7 ms·

Im curious what do you have in mind related to fitness?

TulliusCicero 3y ago
There's a bunch of VR games/apps that are notable for fitness. Beat Saber is the most well known one that's explicitly a game, Supernatural is maybe the most famous one that's framed as more of a fitness app/service. But other notable ones include Synth Riders, FitXR, OhShape, Pistol Whip, Thrill of the Fight, and (maybe) Gorilla Tag. And this list is far from exhaustive. VR is pretty good for fitness just because it can make exercising more interesting, comparable to sports without the need to coordinate with other people (and it's easy to do inside your house, if you have at least a 2m x 2m open space). Major downsides would be having that space available and sweat inside the headset.
- mr_toad 3y ago
  I’d be too worried about sweat damage to use it for serious exercise.
  - rpmisms 3y ago
    They're built around that.
  - jdietrich 3y ago
    Meta (and many third-party manufacturers) offer a wipe-clean silicone facial interface designed for fitness-oriented users. The hardware isn't waterproof, but it's quite well protected and I'd be perfectly confident to work up a sweat. Quest has calorie tracking, can sync with the fitness tracking features on iOS and Android and can pair with heart rate monitors. Fitness is one of the key segments in VR, because fitness apps and fitness-oriented users have vastly above-average engagement and retention rates. https://www.meta.com/us/quest/accessories/quest-3-silicone-facial-interface/ https://www.meta.com/us/quest/accessories/quest-3-silicone-f... https://www.meta.com/en-us/help/quest/articles/in-vr-experiences/oculus-apps/what-is-meta-quest-move/ https://www.meta.com/en-us/help/quest/articles/in-vr-experie...
  - pteraspidomorph 3y ago
    You don't need to worry with most headsets (don't know about AVP). I've been sweating in VR headsets for years and it never did any harm. I saw in the AVP reviews that it has a removable and swappable facial interface, so it should be easy to clean; the same is true of other modern headsets, and before that you had third party face covers or disposable absorbant stickers you could put on the facial interface to keep the sweat away.
  - TulliusCicero 3y ago
    That's not really an issue imo, the downside is mostly just getting part of the headset gross (you don't want to use it right after someone else has sweated up a storm in there, believe me).
  - pquki4 3y ago
    used a Quest 2 for 2 years, and I sweat a lot when doing intensive exercises. No issue so far. And it is $300, cheaper than the base iPad. What else can you ask for.
  - tsimionescu 3y ago
    I think the discomfort of sweaty eyes is a much bigger problem than damaging the device. It's extremely easy toake the device sweatproof compared to fixing the sweaty eyes issue.
remedan 3y ago
Not gp but I have multiple friends who got the Quest just to play Beat Saber as a form of cardio exercise.
- rpmisms 3y ago
  Beat Saber is an insanely good game, too. Easy to learn, but the high-level play is just nuts. There's even maps that teach you dances.
patapong 3y ago
To add to the suggestions by the sibling comments, Eleven Table Tennis and Racket NX are both great racket-based games with multiplayer and a high skill ceilings. Depending on your personality I think applications like this are much more motivating than going to the gym as a workout.
espositocode 3y ago
I’m surprised Apple dropped the ball on fitness here given they already have a fitness platform. Imagine rowing in VR and feeling like you’re actually on the water. It would make exercising so much more motivating and interesting. It turned out the killer Apple Watch feature was fitness, and I don’t see why it couldn’t have been here.
- progbits 3y ago
  I've used a rowing machine with a VR headset (I don't recall which model, it was a few years ago, but probably some Oculus). It was fun for a few minutes but not really usable for serious exercise: - It's heavy and annoying (and this apple product seems even bulkier and heavier). The cable situation is also not great, you need a lightweight cable and ceiling suspension to keep it out of the way, but this is solvable. - Exercise means you get sweaty. Can't wipe your brow and you have a wet headset on your face. - You can't see your body and maintain proper form. The VR environment itself is also distracting if you turn your head around to look at stuff moving there. I much prefer just to have my phone or tablet in fixed place in front of me to watch youtube or some movie.
  - jdietrich 3y ago
    >I've used a rowing machine with a VR headset I really don't think that's the best use-case for VR - if you're doing some kind of virtual rowing, a flat screen is going to offer most of the experience with none of the downsides. VR fitness is really about games that are fun in their own right and happen to be physically active. There's a big cohort of people who hate exercise and would never set foot in a gym, but who will happily spend an hour at their aerobic threshold because they're playing a fun game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=291LZGxZS5Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=291LZGxZS5Q
    - HDThoreaun 3y ago
      Heavily disagree. Just like running outside is generally more enjoyable than on the treadmil, so is rowing. VR rowing would allow you to row through basically every major city on earth, over Niagara falls, and all sorts of other scenic spots.

