How I started exercising 2-3 hours a day
Remote work and hobbies associated with a sedentary lifestyle have left my back in an unfavorable state. Three or even five sessions of physical activity per week without the need to constantly move is not enough for normal functioning.
Something had to be changed. The neurosurgeon advised me to get a dog so that it would be impossible to avoid walking at least once a day. I took a different path, which I want to talk about.
Games in VR – expectation and reality
Back in 2014 I observed the project Virtualizerexpecting that in a few years I will install such a thing at home and will play computer games and do physical education at the same time.
The market never developed to the point where you could go to a store in Moscow, try several copies and order the one you like home. All we have is to order Chinese analogues for 2+ million rubles at your own risk (example). And this goodness will take up a decent amount of space. Is it necessary at all?
I now have enough experience playing in VR to assume that such a path is not particularly needed. I went to play in VR arenas, and also played HalfLife Alyx, Skyrim,
Fallout 4, Asgards Wrath (AAA VR game), and I was getting bored quickly. The wow effect of the first minutes wears off, your legs get tired, and you don’t really want to listen to dialogues, craft, or just wander around the location in this mode.
A regular game while sitting at a computer, in my experience, is much more addicting.
VR games as sports simulation
The key to VR gaming is to look for simulations, not games.
What I didn't expect when purchasing a VR headset was the realism of some sports simulation games, particularly golf, boxing and table tennis. The latter turned out to be so exciting that I do it for 2 hours a day, practicing elements with a robot, playing in free mode and on a rating.
I have always dreamed of having a tennis table at hand, and this dream came true in an unpredictable way. What could be better than a computer game whose skill translates into the real world?
Boxing is also believable in everything except the contact of the glove with the surface. 4-5 rounds of 3 minutes, and the T-shirt can be wrung out. It was nice to notice that after a month I could easily survive 2 fights of 5 rounds, whereas at the very beginning I could barely survive three.
This is what my day off now looks like through the eyes of a fitness bracelet, which I specifically bought a week ago to measure physical activity.
The screenshots show a day off. I went grocery shopping (15 minutes), played the rest of the time (4-5 hours).
Below I want to tell you more about the games that I am ready to recommend.
Eleven Table Tennis is not a game, but a simulator
Eleven Table Tennis is so realistic that it is useless to convey it in words – you have to try it.
You can play via Steam (PCVR) or directly on your helmet. The latter option is preferable: there will be fewer lags and updates will be released more often.
There are VR and AR modes. With AR you see your apartment, in which a table and an opponent appear. The likelihood of replenishing the collection is significantly reduced VR Fails Compilation.
To increase the realism and transferability of real-life equipment, I advise you to purchase an adapter in the shape of a tennis racket. I use this one, bought on Avito:
You can configure the adapter yourself, choose from the available ones (for example, popular adapters like SolidSlime hardwired into the game) or load the settings knowing their id (I received mine from the seller).
The game allows you to change the speed, spin and throw coefficient, which allows you to “fit” the VR racket to the one you play in real life.
Speed - how quickly the ball bounces.
Spin – how much spin can be given to the ball.
Release coefficient – how strongly a spinned ball bounces in the direction of spin (for example, if the surface of the racket is perpendicular to the floor, then top spin is up, back spin is down).
Ro'The bot (a machine that shoots balls at you) can also be configured and even downloaded blanks (settings -> advanced -> backups -> ball machine -> write ID “4008.1” youtube instructions).
Statistics for rating games can be viewed at https://elevenvr.nethere's mine https://elevenvr.net/eleven/dumch.
It may seem that table tennis cannot be played with a high ping. In fact, if you figure it out, you can get used to it and customize the ping-ball for yourself. It takes a long time to explain in text, there is a video: 1 And 2
The Russian community is active and supportive. IN https://t.me/eleventabletennis news and tournaments are published, there is also a link to a chat where you can ask to print an adapter on a 3-D printer, ask for advice on the game, agree to play in an online room or in real life.
I went from rating 1500 to 1800+ using instructions from Google Docsfound in the above-mentioned telegram channel.
Thrill of the Fight – the best boxing simulator
The most physically exhausting of all the games I've tried. The pulse always reaches 160. Below I will write some recommendations.
We set up the augmented reality mode so that the opponent appears right in the apartment – and we eliminate the chance of hitting the wall or monitor with his fist. You can first launch the bag mode and see how the speed and force of the impact are transferred to VR. In the mode with Herman, you can see which points are best to hit for the greatest effect.
