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I’m extremely sceptical of fitness For VR, at least with the current hardware available. - sweaty and nasty as hell on the headset - no substitute for a proper

I’m extremely sceptical of fitness For VR, at least with the current hardware available. - sweaty and nasty as hell on the headset - no substitute for a proper gym or run or swim, there only so much stuff you can do on the ground or punching the air, jogging on the spot - conditions you to only be active in VR, which coddles you in an environment that does not mirror real world applications of your body Im happy to be debunked but those are my impressions. I’m very fit, frequently go to my nearby boxing gym, i just couldn’t see myself doing this

edmundsauto 4y ago
Have you tried it yet? I’m skeptical for the same reasons but telling myself to not judge something before I’ve tried it. After all, my prior should be “do other humans find this useful” and I’m probably not all that unique.
guiambros 4y ago
I respect your skepticism; exercise in VR is certainly not for everyone. If gym works for you and you have the time to go several times per week, great. Just sharing that VR works for me (and apparently some other hardcore users [2]). FWIW, sweat is solved problem; there's plenty of silicone covers [1], sweat bands, etc. And the parent also mentioned of wearing glasses, but prescription lenses are widely available (I use these ones [3]). I'm just puzzled by your comment of "doesn't mirror real world applications of your body"; as if boxing, squats and cardio in general weren't "real world" :) [1] https://us.vrcover.com/collections/silicone-covers https://us.vrcover.com/collections/silicone-covers [2] https://www.facebook.com/groups/getsupernatural/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/getsupernatural/ [3] https://www.framesdirect.com/virtuclear-lens-inserts-for-oculus-quest-2.html https://www.framesdirect.com/virtuclear-lens-inserts-for-ocu...
- michaelt 4y ago
  > I'm just puzzled by your comment of "doesn't mirror real world applications of your body"; as if boxing, squats and cardio in general weren't "real world" :) It depends, a bit, what your fitness goals are. If you're doing squats because you want to be able to lift 100 lbs boxes confidently, or boxing because you want to fistfight in the real world, you might be limited by the fact VR can't provide resistance; detect if you're putting enough force in; or punch back. On the other hand, if you're looking to get your heart and lungs going, burn some calories, and generally compensate for the fact you've been sitting at a desk all day? Anything from ballet to bodybuilding will do, including VR exercise.
  - guiambros 4y ago
    Oh sure, VR is a good replacement for cardio exercises. It definitely does not substitute weight lifting in general.
2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
The hardware is the least of their problems. I had never heard of this before so I looked at the website and saw their pitch. It basically looks like simple movements repeated over and over. Because all you have is 2 controllers. There’s no way to add complexity or load because that would just be dangerous if you can’t see your surroundings.
- parasubvert 4y ago
  Seeing your surroundings generally wont be an issue as most VR rigs have external cameras. It’s that the software for such “augmented reality” isn’t there yet - the cameras today are mostly for boundary/guardian setting.
  - 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
    My impression of supernatural from the website is that they are showing you exotic locations, not your living room. So you won’t be seeing your surrounds during normal play. Is this wrong?
    - guiambros 4y ago
      Correct; it does not use the pass-through camera, so you can't see your surroundings (in fact no Oculus app does; it's only used for safety, if it detects a human or a pet entering your space, or if you get too close to the room boundaries you've defined). In practice, moving around is not a problem, provided you have some minimal space around you (they recommend a 7ft diameter circle). I use their workout mat [1], which is perfect to give you a sense of where you are in the room at all times. I've also successfully used for exercise in hotel rooms when travelling (a bit more challenging, depending on the layout). [1] https://shop.getsupernatural.com/products/vr-workout-mat https://shop.getsupernatural.com/products/vr-workout-mat
      - seanmcdirmid 4y ago
        A lot of fitness games don’t involve moving. One of the reasons I don’t play thrill of the fight is that I don’t really have space for it. But fitXR and best saver are stationary.
edanm 4y ago
I recently bought a Quest for fitness as well, and while I was a bit unsure, I'm fairly convinced. (For reference, I lift weights about 4 times a week. I play basketball once a week or so, but don't do much other cardio, which is the hole that I was looking to fill.) It's worth asking what your goal is though. If it's only to burn calories, what matters is a mix of intensity and how long you do the activity. Walking for two hours burns more calories than running for 10 minutes. So through that lens, a game that has you moving only a bit, but that you will play for an hour, is a pretty good idea. If you don't have that much time, or your goal is more health-focused in that you want to get your heart rate up, there are definitely games that make that happen. A boxing game is considered the gold standard, but there are other games that definitely make me sweat. All in all, it's an activity I enjoy doing, and that I can do every day without leaving the house, which for my specific situation is exactly what I needed.
seanmcdirmid 4y ago
> - sweaty and nasty as hell on the headset It isn't that bad with the silicon wrap around the eye piece. Keeping your headset clean is a simple wipe down after each session. > there only so much stuff you can do on the ground or punching the air, jogging on the spot The "game" aspect allows for long sessions of punching things in the air, dunking, and some knee movements (no running in place yet). You also have to psychologically charge your punches or your slashes to add weight to them (otherwise you aren't getting much out of it). > which coddles you in an environment that does not mirror real world applications of your body Real world application of my body is programming 8 hours a day. I'll take an hour of shadow boxing a day even if I won't be able to apply it at work (thankfully). You really do have to give it a serious try though. If you aren't enthusiastic about it, it probably won't work for you, and even if you want to try it, it doesn't guarantee that it will work for you.

