Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Decades before Ready Player One, The Matrix, or the Apple Vision Pro, an author wrote a short story that accurately mapped out modern virtual reality. This is the mind-blowing history of Stanley G. Weinbaum’s 1935 masterpiece, "Pygmalion's Spectacles."
In this video essay, we look back at the earliest origins of VR in fiction. We explore how a 1930s pulp sci-fi writer managed to predict liquid-lens VR displays, interactive non-player characters (NPCs), full-sensory haptic feedback (taste, smell, touch), and even modern RPG text inputs. We also look at Lawrence Manning's 1933 story "The Man Who Awoke" and discuss how close we are to achieving the ultimate sci-fi vision of a Brain-Computer Interface.
Read Pygmalion's Spectacles here: classicly.com/pygmalions-spectacles
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ASUS Prime B550M-A Motherboard (amzn.to/3sUm5C0)
Deep Cool Neptwin V2 CPU Cooler (amzn.to/3c7Bzf3)
OTHER EQUIPMENT I RECOMMEND:
Valve Index (amzn.to/3sxdyou)
Oculus Quest 2 (amzn.to/3uESqyv)
TP-Link Archer AX1800 WiFi 6 Router (amzn.to/3u9Ahbb)
Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas One (amzn.to/3swRpX9)
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THE IMMERSED ROBOT DISCORD COMMUNITY:
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MY AUTHOR WEBSITE:
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#VR #HistoryOfVR #PygmalionsSpectacles
Decades before Ready Player One, The Matrix, or the Apple Vision Pro, an author wrote a short story that accurately mapped out modern virtual reality. This is the mind-blowing history of Stanley G. Weinbaum’s 1935 masterpiece, "Pygmalion's Spectacles."
In this video essay, we look back at the earliest origins of VR in fiction. We explore how a 1930s pulp sci-fi writer managed to predict liquid-lens VR displays, interactive non-player characters (NPCs), full-sensory haptic feedback (taste, smell, touch), and even modern RPG text inputs. We also look at Lawrence Manning's 1933 story "The Man Who Awoke" and discuss how close we are to achieving the ultimate sci-fi vision of a Brain-Computer Interface.
Read Pygmalion's Spectacles here: classicly.com/pygmalions-spectacles
*************** SUPPORT IMMERSED ROBOT *************
PURCHASE MY VIRTUAL REALITY SCIENCE-FICTION NOVEL, 'THE MEMORY ENGINE':
Kindle/paperback (UK): amzn.to/3depUvI
Kindle/paperback (US): tiny.cc/ob7ksz
Audible (UK): tinyurl.com/y2f529my
Audible (US): tinyurl.com/7bca5z24
IMMERSED ROBOT ON PATREON: patreon.com/immersedrobot
IMMERSED ROBOT MERCH:
teespring.com/stores/immersedrobot
I MAKE REGULAR APPEARANCES ON 'THE NEXT DIMENSION PODCAST':
Available on MRTV's channel: youtube.com/mixedrealityTV
****** PC SPECS (+ AFFILIATE LINKS ON AMAZON) *****
MY PC:
Gigabyte RTX 3080 Graphics Card (no current link)
Ryzen 5 5600X CPU (amzn.to/3qZ0t6Q)
32Gb DDR 4 3600MHz RAM (amzn.to/2ZVcleh)
1TB Sabrant Rocket M.2 SSD (amzn.to/3b1e08B)
ASUS Prime B550M-A Motherboard (amzn.to/3sUm5C0)
Deep Cool Neptwin V2 CPU Cooler (amzn.to/3c7Bzf3)
OTHER EQUIPMENT I RECOMMEND:
Valve Index (amzn.to/3sxdyou)
Oculus Quest 2 (amzn.to/3uESqyv)
TP-Link Archer AX1800 WiFi 6 Router (amzn.to/3u9Ahbb)
Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas One (amzn.to/3swRpX9)
Thrustmaster T150 Force Feedback Racing Wheel (amzn.to/2Ocj8ht)
Blue Yeti Microphone (amzn.to/3aYZ0rL)
Logitech C920 Webcam (amzn.to/37Qgxk0)
********************** SOCIAL LINKS *********************
TWITTER:
@ImmersedRobot (twitter.com/ImmersedRobot)
THE IMMERSED ROBOT DISCORD COMMUNITY:
discord.gg/EfcgwBPTzT
MY AUTHOR WEBSITE:
garywalkden.com
#VR #HistoryOfVR #PygmalionsSpectacles