There's a bunch of VR games/apps that are notable for fitness. Beat Saber is the most well known one that's explicitly a game, Supernatural is maybe the most famous one that's framed as more of a fitness app/service. But other notable ones include Synth Riders, FitXR, OhShape, Pistol Whip, Thrill of the Fight, and (maybe) Gorilla Tag. And this list is far from exhaustive. VR is pretty good for fitness just because it can make exercising more interesting, comparable to sports without the need to coordinate with other people (and it's easy to do inside your house, if you have at least a 2m x 2m open space). Major downsides would be having that space available and sweat inside the headset.

mr_toad 3y ago
I’d be too worried about sweat damage to use it for serious exercise.
- rpmisms 3y ago
  They're built around that.
- jdietrich 3y ago
  Meta (and many third-party manufacturers) offer a wipe-clean silicone facial interface designed for fitness-oriented users. The hardware isn't waterproof, but it's quite well protected and I'd be perfectly confident to work up a sweat. Quest has calorie tracking, can sync with the fitness tracking features on iOS and Android and can pair with heart rate monitors. Fitness is one of the key segments in VR, because fitness apps and fitness-oriented users have vastly above-average engagement and retention rates. https://www.meta.com/us/quest/accessories/quest-3-silicone-facial-interface/ https://www.meta.com/us/quest/accessories/quest-3-silicone-f... https://www.meta.com/en-us/help/quest/articles/in-vr-experiences/oculus-apps/what-is-meta-quest-move/ https://www.meta.com/en-us/help/quest/articles/in-vr-experie...
- pteraspidomorph 3y ago
  You don't need to worry with most headsets (don't know about AVP). I've been sweating in VR headsets for years and it never did any harm. I saw in the AVP reviews that it has a removable and swappable facial interface, so it should be easy to clean; the same is true of other modern headsets, and before that you had third party face covers or disposable absorbant stickers you could put on the facial interface to keep the sweat away.
- TulliusCicero 3y ago
  That's not really an issue imo, the downside is mostly just getting part of the headset gross (you don't want to use it right after someone else has sweated up a storm in there, believe me).
- pquki4 3y ago
  used a Quest 2 for 2 years, and I sweat a lot when doing intensive exercises. No issue so far. And it is $300, cheaper than the base iPad. What else can you ask for.
- tsimionescu 3y ago
  I think the discomfort of sweaty eyes is a much bigger problem than damaging the device. It's extremely easy toake the device sweatproof compared to fixing the sweaty eyes issue.

remedan 3y ago

Not gp but I have multiple friends who got the Quest just to play Beat Saber as a form of cardio exercise.

rpmisms 3y ago
Beat Saber is an insanely good game, too. Easy to learn, but the high-level play is just nuts. There's even maps that teach you dances.

patapong 3y ago

To add to the suggestions by the sibling comments, Eleven Table Tennis and Racket NX are both great racket-based games with multiplayer and a high skill ceilings. Depending on your personality I think applications like this are much more motivating than going to the gym as a workout.

espositocode 3y ago

I’m surprised Apple dropped the ball on fitness here given they already have a fitness platform. Imagine rowing in VR and feeling like you’re actually on the water. It would make exercising so much more motivating and interesting. It turned out the killer Apple Watch feature was fitness, and I don’t see why it couldn’t have been here.

progbits 3y ago
I've used a rowing machine with a VR headset (I don't recall which model, it was a few years ago, but probably some Oculus). It was fun for a few minutes but not really usable for serious exercise: - It's heavy and annoying (and this apple product seems even bulkier and heavier). The cable situation is also not great, you need a lightweight cable and ceiling suspension to keep it out of the way, but this is solvable. - Exercise means you get sweaty. Can't wipe your brow and you have a wet headset on your face. - You can't see your body and maintain proper form. The VR environment itself is also distracting if you turn your head around to look at stuff moving there. I much prefer just to have my phone or tablet in fixed place in front of me to watch youtube or some movie.
- jdietrich 3y ago
  >I've used a rowing machine with a VR headset I really don't think that's the best use-case for VR - if you're doing some kind of virtual rowing, a flat screen is going to offer most of the experience with none of the downsides. VR fitness is really about games that are fun in their own right and happen to be physically active. There's a big cohort of people who hate exercise and would never set foot in a gym, but who will happily spend an hour at their aerobic threshold because they're playing a fun game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=291LZGxZS5Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=291LZGxZS5Q
  - HDThoreaun 3y ago
    Heavily disagree. Just like running outside is generally more enjoyable than on the treadmil, so is rowing. VR rowing would allow you to row through basically every major city on earth, over Niagara falls, and all sorts of other scenic spots.