Unfortunately, Walmart isn't saying. Finnegan wouldn't tell Recode what Spatialand staffers would be doing at Walmart, and didn't expect to show the first fruits of their work for 12 to 18 months. There are some clues, however. The Store No. 8 team typically focuses on projects that might not go public for another 5 to 10 years, and Finnegan believed VR might qualify. Also, Spatialand's focus has been on turning existing content into VR experiences, so this may be more about turning its store content into VR than creating something from scratch.

Whatever comes out of the project, it'll likely be venturing into uncharted territory. Most current VR shopping experiences are novelties -- they're frequently about advertising more than helping you make informed decisions. If Walmart can make VR shopping practical, even in niche cases, that could be a significant step forward.