(Authors' Note: This is coming a bit early, as I have a business trip to go to next week and won't be able to update at all for about a week or so. I'm leaving you with this major update in the meantime!)
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Apple Virtua Technical Specifications
The Apple Virtua is a large black console with a polished finish, a bit smaller than OTL's original Xbox One and a bit larger than OTL's original Playstation 4. Like the Google Nexus, it features a Blu-Ray disc drive, four USB ports, and HDMI inputs and outputs. Unlike the Nexus (and unlike the later Reality), it also features two cameras in the front of the console. These cameras are what set the Virtua apart from its competitors, as it gives the Virtua the ability to create a “total immersion space” that allows the player to experience full body motion controls. This is fully customizable, allowing players to calibrate the motion control range to the space that the Virtua is in (you can't play it in a closet, but it accommodates a wide range of living spaces). The Virtua thus operates in a similar fashion to OTL's Xbox Kinect, though there are a few key differences in terms of functionality. The Virtua's cameras are first and foremost designed to enable the virtual reality gameplay, and so the system, at least at first, doesn't function like the Xbox One did with voice commands and controls (those would come in later). In fact, Apple devices ITTL don't yet have Siri-like functionality, as voice controls are one of the major fields of technology that is actually behind IOTL in terms of progress. The Virtua will get a similar system to OTL's Siri later on, but for now, the Virtua lacks any kind of voice control system. This does free up processing power and development resources for the motion controls, and so the Virtua has, by far, the most advanced motion control system for any video game device to date. As far as software goes, the Virtua has access to the legacy iTunes library, and is capable of playing any digital Master System, Genesis, Saturn, Game Gear, Katana, or iTwin game yet released, and is also capable of playing iTwin games via backwards compatibility (giving the Virtua a library of 3,000+ digital games at launch).
The Apple Virtua is right around OTL's original Playstation 4 in terms of raw graphical power. In some ways, it's more powerful and capable, though in other ways, it's slightly less, again due to added processing power being devoted to the Virtua's motion control gameplay technology. The Virtua utilizes a custom-built 1.95 GHz octo-core Intel CPU alongside a 833 MHz GPU, providing around 2 teraflops of processing power. It has 8 GB of RAM, 2 more than the Google Nexus, and is generally a more powerful console overall, with graphics that are visually better in most games. Like the Nexus, the Virtua has two primary control schemes: a twin-controller setup similar to the iTwin, but with a few key differences, mostly concerning the grips, which have an extra trigger button (L4 and R4), which is primarily used for virtual reality functionality but which other developers use in different ways. The Virtua also has a traditional controller option, and on those controllers, the L4 and R4 buttons operate like the paddles seen on some advanced OTL controllers (including the Xbox Elite). The Virtua's default twin controllers have special chips allowing the camera to see their positions from anywhere, and the controllers have a wide array of movements and sensors, including an advanced rumble functionality that exceeds the capabilities of OTL's HD Rumble on the Switch. This has the effect of making the twin Virtua controllers quite expensive, with a set of them running $99.99 (the traditional style controller also has an MSRP of $99.99).
Overall, while motion controls and virtual reality were Apple's primary development goal with the Virtua, they also designed the console for raw power in a much more overt way than they did the iTwin. Steve Jobs was annoyed by just how much better first party games looked on the Sapphire than they did on the iTwin, and he didn't want to be beaten that badly by Nintendo in terms of raw power ever again. The Virtua is priced and promoted as a premium product, and though its initial MSRP is $200 more than the Nexus, the high price isn't a concern to Jobs, who knows that Apple loyalists are willing to pay big bucks for premium, well promoted products.
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Launch Title Summaries-
(The Virtua's North American launch line-up consists of 20 games, plus a few more small titles not worth mentioning here. Most are ports, but around half are exclusive to the console.)
