Virtual reality and how I see the impact

I'm guessing that the idea of virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) was thought up centuries (or millennia) ago. Ever since, these ideas have been represented as more feasible and believable. Now in 2010, is it finally time for virtual reality to take the next big step?

There have been countless movies and cut-scenes which portray the vision of VR in everyday life. Each of them is rendered slightly different; but the basic premise remains the same. We are presented with an alternate view of the environment on a large screen (or headset). Within this world, we are provided with additional sensory stimulation. While we haven't yet achieved the "ultimate" virtual reality experience yet, we are inching closer and closer to our desired destination.

Back in the mid-1990's with the advent of multimedia computers, we were finally offered a glimpse of full motion rendered graphics and audio which were becoming realistic enough to garner enough interest in mainstream society. As computer graphic capability and rendering advanced exponentially over the past 15 years, certain aspects are becoming realistic enough to accept as real. However, there's still a long, LONG way to go until we enter the virtual worlds conceptualized in the movies.

First of all, in comparison to real-world vision, the virtual worlds which we have been presented with still have very, very crude graphics. We see unnatural, predictable patterns in terrain. We fail to see any ground clutter, dirt or otherwise natural deviations to a pristine landscape. Pixellation is still very much a concern and huge hurdle to overcome. Graphical hardware limitations often prevent a smooth, scrolling experience due to suboptimal frame rate. And so far we've only tackled the visual side of things!

to be continued...