Oculus Rift Used to Simulate a Trip to the...Supermarket?

What's This?

In attendee wears an Oculus Rift HD virtual reality head-mounted display at he plays EVE: Valkyrie, a multiplayer virtual reality dogfighting shooter game, at the Intel booth at the 2014 International CES, Jan, 9, 2014 in Las Vegas

Image: Robyn Beck/Getty

By Todd Wasserman2014-03-21 14:09:34 UTC

Using the virtual reality headset Oculus Rift, you can experience the world of Game of Thrones, games like Portal 2 and even Jerry's apartment from Seinfeld . But how about using this immersive technology to simulate a trip to the supermarket?

Not very exciting you say? Well, you've never tried a Tesco in VR.

See also: Taco Bell's Latest Marketing Innovation: Feature Phones

In the video above, two consumers get a virtual tour of a Tesco. Sitting immobile with an Oculus strapped to their head, the user gets to troll the aisles, get a glimpse at the fruit selection and Pele soccer balls and see what's on sale. After that, they enter an arena to see what it's like to kick it like Pele.

Tesco, which is based in the UK, has often sought to claim category firsts for digital media. In 2011, it used augmented reality to render its print catalog in 3D. Last year, the chain also employed Google Street View for a virtual easter egg hunt.

Once again, Tesco is way ahead of the curve here: The Oculus headset won't be available to consumers until late 2014 at the earliest.

Topics: Business, Marketing, Oculus Rift, Tesco