Real Estate Virtual Tour

Is Flash the Future For Virtual Tours?

Pros and Cons of Flash-Based Virtual Tours

Currently, there are two main types of online virtual tours: flash based, and javascript or html based. Each type has its pros and cons. Some of the main benefits of flash:

• "Slicker", more immersive slideshows
• More movie-like, cinematic feel
• Commonly have features such as pre-loaded photos, music, etc.

Some of the cons of flash virtual tours:

• Longer initial loading time
• Can't display on the iPhone
• Can't display on the iPhone
• Doesn't work in the Safari browser
• Can't display on computers that don't have Flash, still a significant minority

Some of the pros of javascript virtual tours (see example):

• Quicker initial loading time
• Can display on the iPhone
• Vast majority of users have javascript enabled in their browser

Some of the downsides of javascript:

• Not as immersive/ cinematic as Flash
• Doesn't look the same on all browsers
• Vast majority of users have javascript enabled in their browser

Improvements Are Closing The Gap

In the past, flash virtual tours were a hands down winner in the looks department compared to javascript. With the rise of AJAX, however, things have started to change. AJAX, or asynchronous javascript and xml, allows only part of the page to reload when a user clicks a button. This makes web pages much more fluid, especially with things such as photo slideshows.

At the same time, a host of new javascript libraries such as MooTools have made it much easier to create dynamic, great looking javascript based virtual tours. While overall flash virtual tours still generally look better, it's now possible to make a comparable javascript tour.

Mobile Is The Future

The use of mobile smart phones, especially the Iphone, is surging. At the current time, these phones don't display flash at all. Some virtual tour providers convert their slideshows into video to solve this problem, but video doesn't offer viewers the same control as the original slideshow.

If mobile users are important to you, it may be worth leaning more heavily towards a javascript based real estate virtual tour. The only downside to this is that unlike a flash virtual tour, it may display differently depending on the users browser. With the popularity of the iPhone and now the iPad, though, it may be worth the tradeoffs to use a javascript based virtual tour instead.