Bayonetta 2
Developed by PlatinumGames exclusively for the Apple Virtua, Bayonetta 2 is a hack and slash title and a sequel to 2009's Bayonetta. While the game comes out ITTL about a year and a half earlier than it did IOTL, it enjoyed about the same amount of total development time, due to the extremely strong sales for the original game pushing Apple to commission and fund a sequel almost immediately. Bayonetta 2 features similar gameplay to its predecessor, but like OTL's sequel, gameplay is more refined and better paced, with new combo attacks at Bayonetta's disposal and the introduction of Umbran Climax, allowing players with a full magic meter to pull off numerous combos and strong attacks in rapid-fire succession. There's also an alteration to the Witch Time mechanic that allows Bayonetta to temporarily take control of an enemy and attack either themselves or another enemy. Called Witch Trance, this ability plays a major role in certain fights and can lead to some unique and humorous moments. Other than these new additions, little has changed between Bayonetta 2 and its predecessor. Of course, the Virtua does allow for an entire layout of motion controls which allows the player to punch, kick, and pose to make Bayonetta pull off some incredibly fun combos. Like in the first TTL Bayonetta game, Bayonetta breaks the fourth wall at times to comment on the player's performance if they're utilizing the motion controls. It IS possible to use the traditional control scheme, which is still quite fun and controls Bayonetta just as well. Another major difference between OTL and TTL's games is the graphics: the Apple Virtua is by far the most advanced console the Bayonetta series has been on (IOTL or ITTL), and the game demonstrates the system's graphical power quite nicely, with a smooth framerate and detailed character and enemy models that make the game one of the best looking launch titles for the system. Hellena Taylor and Kari Wahlgren reprise their roles from the original game, and TTL's Bayonetta 2 features much of the same music as OTL's game, including “Tomorrow Is Mine” and a remixed “Moon River”. Plotwise, there are also some strong similarities between OTL and TTL's titles. Like OTL's game, Bayonetta's companion Jeanne has been dragged into hell by a betrayer demon, and Bayonetta is forced to battle both angels and demons to get her back. Bayonetta's human allies Luka and Lizbeth both return from the previous game, and both have a role to play in the game's main plot, which now involves a modern day preacher figure known as Pastor Goliad (voiced by Stephen Root) being used by an ancient witch hunter named Margaretha (voiced by Susanne Blakeslee) in order to restart the Witch Hunts of years past. Margaretha is behind Jeanne's abduction, and Goliad (who doesn't know that he's being used to summon demons into the world, but instead believes his new miracle powers come from God) serves as the human face of her plan, directing swarms of angels against Bayonetta as she travels the world to save Jeanne and ultimately the universe from Margaretha's evil plans. Though Bayonetta does slaughter armies of angels, she doesn't harm Goliad himself, instead using her powers to break the hold Margaretha has over his mind (she DOES humiliate him though, and it's implied that the government arrests him for fraud soon after his defeat). Bayonetta rescues Jeanne from execution, and together, the two travel back in time to defeat Margaretha before she gains enough power to destroy witches in the present. Bayonetta isn't able to save her own mother from the hunts, but she does gain inspiration and a brand new power, and uses this power and Jeanne's help to defeat Margaretha and end the witch hunts once and for all. Bayonetta and Jeanne then return to the present and resume their lives of luxury, decadence, and angel hunting. Bayonetta 2, like OTL's game, enjoys incredibly strong reviews, with review scores easily the best of any game released so far in 2013. The game is heavily praised for its fun hack and slash action, its optional motion controls, its gorgeous graphics, and its extremely fast pacing. The game has plenty of replay value, and is considered to have set a new bar for the genre. It becomes the Virtua's most successful launch title, and is a true killer app for the system, helping to push hardware units despite the Virtua's high price.
GameRankings Score: 96.93%
Virtua Fighter Beyond Infinity
Virtua Fighter Beyond Infinity is a half-sequel, half-enhanced port of the hit Gemini title Virtua Fighter Infinity. It's essentially the same game, but includes all the DLC plus several original characters, a suite of brand new modes (including a built-in brawler title and expanding on the Virtua Quest-style RPG mode from Infinity), and most importantly, support for the Virtua's built in motion controls, allowing players to achieve almost one-to-one movement for their characters in the game. There's a super-detailed Create A Fighter mode that will allow players to put themselves into the game like never before, meaning that for the first time, it's possible for the player to star in a Virtua Fighter game. While some critics see it as a bit of a gimmick, most players eat it up eagerly, and the game is seen as a major improvement over the original (which was already considered one of the greatest fighting games of all time). Virtua Fighter Beyond Infinity is one of the best reviewed console fighting games ever, and sales heavily reflect that. It's the best selling launch title in Japan. In North America, sales are strong, but a bit lower than might be expected, due in part to people owning the game on the Gemini and not quite wanting to make the jump at launch. Still, it's a massive hit, and probably the most successful Virtua Fighter overall since 4.
