What was once a charming gimmick in retro science-fiction is on the verge of becoming everyday reality.

Virtually-rendered environments and objects, once goals so complex we passively allocated them to a vague "future world" we couldn't possibly fathom in the present, not only exist but grow more advanced by the day, and their creators are intent on bringing the future to us.

What surprises me about virtual reality's budding industry isn't how fast it's growing or how quickly it's inspiring competition among lead developers--a completely finished headset hasn't even been mass-released and there's already a race in progress to see who can make the best VR experience the quickest.

The surprise is in where it all started. For all the applications people could want--education, combat training, risk-reduced surgery or construction and design--virtual reality is being brought to the mainstream not by the military (as with computers) or industrial engineers, but as entertainment.

Most of the major players, apart from Mirosoft, whose device is still in manufacturing, were present at this year's E3 event, where players could test out the best modern VR has to offer.

Here are few of the products we have to look forward to.

Valve's HTC Vive, prophesied by many to be the machine that comes out on top in the coming struggle for VR dominance. This headset features immersive open environments, which require the user to stand up and walk in order to navigate.

Sony's Project Morpheus is an accessory to their PS4 gaming system, and will have the full backing of a next-gen console.

Mircosoft's HoloLens: very much in its prototype stage, the HoloLens will reportedly allow the user to craft and manipulate objects, which can then make the leap from digital to physical via a 3-D printer.

And the Oculus Rift, which set the simulated reality craze in motion. The Oculus owes its success in large part to a wide library of inde games, and promotion from popular YouTubers like Pewdiepie and Markiplier.

Like other tech experiments that didn't pan out in the long run, some people are afraid these headsets will lose their appeal and fade away quietly. Video games in general received much the same treatment upon their premiere, with few investors believing it was more than a passing fad.

Whether the demand broadens to mainstream gamers, as well as other fields, will depend on how sales play out over the next couple years.