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Ikea Launches Virtual Kitchen App For HTC Vive

The app lets you explore three different virtual kitchens, and change the color of the cabinets and drawers with a click.

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Ikea is getting into virtual reality.

The furniture retailer on Tuesday released a new VR pilot app — dubbed the Ikea VR Experience — for the HTC Vive on Valve's Steam game platform. The test app, which lets you explore and interact with an Ikea kitchen in VR, marks the company's first foray into this technology.

Using an HTC Vive headset, fans of Ikea's Scandinavian-style furnishings can explore three different virtual kitchens, and change the color of the cabinets and drawers with a click. You can also view the kitchens from different perspectives by "shrinking or stretching" yourself to see how the space looks as a 3.3-foot-tall child or a 6.4-foot-tall adult. This can be useful for those taking on a home renovation, as it may help you "discover hidden dangers or possible design solutions," Ikea pointed out.  

The company said it's launching the app to solicit customer feedback as it continues to explore the possibilities of VR.

"Virtual reality is developing quickly and in five to 10 years it will be an integrated part of people's lives," Jesper Brodin, managing director at Ikea of Sweden, said in a statement. "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."

Ikea designed the app in collaboration with developers at the French company Allegorithmic, using Unreal Engine 4 from Epic Games. Grab the app on Steam, and be sure to send your feedback and suggestions to VRDevelopment@IKEA.com. The pilot app will be available until August, and Ikea plans to continuously update it until then.

"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," Martin Enthed, IT Manager for Ikea Communications, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Ikea isn't the first company with this type of idea. Microsoft last month partnered with the home improvement chain Lowe's to launch HoloLens-powered kitchen remodel demonstrations.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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