It is better to follow the technique to increase the degree of translation of the skill into real life. Here's a good video on the topic:
I also recommend that you take warnings about the possibility of injury seriously. Swinging hooks at full force are almost certain to injure the shoulders.
In terms of settings, I only removed the auto-strength setting, which changes the force readings based on the hardest hit. With this auto-tuning, you can constantly hit weakly, and the hits will still cause damage. Conversely, constantly strong blows are nullified.
Games with rhythm and music
The sports effect is achieved due to the need to quickly move your arms and squat. There are a huge number of such games, “googled” with the phrase “vr rhythm games” or “games like beat saber”.
I managed to try Beat Saber, Synth Riders, Hole in the Wall, Box vr, Audioshield, Pistol Whip. The latter turned out to be the most exciting, and no other game has ever forced me to squat so much. You don’t even notice how your legs begin to burn. With experience, you understand how to move with the least physical effort, and then it’s worth increasing the difficulty level and changing the settings. For example, increase the speed of movement or the number of bullets.
Games with joystick movement
When in the real world you stand, but in the virtual one you move. Good examples that give some kind of sporting effect are Blade and sorcery, Battle talent, Dragon Fist, Rumble (for Avatar fans), Stride.
Personally, I decided that I don’t consider this category of games because it starts to make me sick, and there were cases when I destroyed not only opponents, but also furniture in the apartment.
Other games and their “sports” effect
In the open spaces I came across the VR Institute of health and exercise, where there is list of games with measured calories burned per minute.
Thrill of the fight – 8-10 calories / min;
Eleven table tennis – 4-6 calories / miin;
Pistol whip – 6-8 calories/miin.
Audioshield modded – 10-13 calories/min.
You can see how the measurements were taken on the methodology page.
The data is similar to what I was able to measure with my fitness bracelet, except that I looked more at the heart rate indicators. Thrill of the fight often raises it to 160+, while tennis is no more than 145. Audioshield modded can probably be compared to Pistol whip with complicated settings, and this is also believable.
The disadvantage of the site is that not all games are presented, some are morally outdated, and Audioshield, in my opinion, looks more like a demo than a full-fledged game.
What to buy to play comfortably?
Below is a list of necessary purchases for sports in VR, sorted by priority (approximate prices in parentheses):
Virtual reality glasses. Meta Quest 3 (Q3) is, in my opinion, the best choice in terms of price/quality ratio (55k RUR).
Mount for glasses. I have Bobovr m3 pro for Q3. It’s easier and faster to put on, it holds better, and it also comes with a battery (7kr).
An additional battery to play not 2-3, but 4-5 hours in a row (3k r).
Racket adapter if you are going to play table tennis. Club adapter if you are going to play golf (500-7k r).
Socks with rubber soles. I played tennis barefoot and got calluses (500 RUR).
Rechargeable batteries so you don’t have to constantly buy new ones (700 RUR).
WiFi router 6e if you are going to play PCVR games (7k-30k r).
FAQ
– Will I be sick?
— It definitely won’t happen on Meta Quest 3 in games like table tennis, golf or boxing. If you set the augmented reality mode, the tennis table (or sparring partner) will be in your team, which you will look at through the cameras. In this mode it is safe and does not cause motion sickness.
— How quickly will all this get boring?
— It seems to me that simulation games like Eleven Table Tennis don’t get boring, just like table tennis doesn’t get boring in real life.
— How much space do you need to play?
— For games like Eleven Table tennis and Thrill of the fight you need at least 2×2 meters. There are games (Pistol whip) where 1.5×1.5 meters is enough.
— Do you need a PC or PS?
— Android-based helmets (Meta Quest, Pico) can run games themselves. I play tennis and boxing without a PC. Helmets like Valve Index require a PC.
— Is it possible to download pirated games?
— In PCVR mode: you can download the game from any source and add it to Steam as a Non-Steam Game. In launch mode on the helmet: you need to set the developer mode and you can install any APK. In the same 11 table tennis, even multiplayer on the pirated version works.
Finally
Engage in physical activity comparable to certain sports, perhaps by playing VR sports games. The main advantage of this approach is that the games are captivating, and without noticing you begin to lead a sports lifestyle. In addition, you save time and money on traveling to the gym.
