The introduction of WiiSports by Nintendo is perhaps the first inception of virtual reality (VR) for fitness purposes, although technology is advancing the gaming industry at almost unbelievable rates. Wii sports broke the perception of the anatomy that previously existed between fitness and VR.
However, as the world keeps changing and more people are forced to conduct most of their activities at home, VR has opened up a new avenue for home entertainment while maintaining shape.
There are several aspects of VR that you should consider if you will be taking it up as part of your fitness routine. Motion sickness, headaches, and nausea are common side effects of VR and may be amplified by the exercise. On top of that, you will have to consider the multiplayer element and pricing of each VR fitness game.
Most VR games require a VR controller, allowing users to interact with the simulated reality the same way VR headsets allow users to see the simulation. The top-rated VR controller is the oculus controller, which has hand presence abilities. Hand presence refers to the feeling that your virtual hands are yours. Oculus controllers are embedded with touch control features like traditional action buttons, analog triggers, and thumb-stick, contributing to seamless hand presence.
Here are the top five VR fitness games currently available in the market.
Supernatural VR
Supernatural is a rhythm-based game that has fully integrated the fitness world with VR. The game gives users a 30-day trial, after which you will be required to pay a monthly subscription fee of $19 per month. The subscription awards you with ongoing coaching through sessions and access to a library of daily workouts to work through at your convenience.
FitXR
FitXR, formerly known as BoxVR, is a rhythm-based game conducive to cross-training routines. It incorporates dance, boxing, and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) exercises. The games will cost you $9.99 per month after a 7-day free trial. The game is quite interactive as it tracks the speed and intensity of your actions, thus motivating you to hit harder or jump higher.
Viro Move
Viro move is an innovative fitness VR game designed to combine real-life workouts with fun interactive VR games. The game had three main playing modes, each with 30 stages to complete. The game encourages friendly competition with an online leaderboard that users may use as inspiration and motivation to keep going.
OhShape
OhShape is a rhythm-based VR game that, unlike many other rhythmic games, instead of throwing fast-moving objects for you to hit, requires you to dodge things by moving, to the left and right, twisting and turning your body into walls with human-shaped cutouts. OhShape's overall experience is similar to that of Beat Saber.
Beat Saber
Beat Saber is not technically a fitness game. The game requires users to slice through colored blocks according to the beat of the music, all while avoiding bombs and other obstacles. Although this game may not be seen as a VR fitness game, it can be with the right mindset. An incredible amount of cardiovascular exercise is involved in slicing and dicing to the beat.
VR games have always incorporated some level of physical work or exercise. However, with many people choosing to work out or do their fitness routine at home, VR fitness games have gained popularity and are fast becoming the new Zumba of the generation.
