What Ever Happened to Virtual Reality?

bergeron76 writes "It seems like it's been ages since I heard of any advances in "Virtual Reality" technology. Was Virtual Reality just hype? Are there any new or existing projects that have made any significant inroads (aside from the first-person shooter games)? Is total virtual immersion a worthless persuit / dead industry? If not, what are the bottlenecks that are delaying it?"

What Ever Happened to Virtual Reality?

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

It's all virtual of course!

Better Than Life

[cryptoz]

from the British Red Dwarf series. Need I say more?

Easy Answer

[KyleNicholson]

The Matrix scared everyone.

What do you mean?

[screwballicus]

In 1995, Virtual Reality systems reached the apex of all conceivable technological possibility [nintendo.com], realised its own state of perfection, and ceased to advance for lack of further necessity.

Actually

[Dante Shamest]

It seems like it's been ages since I heard of any advances in "Virtual Reality" technology. Was Virtual Reality just hype?

Ah, the irony. I love my job.

- The Architect

RIP

[Jondro]

Nintendo killed it when they released the Virtual Boy

What do you mean?

[writermike]

Virtual Reality is on TV every night of the week!

Buh-doom-boom-Sis.

Re:What do you mean?

[Justin205]

We need a "+/-1 Bad Joke" moderation...

Virtual Reality

[warewolfsmith]

I Googled "Virtual Reality" Results 18,100,000 Hits for Virtual Reality. It seems the technology is everywhere.

Re:come on..

[DenDave]

... it got patented...

Re:What Ever Happened to Virtual Reality?

[wickedsteve]

This all seems so very real. You didn't even notice the transition did you?

Re:What do you mean?

[aussie_a]

That's what Funny is for.

We don't need it

[TangLiSha]

Who needs virtual reality when you have reality tv?

Tin Hats on!

[femto]

Contrary to popular belief [slashdot.org], virtial reality was not perfected in 1995. In reality VR was perfected in 1994. 10:42pm on 29th November to be precise. At this time, the US population was sedated by the United Nations via a dose to the drinking water supply. When they woke up 24 hours later, the entire nation was "Trumanised".

To keep suspicions at bay, advances in VR were removed from this new reality.

It's hard on the US people, but that was the only way the world could keep their growing nuclear arsenal at bay. On the bright side, GWB is just a bad dream (one they will never wake up from).

This post will not be posted on the VR version of slashdot.

Re:Not hyped much

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't understand the letting go of phobias - the day I stop being scared of heights is when falls stop hurting me.

Re:No consumer porn applications

[rfc1394]

As Dennis Miller is reported to have said, "When some unemployed punk in Trenton, New Jersey can buy a plug-in for $29.95 that allows him to make love to Cindy Crawford, Virtual Reality is going to make crack look like Sanka."

Re:What do you mean?

[eclectro]

realised its own state of perfection, and ceased to advance for lack of further necessity.

Actually, it just got cancelled [imdb.com]

I don't get it...

[Short Circuit]

They haven't used steel for standard wiring in over a hundred years! Why do you call it "ironic," then?

Re:Eleven Reasons Why Virtual Reality Stalled

[Anonymous Coward]

Reason twelve. Virtual Reality pioneers make web pages about the top eleven reasons virtual reality failed with black text on light blue backgrounds.

Re:Too risky?

[MutantHamster]

Have you seen Tron? Thank God it doesn't look like Tron, I say.

Re:come on..

[ErikTheRed]

Come on? What makes you so sure this is real? Or did you take the Blue Pill?

Re:Easy Answer

[NanoGator]

"The Matrix scared everyone."

I agree. I don't know why anyone would want to hook into a first person sci-fi snoozer where you play Keanu Reeves.

Re:No consumer porn applications

[NanoGator]

"When some unemployed punk in Trenton, New Jersey can buy a plug-in for $29.95 that allows him to make love to Cindy Crawford, Virtual Reality is going to make crack look like Sanka."

That's true. Have you seen what $30 hookers look like in New Jersey?

SHHHH! don't tell him

[goombah99]

apparently he does not know this is all a virtual world. Don't ruin it for him.

Re:One major bottleneck:

[AdmiralWeirdbeard]

why do you sit around with a small wallet photo in each eye all the time? thats weird.

Re:Tin Hats on!

[Jeremi]

On the bright side, GWB is just a bad dream (one they will never wake up from).

Initially they tried to make it a utopia, but after Al Gore won the election, no one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost.

Re:come on..

[geminidomino]

no, if they did they'd be drooling idiots and wouldn't be posting here

Have you LOOKED at 98% of the posts here?