When science fiction has been demanding something for 70 years, there might be something there. But if it's been possible for 20 and nobody bit, it's possible that there are practical reasons blocking its adoption.

That whole "360 degree view" thing of VR goggles has been trotted out for about 30 years now, but nobody wants it. They still want giant walls of monitors. The reasons are simple: the resolution isn't there yet. Give me a head-mounted display whose resolution is such that I will never see aliasing or pixels, and head-mounted displays are great. Otherwise they're a cheap also-ran compared to a conventional display.

The "let's use our hands" thing is another trope going back before the Nintendo Power Glove. There's nothing wrong with the gloves - people wear gloves professionally all the time so there must be something wrong with humungous gestures. And, in fact, if you examine the ergonomics of every kinetic control system ever developed, you'll discover that minimizing gross motor control is always the most important task.

That said, I finally saw a head-mounted display that makes sense:

That's a Skully AR-1, pride of kickstarter, vaporware fave of bikers everywhere. When it comes out it'll be $1500 and I for one am happy to wait for Gen II or Gen III. I like my motorcycle helmets to protect my skull first and foremost. But this, right here, provides a reason for VR:

1) On many bikes, the rearview mirrors are worthless. On my KLR they did nothing over 35 because they vibrated too much. On Ducatis they legendarily provide a great view of your elbows. But my friend Skully here has a 180 degree rear-view camera, which it shoots right below your right eye.

2) My hands are busy and deep in their gauntlets. I'm not tapping shit right now. Voice activation is a great solution.

3) If my choice is "looking slightly down" or "staring at my crotch" to see a map, I'll look slightly down.

I can see this making sense for snowboarding or skiing. I can see it (or something like it) making sense on a bicycle. And we'll happily pay extra and that's okay because this actually solves a problem we have, rather than providing a solution that looks cool to a problem we aren't currently experiencing.

It doesn't require me to use "gestures" either.