It became a joke because people finally realized that we are decades from being able to do anything like this. The technology is just not there for any amount of money. We will be lucky if we see realistic Virtual Reality in our lifetimes.
I saw this story on CNN. Researchers spent 18 months teaching the sea lion to do this. How much money do you think went into that? Money that could have been spent on medical research.
Speaking of hidden fees. In January DirecTv started charging me $2 extra per month for a "Regional Sports Fee". Even though I don't have any sports channels and don't want any. I was told by CS that everybody has to pay this fee to offset the cost of the sports channels for those who subscribe. What!?! I have to pay so somebody else can get cheap sports channels? CS refused to remove the fee and said I had no choice but to pay for it. The $2 is not incorporated in the cost of the monthly package even though it's mandatory. Definition of a hidden fee.