The Japanese government is pushing for fully functional virtual reality television by 2020, that’s full 3D imaging as well as tactile (touch) and olfactory (smell) features . . . Japan Today . . . gov’t to push for virtual reality TV by 2020:

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (Japan) will set up an industry-academia-government research and development unit this year that will work to commercialize virtual reality television by 2020, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Tuesday. VRTV will allow three-dimensional images that can be viewed from any angle with a quality equivalent to that offered by high-definition TVs, in addition to letting viewers feel and smell the objects they are watching, the business daily said. (Kyodo News

Well, the gauntlet has been thrown so hopefully other industrialized tech nations will get their butts in gear and start a VR development race so we can have it earlier. Yep, that’s the ticket.