The XR History Museum

Learn From XR’s History to Create the Future.

Enter the time tunnel marked by 3 neon arches and discover the history of AR and VR headsets from the past 50 years. The XR Museum is accessed via the AWE Expo hall during open Expo hours and features over 80 vintage XR devices donated by pioneers. Highlights include the 1990 Xybernaut (one of the first wearable computers), the 1992 Virtuality Viset 1 (one of the first commercial VR headsets), The Nintendo Virtual Boy, and many more. 

Special immersive experiences presented by The Immersive Archive Project USC Mobile & Environmental Media Lab will allow attendees to explore the following:

• Ivan Sutherland's first ever Head Mounted Display from 1968

• Morton Heilig’s Sensorama from 1961 - the first multisensory immersive cinema experience pre-dating VR

• The NASA VIEW Lab from 1987 which pioneered the development of many VR technologies including fully immersive head-coupled displays, datagloves, and a 3D audio.

A fourth immersive experience - “VR within VR” - will allow attendees to venture into Jeremy Dalton’s private collection of VR headsets. Presented by PwC. 

The XR Museum will feature early prototypes and headsets from the following companies:

Additionally, the XR Museum pays tribute to the first 101 XR pioneers who have been inducted into the XR Hall of Fame in 2024 with a photo gallery and their claim to fame.