GameRankings Score: 93.01%
Virtua Rally
A successor title to both Sega Rally and Virtua Racing, Virtua Rally aims to be a comprehensive racing experience combining both arcade and simulation style racing into a single package. The game includes three main modes: a “simulation style” mode that emulates the Gran Turismo and Forza series, an “arcade style” mode that provides full arcade-style racing in the style of the classic Virtua Racing games, and a “rally style” mode combining the two. The game includes support for traditional controls, simple motion controls, and complex motion controls. It releases alongside a steering wheel accesory (sold separately) intended to simulate the feel of real virtual racing. While the game is graphically gorgeous and plays quite well, it's seen somewhat as a “jack of all trades, master of none”, a game that isn't quite as challenging and compelling a sim as Gran Turismo, or as simple and fun as Virtua Racing or even the earlier Sega Rally reboot. It's still a very well received game, and another strong seller, but isn't quite the killer app that some of its fellow launch titles are.
GameRankings Score: 86.23%
Virtua Sports
A compilation sports title including new versions of Virtua Tennis and Virtua Soccer, as well as basketball, baseball, golf, billiards, darts, foot racing, boxing, and fishing. The game allows for both traditional controls and motion controls. Like Virtua Rally, it suffers from a bit of a “jack of all trades, master of none” problem, but all the games are quite fun and control quite well. The game has less of a budget title feel to it than OTL's Wii Sports did (retailing at full price), but ironically, the game doesn't become as iconic or successful, mostly because it's not packaged with the system. Players who do take the plunge are rewarded with a very fun game and an excellent demonstration of the Virtua's capabilities.
GameRankings Score: 88.98%
XCOM: From The Skies
Another Virtua exclusive, this one from a third party, this game is the latest in the XCOM series, in which players must repel an alien invasion with the army they have at hand. Unlike games such as OTL's Enemy Unknown, this is an RTS, not a tactical RPG, and it requires more resource management and faster thinking, operating a little bit like Starcraft without quite as much strategy. It allows for optional motion controls, in which players can physically pick up and move units around, and though this is a fun way to play the game, traditional controls are probably the way to go. It's a slick, simple, but fun RTS, and though hardcore XCOM fans scoff a bit, it's overall a good game.
GameRankings Score: 76.15%
World Series Baseball 2K13
The latest in Apple's exclusive baseball series, this one also made its way to the iTwin and Gemini. The Virtua version is nearly identical, though it does have better graphics and tacked-on motion controls. It's a good baseball game, and though it's no Ken Griffey: Hall Of Fame, it's still a popular launch title.
GameRankings Score: 80.50%
NASCAR 2K13
Another Apple sports exclusive, this NASCAR game actually runs into a bit of a conflict with Virtua Rally, which also includes NASCAR racers (though 2K13 is the only one with the actual NASCAR tracks and ruleset). The 2013 game is considered somewhat of a disappointment compared with the excellent NASCAR 2K12, and the Virtua version is no exception. It's certainly not a bad game, but does have some trouble selling due to the various issues.
GameRankings Score: 71.54%
Dragonball ZV
This interesting title is a Virtua-exclusive Dragonball fighting game. Though there are plenty of Dragonball games being released for various consoles at this time, most with similarities to OTL's Tenkaichi and Budokai games, Dragonball ZV slims down the roster a bit in order to showcase the graphics of the Virtua. It's a beautiful fighting game, certainly the closest in appearance to the actual anime that has been released to date, but it's nothing too special. Most fighter fans buy Virtua Fighter Beyond Infinity, while only hardcore Z junkies pick this one up.
