Virtual reality
The 1990s saw the first widespread commercial releases of consumer headsets. In 1991, Sega announced the Sega VR headset for arcade games and the Mega Drive console. It used LCD screens in the visor, stereo headphones, and inertial sensors that allowed the system to track and react to the movements of the user's head. In the same year, Virtuality launched and went on to become the first mass-produced, networked, multiplayer VR entertainment system. It was released in many countries, including a dedicated VR arcade at Embarcadero Center in San Francisco. Costing up to $73,000 per multi-pod Virtuality system, they featured headsets and exoskeleton gloves that gave one of the first "immersive" VR experiences. "Computer Gaming World" predicted "Affordable VR by 1994".
H2O Audio
H2O Audio was started as a graduate student project at San Diego State University by a SCUBA diver who wanted to take music with him while diving; hence the company was originally named Diver Entertainment. In 2002, the first patents were approved, followed by the development of waterproof technologies in 2003. By 2004, the first underwater SCUBA product was shipped. In 2005, the company moved into developing waterproof headphones and cases for MP3 players, including iPods. 2007 was the year Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin was brought on as the first official H2O Audio Ambassador, and in 2008, big wave surfer Laird Hamilton was also named an official H2O Audio Ambassador. Currently, Laird Hamilton has his own signature version of Surge Headphones. In 2009, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps also became an official ambassador of the brand, along with triathletes Greg and Laura Bennett.