[PTTG]

Virtual reality and augmented reality is omnipresent. Most people don't own real things anymore, but rather "rent" VR equivalents, and receive effectively real replacements. Homes are drab, bare spaces, barely livable, but comfortable and beautiful furnishings are available -- and they are even usable! Food is almost always just tasteless pulp, but can be easily augmented into feasts!

The ambient nanomachines that enable this can have even more material effect. Need a gun? rent a VR one! Need armor? Do the same! The virtual stuff is only effective against other virtual stuff (except weapons; the nanomachines apparently can injure and heal for real).

In essence, everyone has an expensive variant of Snatcher, and non-snatched things fetch a premium as being capable of ignoring "virtual" defenses and overcoming virtual weapons.