GameRankings Score: 70.77%
Ghosts At Dusk
A horror title with some similarities to Fatal Frame, this first-person launch title is designed to take advantage of the Virtua's controls. It's about a group of Japanese students on a class trip who find themselves harrowed by ghosts. It's legitimately terrifying, if somewhat short and simplistic, and best remembered for the elaborate motion control scheme which forces players to stay alert and attentive to protect the students (most of whom are attractive girls). Though most reviews are positive, a notable negative review compares the game to Night Trap.
GameRankings Score: 77.04%
Skullgirls
This anime-based fighter comes to the Virtua exclusively ITTL, due to Apple working extensively with Reverge Labs to produce and publish the game. It's quite similar to OTL's title, though it's even better looking graphically, and gets a physical release at launch (at a budget price of $29.99). With more fighters and an expanded storyline, it's overall a stronger game than OTL's title, but amidst the other fighters present at the Virtua launch, it gets lost in the fold and becomes known as a niche game.
GameRankings Score: 83.40%
Assassin's Creed III
Like the previous Nexus port, Assassin's Creed III is fairly identical to the game that got released late last year. It has the best graphics of any port released thus far, and a bit smoother gameplay due to included patches, but there's little reason to buy this version if you've already played the others.
GameRankings Score: 92.77%
Call Of Duty: Coalition
Second verse, same as the first. It's a better looking port than the Nexus version, but nothing new has been added here.
GameRankings Score: 81.60%
Thrillseekers: Winter Challenge 2
Activision threw in some DLC with the Virtua version of the game, but other than a new graphical coat of paint, this is essentially the same game as the others.
GameRankings Score: 77.36%
Child Of Light
Absolutely nothing has been changed here from the other versions. Even the graphics are identical to the Nexus version of the game.
GameRankings Score: 85.16%
Shadowrun Archaica
The next-gen Shadowrun title, launching on the Nexus in February, the Virtua in March (at launch), and the Reality in June, this game is a brand new WRPG set in the Shadowrun universe. It plays much like a more simplistic Deus Ex: Human Evolution, though with less combat and more computer hacking and trading. Its plot revolves around the discovery of an ancient library of interplanetary knowledge, and the struggle amongst various factions to retrieve portions of the library's collection. It's a fairly open ended game and also quite intellectual for an RPG, with the player asked to solve complex word puzzles and decipher interactions with a wide variety of characters. In addition to the game's console launches, it also launches on PC and Mac, and generally does better there, with the game's content and gameplay style more suited to PC players than to console ones. Reviewers criticize the game's length (the main story is fairly short) and some of its obtuse content, though a few reviewers call it one of the best RPGs of the year. The Virtua version is a decent showcase for the console's graphical power, though it lacks the second screen functionality of the Nexus. It's a flawed but fun Shadowrun game and hardcore fans of the series tend to really like it.
GameRankings Score: 78.45%
Batman: Dark Legend
Another port that's fairly similar to the other versions, it does look quite good on the Virtua, and it's possible to control Batman with motion controls, leading to some fun Youtube videos of players dressing up like Batman to play.
GameRankings Score: 86.04%
Grapple: Settle It In The Ring
THQ's long-awaited wrestling adventure game comes to next-gen consoles in early 2013, and is a Virtua launch title. It allows the player to create their own protagonist (male or female) with a basic set of wrestling moves, and they'll learn more as they progress through the world. The game isn't quite as silly as it sounds, it has some serious plot twists and villains, and plays the “world based on wrestling” trope fairly straight. The plot itself involves corporate espionage and a rigged presidential election, with Terry Crews playing the voice of the game's main antagonist (the developers wanted to get Randy Savage, but Savage died in 2012 under similar circumstances to OTL, just before he could record his vocal lines for the game). As you play, you'll have to recruit various wrestlers to your side (mostly by beating them in matches), with the gameplay resembling the company's OTL WWE wrestling titles. Grapple is a really fun game that doesn't quite live up to the massive hype THQ was attempting to generate for it prior to its release (mostly due to developmental issues). Its sales are mediocre, and it becomes more of an underappreciated gem rather than the company's next new hit IP.
