Sega Video Driver

Video Driver or Family Driver in Japan is a home console released by Sega in 1988. The console is actually a driving wheel that the user can use., while the video footage comes from a video tape.

The console itself is powered by batteries. Then there is a sensor that should be attached on the screen with a small plastic red card in front of the television, "looking" at the screen. The sensor can move left or right based on the direction the wheel is moving. There are also white lights at the bottom of the screen that are indicating obstacles that you have to avoid. In UK, the packaged game was California Chase, with the user actually chasing a car on the screen. The scoreboard started from 100 points and the purpose of the game is to chase the car avoiding the obstacles. Every time you hit an obstacle, the points decreased, so the main goal was to finish with 100 points.

There are 4 known games released from Video Driver. California Chase and Road Race are actually the same game with different footage. The other two gaming titles are Police Persuit and Road Racer.

Sega Video Driver didn't sell well. The games that were released was proving a linear/boring experience, limited by the capabilities of the VHS tapes.

You can watch the 80's commercial in the video below: