labs realestatevr
The VR portal we dragged into boardrooms
2014–2017 · REALABS · archived
This is how we took the Australian property experience into Oculus DK1 demos, HTC Vive show booths, and finally Google Daydream headsets.
Timeline
From hallway demos to Daydream launches
2014
DK1 prototypes shown to anyone who would sit still long enough. The goal was pure empathy—get agents talking about immersive tours.
2015
Zero Latency and Matterport mash-ups at AREC proved VR could move beyond gimmicks.
2016
realestateVR branded portal launched on Google Daydream with Cogent + DiUS help.
2017
Continuous user testing across Gear VR, browsers, and mobile viewers to decide where to double down.
What we learned
VR only lands when it feels familiar, informative, and lightweight. We mirrored the portal, exposed agent data, and gave people multiple hardware options so they could test without nausea.
User research wall
Sticky notes → product decisions
Every square on that board translated to a backlog item—here are the big themes we carried forward.
Gear VR vs Browser
Agents loved the immersion of Gear VR but wanted the reliability of simple browser viewers. We built both, letting them swap instantly.
Photosphere fatigue
Users hated being dropped into low-res spheres. That feedback led us to prioritise Matterport-quality scans and better loading states.
Portal expectations
People wanted the same context they had on realestate.com.au – price, agent, and inspection info – so the VR portal mirrored the site UI.