This Pakistani Startup Aims to Bring VR and Augmented Reality to You
This Pakistani Startup Aims to Bring VR and Augmented Reality to You
Virtual reality gaming is coming back in a big way. Big names such as Sony, HTC, Facebook and Samsung are all dipping into the VR scene, with many of their offerings going well over Rs. 50,000 range. That price tag, out of reach for many, is certainly bound to limit the adoption of ‘truly immersive gaming experiences’ for the average Pakistani gamer.
With such prohibitive costs for VR products, is all lost for the local Pakistani consumer who wishes to enhance their gaming experiences with a dose of realism? But here comes this Pakistani startup that seems to have stepped in to take care of the gap for VR and AR gadgets in the country.
Enter Haptika, a startup that wants to bring body-wide haptic feedback and virtual reality mode for your favorite PC games, and even medical and military applications.
Because while we’re at it, why keep VR and augmented reality (AR) restricted to entertainment purposes only, when the technology can also help train future doctors and soldiers as well.
Haptika – What Does It Do for You?
Haptika wants you, the player to be on calling all the shots on the battlefield. With their VR goggles, you can survey war zones as if you were there. With the Haptika-developed, force feedback-based body vest, you can feel bullets as you come under fire from enemies.
And if that wasn’t enough, players can use an aiming weapon (Virtua-Cop style), to take down threats onscreen.
The VR Goggles, Body Vest and Aiming Weapon
How Haptika Came About
Currently, Haptika features a 7-man strong team of dedicated technologists brought together by Muhammad Nabeel (Founder and CTO).
Nabeel credits the inspiration behind Haptika to a discussion he was having one day with his brother Huzaifa (Founder and CEO). From those discussions grew the idea for doing something unique for the Pakistani tech scene, and Nabeel went about with the idea to establish a robotics-based startup.
After a long search, he found some dedicated and enthusiastic students who are now part of Haptika team:
- Iqbal Sajid Khan (Lead Hardware Designer and Developer)
- Syed Kazim Hussain (Lead Software Developer)
- Afzal Rana (Chief Marketing Officer)
- Shahzaib Khan (Chief Finance Officer and Hardware Developer)
- Mohammad Ahsan (Lead Technical Specialist)
Haptika Launch and Product Details
Haptika is launching today (26th March 2016), after successfully graduating from The Nest I/O.
You can check them out here.
Initially, the startup will be selling the Haptic Wearable Device (force-feedback body vest) for Rs. 8,000 apiece. The vest is available in many colors such as blue, army green, black and gray. For Counterstrike players, this gadget can bring a whole new meaning to their gaming experience.
We wish the Haptika team all the best and hope that they pave the way for more Pakistani startups to make a splash in the red-hot virtual reality space.
Sarmad Gardezi
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