Gamers can now star in their very own HGTV special — sort of.
A new virtual reality game by Ikea brings the fantasy of designing your dream kitchen to real life. A pilot version of the Ikea VR Experience launched on the immensely popular game platform Steam on April 4, just in time for the HTC Vive headset to start shipping.
The app drops users in a life-sized virtual Ikea kitchen. The environment is interactive and customizable, so you can change the vibe by clicking a counter or cabinet and selecting a new finish. Objects like frying pans can be taken out of a drawer and placed on the stove, giving the user a feel for the kitchen's layout.
The HTC Vive, a headset that has been blowing away expectations since a developer kit was released in March, is the perfect system for the Ikea VR Experience. It's the only system that offers room-scale motion tracking, which means you can get up and interact with the virtual universe around you without bumping into real walls and real furniture.
Most headsets plant the user on a couch and allow them to passively take in the world around them. But what's the fun of playing out your "Property Brothers" fantasy if it doesn't feel like you're really there?
My colleague Ben Gilbert writes in a review for the HTC Vive, "There are certain moments you encounter with the Vive where you realize that, yes, this is absolutely the future. For me, it was the first time I opened a drawer using the Vive's motion controllers."
There's no "Press A to open drawer." If you want to open a drawer, which is possible in Ikea VR Experience, you simply reach your hand forward (seeing your "hand" in the game also reach forward) and pull the controller's trigger.
Still, the test version of the Ikea VR Experience is extremely limited. It would be more useful if the user could swap in the exact appliances they want, or change the layout of the kitchen island. According to a press release, the app's launch is intended to gather feedback so the company can launch something more exciting in the future.
Given the HTC Vive's $800 price tag, only hard-core gamers will likely buy the headset this early, limiting Ikea's sample size.
In the meantime, those users are free to spring for the stainless steel finish.
