Yes, one might not think this... but mixing 'outside of the box' (meaning your computer) is one way to really achieve a pro level sound. Sure the Virus is just software just like all the other VSTs out there, BUT it's running on it's own dedicated DSP system! When you have a simple VST running in your host that is running of your system DSP it DOES impact sound quality on a few different levels. This is the same reason people like UAD systems and other outboard gear. Ask any pro level audio engineer, pro mixer, or mastering technician and they will tell you the same thing.

Point being... Virus and other hardware synthesizers digital or analogue are not going anywhere, and certainly ARE in fashion!

The issue is that for the music to be in a format where anyone can actually hear your work, it will ultimately end up on someone's iPod or mobile phone, broadcast off satellite radio, etc., and by that time the difference in fidelity you might hear between hardware and software is gone. There is nothing about a CPU that puts sound at a sonic disadvantage over a DSP, what matters is whats between the signal and your ear. So if you go hardware board > amp > ear you're surely going to hear a difference than if for example you're comparing to VST > crummy build in audio card > headphone jacks. But run the audio signal of a GOOD VST (they are not all created equal) through an equally capable path, and do a blind study (others have done this in the past and proven this already, just to save us the trouble).

In an article I recently read, a representative from Moog conceded that the lines between hardware and software have now converged to the point where it does not matter much in a final mastered track, but proceeded to talk about the real value of true analog hardware is inspiration in the studio (which I fully understand).

This I completely agree with. Synths are instruments with unique characteristics that don't really go out of style. One might say that when the characteristics are software implemented, it's not even a "true" instrument anymore because the algorithms that give it the character we here could in theory evolve/morph with simple patches (but for purposes of patch compability, they don't much).

Look at how many people would love to get their hands on a mint Jupiter 8 or similar. What I do see happening is that Access will either need to get their act together and put a quality focus on the host integration aspect of the Virus, or there will simply be no compelling reason to pay such a premium for one for most music producers with modern high-end CPUs and high end plugins. We will just start to see these devices like Aturia Origin or OpenLabs Neko start to merge the advantages of softsynths with hardware.

Preach it my brudda!!!

Personally I don't think I've heard a HW or SW-synth that I like as much as the virus, of course this is my personal opinion.
I use both HW and SW but often it's to complement the virus rather than the other way around.
Some VSTs are also very CPU heavy and that kind of breaks the whole idea.

E.g. I remember when I tested the Arturia CS80v, complex HW for sure to emulate but with an i7 965 CPU, using a single patch, it could grab 30-40% of the CPU.
Sure it would be cheaper to buy a computer just for that VST rather than bying a real CS80 but somehow I don't think that was the idea :)

Yes, some VSTs (particularly those that have features that try to truly emulate analog) can get CPU heavy. I don't have a lot of experience with Arturia's synths but I've seen others where a thick polyphonic patch can eat a lot of CPU, but keep in mind (1) the same thing is happening on the Virus' DSP for a sound of equal warmth, and (2) the usual solution for handling the polyphony problem on a hw synth is to bounce down, which you can also do with the VST, and (3) most of the good VSTs offer a way to dial down things like aliasing quality and other CPU hogs so that you can make that 30% CPU gobbling sound go down to 5% or so, without hearing a difference in the mix (its harder to do this on most software synths).

But yes, I do understand sometimes we want it all and all at the same time. Sometimes I would just like to have half-dozen hardware synths, but getting it all working simultaneously especially with DAW integration is not always easy.

As far as having a dedicated computer for each VST, think about what if the computer were attached to a dedicated keyboard controller that is optimized for each VST... Well its true then you just have a Virus, but that is the direction of the "hardware VST" solutions like Aturia Origin and OpenLabs Neko. The only problem there is that full integration comes at an enormous cost. Hardware recalls are a lot more expensive than software patching, and by the time they bundle everything into one big hardware package, the markup is huge and bang for the buck goes out the window.