edmundsauto 4y ago

Have you tried it yet? I’m skeptical for the same reasons but telling myself to not judge something before I’ve tried it. After all, my prior should be “do other humans find this useful” and I’m probably not all that unique.

guiambros 4y ago

I respect your skepticism; exercise in VR is certainly not for everyone. If gym works for you and you have the time to go several times per week, great. Just sharing that VR works for me (and apparently some other hardcore users [2]). FWIW, sweat is solved problem; there's plenty of silicone covers [1], sweat bands, etc. And the parent also mentioned of wearing glasses, but prescription lenses are widely available (I use these ones [3]). I'm just puzzled by your comment of "doesn't mirror real world applications of your body"; as if boxing, squats and cardio in general weren't "real world" :) [1] https://us.vrcover.com/collections/silicone-covers https://us.vrcover.com/collections/silicone-covers [2] https://www.facebook.com/groups/getsupernatural/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/getsupernatural/ [3] https://www.framesdirect.com/virtuclear-lens-inserts-for-oculus-quest-2.html https://www.framesdirect.com/virtuclear-lens-inserts-for-ocu...

michaelt 4y ago
> I'm just puzzled by your comment of "doesn't mirror real world applications of your body"; as if boxing, squats and cardio in general weren't "real world" :) It depends, a bit, what your fitness goals are. If you're doing squats because you want to be able to lift 100 lbs boxes confidently, or boxing because you want to fistfight in the real world, you might be limited by the fact VR can't provide resistance; detect if you're putting enough force in; or punch back. On the other hand, if you're looking to get your heart and lungs going, burn some calories, and generally compensate for the fact you've been sitting at a desk all day? Anything from ballet to bodybuilding will do, including VR exercise.
- guiambros 4y ago
  Oh sure, VR is a good replacement for cardio exercises. It definitely does not substitute weight lifting in general.

2muchcoffeeman 4y ago

The hardware is the least of their problems. I had never heard of this before so I looked at the website and saw their pitch. It basically looks like simple movements repeated over and over. Because all you have is 2 controllers. There’s no way to add complexity or load because that would just be dangerous if you can’t see your surroundings.

parasubvert 4y ago
Seeing your surroundings generally wont be an issue as most VR rigs have external cameras. It’s that the software for such “augmented reality” isn’t there yet - the cameras today are mostly for boundary/guardian setting.
- 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
  My impression of supernatural from the website is that they are showing you exotic locations, not your living room. So you won’t be seeing your surrounds during normal play. Is this wrong?
  - guiambros 4y ago
    Correct; it does not use the pass-through camera, so you can't see your surroundings (in fact no Oculus app does; it's only used for safety, if it detects a human or a pet entering your space, or if you get too close to the room boundaries you've defined). In practice, moving around is not a problem, provided you have some minimal space around you (they recommend a 7ft diameter circle). I use their workout mat [1], which is perfect to give you a sense of where you are in the room at all times. I've also successfully used for exercise in hotel rooms when travelling (a bit more challenging, depending on the layout). [1] https://shop.getsupernatural.com/products/vr-workout-mat https://shop.getsupernatural.com/products/vr-workout-mat
    - seanmcdirmid 4y ago
      A lot of fitness games don’t involve moving. One of the reasons I don’t play thrill of the fight is that I don’t really have space for it. But fitXR and best saver are stationary.

edanm 4y ago

I recently bought a Quest for fitness as well, and while I was a bit unsure, I'm fairly convinced. (For reference, I lift weights about 4 times a week. I play basketball once a week or so, but don't do much other cardio, which is the hole that I was looking to fill.) It's worth asking what your goal is though. If it's only to burn calories, what matters is a mix of intensity and how long you do the activity. Walking for two hours burns more calories than running for 10 minutes. So through that lens, a game that has you moving only a bit, but that you will play for an hour, is a pretty good idea. If you don't have that much time, or your goal is more health-focused in that you want to get your heart rate up, there are definitely games that make that happen. A boxing game is considered the gold standard, but there are other games that definitely make me sweat. All in all, it's an activity I enjoy doing, and that I can do every day without leaving the house, which for my specific situation is exactly what I needed.

seanmcdirmid 4y ago

> - sweaty and nasty as hell on the headset It isn't that bad with the silicon wrap around the eye piece. Keeping your headset clean is a simple wipe down after each session. > there only so much stuff you can do on the ground or punching the air, jogging on the spot The "game" aspect allows for long sessions of punching things in the air, dunking, and some knee movements (no running in place yet). You also have to psychologically charge your punches or your slashes to add weight to them (otherwise you aren't getting much out of it). > which coddles you in an environment that does not mirror real world applications of your body Real world application of my body is programming 8 hours a day. I'll take an hour of shadow boxing a day even if I won't be able to apply it at work (thankfully). You really do have to give it a serious try though. If you aren't enthusiastic about it, it probably won't work for you, and even if you want to try it, it doesn't guarantee that it will work for you.