I spent a day at Octagon, Indonesia’s hottest AR startup. Here’s what I saw

Creative technology startup Octagon made waves last month when it introduced a locally-manufactured virtual reality (VR) headset during Popcon, Indonesia’s largest games and entertainment fair. It went for IDR 300,000 (US$21). All 200 pieces immediately sold out.

“The version we brought to Popcon is still a beta version,” says Stella Setyiadi, Octagon’s marketing manager. “Each one is hand made, we still consider it expensive. We will continue to improve it and get it to a price of about IDR 100,000 (US$7) a piece.”

VR Genie, Octagon’s low cost VR headset

Octagon’s VR headset is comparable to Google’s simple Cardboard model – but it’s made out of durable material. You attach your mobile phone to the screen to experience virtual-reality like immersion. Dozens of variations of these types of headsets exist, with low cost ones typically at around US$20 to 30.

Traveling without moving

The startup offers its own VR content to go with the headset: a collection of 360 degree photography of landscapes and historical sites from around the world. So far, most content comes from the Octagon team itself, but it’s open for anyone who wants to contribute.

Octagon 360 contains hundreds of VR experiences based on 360 degree photography from sites around the globe

“As you can see, we really like to travel,” Fitriani Rahmah laughs. She’s the head of Octagon’s VR department.

It’s her job to bring Octagon’s VR content to the next level in the upcoming months. For the team, 360 photography is just the start. Fitriani – or Fitri, as everyone calls her here – says they are targeting more interactive experiences next, where you can move around to different sites within a scene. It would be similar to walking around in Google Maps.

But the team’s end game is to create original, story-driven content. They make me watch a VR experience created by another company, with a storyline based on the moon landing.

Fitri Rahma, head of Octagon’s budding VR department

Feeding the creative beast

Augmented 3D

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