GameRankings Score: 81.89%
Guacamelee!
Another hit OTL indie game that also appears ITTL, Guacamelee! is released on most current platforms in early 2013, with the Virtua port appearing on the digital score at launch. Like IOTL, the game is a melodramatic luchadora-based Metroidvania game, and achieves similar critical and commercial success to OTL.
GameRankings Score: 88.37%
Nightmare Of Ammut-Ra
The latest in the moderately popular adventure series, Nightmare Of Ammut-Ra is released exclusively to eighth generation consoles, including the Virtua. The priest protagonist, along with Kannara and Septet, all return to battle the mighty Anubis and a legion of undead horrors that have invaded Ammut-Ra and seek to destroy everything and drag everyone into the underworld. This game, three years in the making, is a major graphical showcase for the new consoles, but achieves much better sales initially on the Nexus than on the Virtua, where it becomes lost amongst its fellow launch games. It would see decent sales legs later on, and is overall considered a good game, though not as good as Savior of Ammut-Ra.
GameRankings Score: 79.16%
Wulfsbane
An Enix produced horror-themed RPG for the next-gen consoles (only the Virtua and Nexus, with no Reality port), Wulfsbane is an action RPG about a werewolf who stalks a Gothic-themed world in search of revenge on the person who put them in that condition. Interestingly, the werewolf is actually a teenage girl, and she's attempting to hunt down a young prince who murdered her best friend (who also happened to be the prince's betrothed). The game's combat system is somewhat slow and stiff, a sort of hack and slash with Souls-esque controls (but not difficulty), and it's meant to evoke a sense of horror and melancholy in the player. It's a dark, brooding, and beautiful game, though the graphics are a bit weak for eighth generation standards. The game's reviews are solid but not great, and sales are highly disappointing in the States (though in Japan it becomes one of the best selling Virtua launch titles and also a major hit on the Nexus). The failure of Wulfsbane in North America leads Enix to draw back its operations in the West, and Japan would see numerous exclusives in the eighth generation that North America wouldn't.
GameRankings Score: 75.82%
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March 25, 2013
The Apple Virtua is launched worldwide at an MSRP of $499.99. This price includes the Virtua and its twin controllers, but no other accessories or games. The system's release is preceded by a major advertising and hype campaign for Apple which pushes the system's motion control capabilities and also the trendiness of the console, with celebrity endorsements and gamer testimonies hyping it up as a premium product. The system's launch is also preceded by highly favorable reviews from the gaming press of both the hardware and software, with the motion control capabilities receiving especially high praise. Virtua Sports, Virtua Rally, and Virtua Fighter Beyond Infinity receive the bulk of the mainstream hype, while Bayonetta 2 is pushed by Apple as the hardcore gamers' game of choice for the console's launch. The Virtua receives considerably more launch hype than Google's Nexus, and pushes its connection to the iTwin quite heavily, hoping to appeal to families who purchased the iTwin even at its own high launch price of $399. It's a tough sell, but Steve Jobs is determined to make it work, and the Virtua's advertising campaign is by far the biggest for a game console launch of all time, twice that of the previous record holder, the Microsoft Xbox 2. The Virtua launch is accompanied by enormous fanfare, both from the gaming community and the mainstream press alike. Though most of the early buzz is positive, the Virtua's high price receives huge backlash from large segments of the gaming community, who are also suspicious of the system's built in cameras that could potentially be used to spy on players (though the cameras' functionality being initially devoted strictly to the motion controls does mitigate this a bit).
The launch of the Virtua is considered a major success in Japan, a success in North America, and so-so in Europe. Sales are largest in North America, with over a million total units moved in the first week, while Japanese sales, around 600,000 in the first week, significantly outpace expectations. The Virtua's price was thought to have been a major limiting factor on sales, but that doesn't seem to be the case, at least initially, with the usual early adopters joining Apple hardcores and mainstream players swayed by all the hype. It's not as big a launch as some systems have seen, but in the eyes of most, more than any $500 console has any right to have. In Europe, only around 100,000 units would be sold in the first week, with British, French, German, and Spanish shelves full of consoles throughout the remainder of the year.
