Virtual Reality Laboratories Inc, of San Luis Obispo, California, claims to have brought Virtual Reality imaging to the personal computer user, who can now use the technology without having to don special helmets, goggles or gloves, with its $130-a-time Vistapro virtual reality program. The package, considerably cheaper than the average $15,000 price tag found on many existing Virtual Reality software products, is a landscaping program, available now in the US, to ship on a worldwide basis during the current quarter. Vistapro is based on real data from the US Geological Survey and the National Aeronautics & Space Administration, compiled to enable the creation, and exploration of various landscapes. Users can find themselves in a simulated helicopter ride over three-dimensional canyons, lakes, mountains and valleys. Vistapro can also be used to create imaginary places, with features including seasons, trees, rivers, snow, haze, waterfalls, shadows, waves and other geological features. Virtual Reality Labs claims that its new package can be installed in under 15 minues. Vistapro requires an MS-DOS personal computer with maths co-processor, 640Kb RAM, 3Mb hard disk, VGA graphics card, mouse and driver.
