Ikea Releases Pilot Virtual Reality Kitchen Experience for HTC Vive
Coming up with a design for the kitchen will never be the same again thanks to the latest app made by world's largest furniture retailer. According to a report by The Verge, Ikea has launched a pilot virtual reality app called the Ikea VR Experience. They have partnered with HTC and Valve's Steam to launch the app for the Vive headset, allowing users to explore and interact with an Ikea kitchen in VR. This is also the company's first attempt into this technology so they are thrilled to have their customers try it out soon.
As noted in a report by The Drum, Ikea managing director Jesper Brodin said, "Virtual reality is developing quickly and in five to ten years it will be an integrated part of people's lives."
"We see that virtual reality will play a major role in the future of our customers. For instance, someday, it could be used to enable customers to try out a variety of home furnishing solutions before buying them," Brodin added.
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PC Mag also detailed that by using the Vive headset, homeowners who are looking into purchasing Ikea's Scandinavian-style furnishings will be able to go through three various virtual kitchens.
And if they want to, they can also opt to customize the color of the furniture like the cabinets and the drawers with just one easy click. Aside from that, users of the VR app can look at the kitchens from different viewing heights. They can experience the kitchen setup from a height of child or a height of an adult. It's actually very easy as they will only need to "shrink or stretch."
BGR noted that the Ikea VR Experience was designed using the Unreal Engine 4 from Epic Games. They have also tapped developers at French company Allegorithmic. As of the current, the app is still limited in terms of what it can offer to the user. But Ikea aims to give its customers more options soon to help them in making their dream kitchen come to life effortlessly.
