the Nintendo Virtual Boy was the first home console to feature true 3D graphics, in a manner similar to old viewmaster toys. Two screens display red and black monochrome images to create a 3D effect. These were generated by high resolution mirror scanning LED technology, licensed by Nintendo from a Massachusetts company called Reflection Technology Inc. These displays work by having a vertical array of 224 red LEDs which are scanned across the viewers field of vision using a flat oscillating mirror system. While much cheaper than using a full 384 224 resolution LED screen, and having a faster refresh rate than LCD, this system has proved very fragile, and can be easily damaged by rough treatment. The controller is quite similar in appearance to the dual shock pad used with the Sony Playstation, though instead of the two analogue sticks, there are two digital D pads. Though initially quite tricky to get to grips with, the controller does prove to be very effective. An oddity of the Virtual Boy controller, and indeed of the whole system, is that the pad contains the battery pack that powers the whole console. This makes it quite heavy, but reduces the number of trailing wires that could otherwise get in the way.