There are a few reasons why people love going to Ikea. Affordable furniture, knick-knacks that they didn’t even know they needed, and of course, those delectable meatballs served up in the cafeteria. Now, fans can appreciate the dish in virtual reality.
Earlier this month, the company announced the debut of a Virtual Reality Kitchen Experience for the HTC Vive headset. With it, consumers can try out various activities in their own virtual kitchen while making a few meatballs in real-time.
“Virtual reality is developing quickly and in five-to-ten years it will be an integrated part of people’s lives,” said Jesper Brodin, managing director at Ikea of Sweden and Range and Supply Manager for Ikea Group. “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.”
The company escalated its meatball game in VR by introducing a mini-game where consumers could wolf down as many as they could get their hands on, which went on to be a big hit. The video below provides a better idea of what this experience is like.
Feedback has been strong with the app and mini-game. One Redditor stated, “The reviews for the game make me want to visit the fantastical wonderland that is Ikea more than the actual game does.” Meanwhile, another proclaimed, “I’ve been looking for the ultimate Ikea meatball experience and it’s finally here.”
But users can do more with the app than just eat up meatballs and test kitchen options, according to Martin Enthed, IT Manager for Ikea Communications. “We also see Ikea VR Experience as an opportunity to co-create with people all around the world. We hope that users will contribute to our virtual reality development, by submitting ideas on how to use virtual reality and how to improve the virtual kitchen.”
So far, it’s a big community hit, so expect more implementation of virtual reality ideas from the company, along with many more meatballs.
