Now Don’t Walk, but Drive the Way to Virtual Reality

Well, virtual reality has definitely opened a lot of new doors for the entertainment industry but what we are looking for now is how this technology helps in easing out our life. And it seems like at least someone has heard our plea and has decided to save us from all the pains, which one goes through while buying a used car. The difficulties in buying a car are directly proportional to the excitement of driving it. Hours of searching for massive lots and reading reviews, endless conversations with agents and taking out time on weekends for test drives; seems like too much of work, right? But to our rescue once again, is Virtual Reality which is all set to save our time and efforts in choosing the right car. Confused? Never mind, let us simplify it for you. 

We are here talking about one of the biggest online used car dealer Vroom, who has once again taken efforts to simplify car buying for us by using the great Virtual Reality technology. Vroom has started a virtual reality showroom that lets users explore the 15 makes and models available with the comfort of their own headset. This experience allows users to digitally get as close as possible, to their next set of wheels via HTC Vive headsets. Doesn’t that sound really interesting? Let’s give you a brief on how their VR showrooms work. 

So basically, when you put on an HMD with Vroom store, it feels like you are in a humongous garage filled with cars, like the ones which could be there in “The Fast and the Furious”. Does this get you excited? Moving ahead, by aiming the headset at different parts of the room, you will be able to get a closer look at the cars or if you stare directly at a car you will get more details about it. But that is not it, to top that you can even take a virtual test drive of a car while navigating along with a 360-degree video of a street in Texas. Woah, that is so cool! Beyond the uber cool features like hearing the exact corresponding engine sounds of each model, users can also visualize important components including blind-spots review mirrors. 

Well obviously it is a creative thought process and the system isn’t foolproof as the picture is occasionally a little distorted, especially inside the vehicle. But you too would agree that it still seems better than dealing with relentless salespeople. The cars in the VR version are animated, which makes the experience more like a video game than an actual drive in the city. Well, in that case, we agree that it is impossible to actually feel what it is like to sit in the car of your dreams. However, the company has already started working on the second phase which will make the experience feel more real. 

And the best part is that the company is not only targeting the wealthy consumers and high-end VR users but is also looking forward to releasing a version of VR system which uses Google Cardboard or other similar affordable interface which will allow potential buyers to check out used cars from the comfort of their homes. 

Seems like we have come a long way with VR and a longer path is yet to be walked or maybe driven with VR cars and courtesy will be Vroom.