue unit”, which fixed some initial problems, and made the quality much better. In the end, 2 prototypes were made in total, and the final fly in the ointment was that Virtuality never got paid a single cent for their work.

Directly from the auction:

“Since it was in it’s Prototype stage and was eventually dropped for the higher resolution Blue/Gray set-up it does have a few minor issues from time to time. I have replaced the original ribbon cable connector that connects the Jaguar console to the VR tracker, there are now 3 new spare connectors that make a huge difference. Sometimes the headset shows a double screen when looking through the Headset, without taking it apart I haven’t been able to adjust this issue, it seems minor like maybe a short in a wire ,but not being an expert I didn’t want to open it up and possibly ruin it since it is so expensive and unique. It takes a lot of patience to get it running and I have included set-up and connection instructions to help.The tracker uses infra-red tracking,so the Headset must face the tracker when its being used. You will need an Atari Jaguar console with hookups and a working controller and also an extra power supply for the tracker( It must be an official Jaguar power supply or else you will run the risk ruining the tracker). You will also need a Scart connector to RGB monitor if you are using an Atari SC1435 Monitor.”

Here is a complete list of what you get if you place your bid:

Atari Jaguar VR Headset HMD

2 Trackers and extra Face Cover

Atari Jaguar VR GUN

Atari Jaguar Space Joystick PCB

VR EEProm V- Track Set/Extra Chips

Consumer HMD Software Storyboard Zone Hunter

Consumer HMD Software Storyboard Space Invaders

Missile Command 3D Game Boxed/Complete

3X New Ribbon Cables (connects console to tracker)

15 way High Density Plug

VR Connection Setup Instructions

Vintage Used Atari Jaguar VR Tee Shirts (1 Large; 1 XL)

The only known game to work was in fact the Missile Command 3D game, which you get with the auction, complete with box and manual. And while this is an incredible eBay find, it is unfortunately not cheap, and with good reason. Currently, the opening bid is at £9,137.89, which is equal to $14,500! So if you don’t need to buy a car outright at the moment, and want to own a great piece of video game history, this just may be for you. The auction is scheduled to end on January 29th at 11:21 Greenwich Mean Time.

eBay Listing: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Atari-Jaguar-VR-Headset-LOT-ULTRA-RARE-HOLY-GRAIL-MUST-SEE-/221179309693?clk_rvr_id=442861611903