Here are the launch week sales figures for the 20 launch titles, based on North American sales (on a total of 1,138,507 first week units sold in North America):
Bayonetta 2: 357,834
Virtua Sports: 321,050
Virtua Rally: 213,816
Virtua Fighter Beyond Infinity: 145,963
Call Of Duty: Coalition: 123,728
Assassin's Creed III: 80,599
World Series Baseball 2K13: 61,774
Dragonball ZV: 48,360
NASCAR 2K13: 37,619
Batman: Dark Legend: 37,447
Thrillseekers: Winter Challenge 2: 30,515
Ghosts At Dusk: 27,461
Nightmare Of Ammut-Ra: 23,800
Shadowrun Archaica: 21,216
XCOM: From The Skies: 20,534
Guacamelee!: 18,271
Grapple: Settle It In The Ring: 15,361
Skullgirls: 10,071
Child Of Light: 7,604
Wulfsbane: 7,382
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*On the set of Late Night with Drew Barrymore, Drew Barrymore and Lyssa Fielding are showing off the Apple Virtua. They're playing Virtua Fighter Beyond Infinity, and facing a large screen as they play the game with the full motion controls.*
Drew: Okay, I'm pretty sure you're gonna kick my ass, but I'll take you on anyway.
Lyssa: *laughing* Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna kick your ass too. *the audience laughs loudly at this*
Drew: Well, let's get to fighting, huh?
*The round starts and Drew throws a few weak punches, doing some damage to Lyssa's character, who just mostly stands there and takes it.*
Drew: Yeah! Yeah!
Lyssa: *smirking, she launches into several fierce combo attacks, throwing a series of sharp punches and kicks which register as strong strikes that combine to quickly take off half of her opponent's lifebar*
Drew: Oh no, oh no! *gets thrown to the ground by Lyssa's character* Come on, punch, punch dammit! *throwing futile punches at the screen as her character tries to get up*
Lyssa: I feel like I should let you hit me a few times.
Drew: Yes, you should!
Lyssa: *fierce kicks Drew's character to the ground again*
Drew: Oh, come on!
Band Director: You're getting your ass kicked, Drew!
Drew: I'm no good at games! While Lyssa was playing Super Mario Bros., I was doing drugs! *the crowd laughs*
Lyssa: Well, to quote former FBI director William S. Sessions, winners don't use drugs...
Band Director: Isn't the Virtua designed for people who aren't good at games? I mean, if you can do the motions you can play the game, right?
Drew: It's not designed to beat experts!
Lyssa: *laughing as she lands the finishing blow, the crowd cheers loudly* Woooooo!
Drew: Okay, okay, let's go another round, I'm not finished with you!
(…)
*Now Drew is playing Bayonetta 2 while Lyssa helps by giving her advice.*
Drew: This game is fun, it's more fun than Virtua Fighter anyway. I think that's because I'm not playing against you.
Lyssa: Bayonetta is awesome. I'd jump in, but you're the host, so I'll let you play this round.
Drew: Yeah, you just show me how to play. I'm actually doing pretty good right now I think. *using some punches and kicks to take down a gang of angels* Aw yeah, feathers are flying now!
Lyssa: Do the torture attack, do the torture attack!
Drew: *does the hand motion to use a torture attack on the last angel in the group* Can we even show this game on broadcast TV? I feel like we're going to get a fine showing this.
Lyssa: Well, it's a taped show, so...
(…)
*After the quick Bayonetta demo, Drew and Lyssa sit back down to discuss the console.*
Drew: So that's the Virtua, and it's... it's really neat! It's probably the most fun I've ever had playing video games.
Lyssa: It is a lot of fun, you know, I've gotten about a week to play with it and I've had a blast. The motion controls are awesome, the games are great, I've been playing the hell out of Bayonetta 2...
Drew: The one you have, Apple sent you, right?
