Abstract

By no means an exhaustive discourse on this broad, unwieldy subject, rather a cross-section through it. The investigation opens on the technical background of 'Virtual Reality' and speculates on possibilities for its future technical progression. This novel use for information technology is still relatively young - reflected in the capabilities of the VR systems tried in the course of research - so, likely implications of VR maturing are discussed along with the currently available applications now attracting public attention. Some of the social & cultural as well as cybernetic consequences are considered. As research progressed, various sub-plots surfaced, such as the emergence of 'Cyberpunk', and the idea of 'convergent technology'. These have been explored as appropriate.