Upon viewing a painting or sculpture, one could learn more about the artist or sculptor, the school, influences of and effects on other artists and sculptors. The armchair traveler could even take virtual vacations while getting a tan at the electric beach. The cost of virtual reality technology and the accoutrements it requires will place it out of range for the average consumer for quite some time. One will have to go to special centers to get the experience, just as one goes to movie theaters or to arcades. However, just as consumers can rent movies to view in their homes or buy arcade games to play on their computers, the day will come when they will also be able to buy or rent virtual reality modules or virtual literature.
Virtual reality signals the end of the infancy of computers which are no longer computational tools.
Essentially they have become reality generators. And reality is in the mind of the participant. Whether we now call it an electronic book, a 16-bit game, data game, or interactive television, the reality will surely change over the next few years. I expect that elements of these three models will coalesce. We may even see new models arise.