Lyssa: That one is in my trailer on the set of Hating Places, and then I'm buying another one to keep at my house. What's neat is that I heard that the camera can tell how big of a room you're in, so it doesn't matter whether you're in a trailer or in your living room. It's kind of cramped in my trailer, I cleared out some of my stuff to have room to move around though. That means you know it's good, I wouldn't clean out my trailer for just any reason! I'm a slacker when it comes to that kinda thing!
Drew: Oh, I know. *smirks* So this thing you think is going to give lazy people all over the world a reason to clean up their houses.
Lyssa: It is, it's going to be better than a nagging mom. *the crowd laughs* Speaking of moms, I'm getting my mom one of these too. She doesn't play video games but I'm getting her this and probably Bayonetta.
Drew: I'm not sure that's an appropriate game for an elderly woman to play.
Lyssa: My mom would love it. My mom is cool.
Drew: I know your mom, she is cool, I didn't know she was THAT cool.
Lyssa: My mom is that cool.
-from the March 22, 2013 episode of Late Night with Drew Barrymore on CBS
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April 6, 2013
Steve Jobs smiled as he read the reports showing off the early sales figures for the Apple Virtua. Despite the system's high cost, it had outsold the Google Nexus in its first week of sales, and was on pace to sell more than ten million units by the end of the year if things continued at their current pace (and Jobs expected that they would).
He could take credit for most of the Virtua's sales, but not all of them... and despite the problems he'd had with his friend Steve Wozniak in the past, even he had to admit that Wozniak's ideas had been paramount in the development of the Virtua. Wozniak had been a major part of the iTwin's success as well, and more than 100 million units later, and barring a late surge of Sapphire sales, Apple had become the first company ever to win a console generation against Nintendo.
He knew the Reality launch was on the horizon. Nintendo's system was expected to be slightly more powerful than the Virtua, and would cost $100 less for the base model (though if buyers wanted the system's main selling point, its VR headset, they too would have to shell out a total of $499). However, like the Sapphire before it, Jobs knew Nintendo's Reality was beatable.
And despite all of the controversy over Jobs and Apple's activity in Japan, the Virtua had been a major success there as well. How could it not be? Apple was huge in Japan. Jobs had cultivated a major part of the console's launch lineup for Japan, with Bayonetta 2, Virtua Fighter Beyond Infinity, and Ghosts At Dusk all receiving heavy promotional pushes there. He'd also ensured that the Virtua wouldn't experience any of the same supply crunches that had plagued the iTwin.
His teams were already hard at work on the Virtua's VR solution, a headset for the Virtua that would work in combination with the system's motion controls to create the first ever true virtual reality experience. He knew it would be several years away, and would likely require a second iteration of the Virtua, but he also knew it would be worth the work and the time, and if Nintendo's Reality did initially start out ahead, it would be his ace in the hole.
Jobs had chosen a young tech wizard to lead his team, someone who'd been recommended by another recent hire: John Carmack, now heading up Jobs' gaming division. In a meeting shortly after E3 2012, Carmack had introduced Jobs to a young man, just 19 years of age, who was about to start his own technology company.
“Maybe,” said Carmack to the young man, “instead of starting your own company, you could come work for my friend Steve.”
Jobs had been impressed with the young man immediately, though he knew his design would need work before it could be implemented for the Virtua. It also wasn't a done deal right away... the 19 year old didn't initially know if he wanted to work with Apple. His technology was groundbreaking, and with Nintendo rumored to be working on something similar, he still wanted to weigh his options. However, later in the year, at the same Silicon Valley party where Jobs and Wozniak had discussed the re-election of Jon Huntsman together, this young man was also in attendance, and told Jobs that he'd like to take him up on his offer.
Now, the young man was leading one of Apple's most important development teams, putting all of their resources into developing a suite of virtual reality headsets. The devices would be rolled out across the iOS family initially, but eventually, a Virtua solution would be developed.
This young man, Palmer Luckey, was now one of the most important people in gaming, but at the moment, only Apple insiders knew his name.
But eventually, hoped Steve Jobs, all of that would change. Next year would see Apple's rollout of true virtual reality begin, and the console wars would enter worlds that had never before been imagined.