Meta* Quest 2 as a fitness device. My experience
Judging by the articles on the topic of physio and the discussions under them, not all Khabrovites like to exercise (and someone generally hates any near-sports activities since childhood). And they are needed.
I will not write why, because there are enough articles on this topic. About the effect of physical activity on cognition, if you are interested, I advise you to look large overview of studies/meta-studies.
Luckily, if you consider exercise a “necessary evil”, there’s a way to make it an enjoyable activity: VR fitness. I want to tell you about my experience.
First we need a VR hat. I offer non-alternative Q2.
Why Meta* Quest 2?
Autonomy. Q2 does not need a computer (but if you wish, you can connect to it both by wire and via WiFi). For fitness, this is generally a killer feature, you don’t have to go anywhere, you can practice anywhere at any time (the main thing is that there is enough light, although with an IR lamp for illumination you can even in the dark).
Price.
VR is ♂️three hundred bucks♂️! Already $400 after the increase. Avito stores sell new Q2s in sealed packages from 29900, there are options with a receipt and a one-year warranty.Content. The platform is popular, so there are a lot of games and applications, Q2 has its own exclusives. At the same time, PCVR content is also available.
Activity tracker. The Oculus Move application counts the calories burned (age, gender, weight are indicated, the results are similar to those given by fitness bracelets) and the time of active movement in VR. You can set goals (minutes / kcal) per day, there are statistics, achievements.
Of the minuses: if you live in Russia or Belarus, you won’t be able to buy something in the Oculus store. For the initial firmware update, you need a VPN on the router, as an option, you can distribute the Internet via WiFi from a laptop / computer with a WiFi module. You can (should!) enable developer mode and install .apk through the Sidequest application (it’s also a large catalog of third-party games / applications). By the way, Zuckerberg doesn’t punish anyone for piracy, but I didn’t tell you that :).
You can read more about Q2 in the topic at https://4pda.to/forum/index.php?showtopic=1004805. I also recommend Paul’s site https://vr419.ru.
Now about the applications that I use.
BoomXR
I use it every day in the morning instead of charging. Free boxing-style rhythm game with punches, dodges and blocks to any MP3 music with adjustable difficulty. Not all hit targets can generate perfectly in rhythm (depending on the track). Electronic music with a clear beat is best suited. Looking forward to the next already paid application from this author.
Here are a couple of reviews, I can not say better:
Since I downloaded this app, I stop playing all other rhythm games, even Beat Saber. I love to listen and play on my own music and this app works great for me.
It is an excellent game, unlike Beatsaber, X-Fitness, and ETC with predictable direction of the objects.
Beat Saber
This is a classic, you need to know this (C).
Rhythm game with a huge community, sawing custom maps and mods for every taste. It improves coordination of movements, reaction (if you pass unfamiliar maps without training), in general, the gameplay can be described as “it’s all about pattern recognition”. For fans of statistical statistics and the competitive spirit of the competition, there is a website scoresaber.com with leaderboards and multiplayer.
Great for stretching during a break from work. In the process, the eyes rest from the monitors: although the screens are right in front of them, the lens system focuses the eye at a distance from 2m to infinity. At the same time, the brain continues to think about tasks in the background, its blood supply improves with an increase in heart rate, and often at this time interesting ideas / ways to solve problems come to mind.
VR Workout
An unfairly underrated app. A rather complex workout from an indie developer on the Godot engine. Push-ups, crunches, jumps, burpees, running in place, squats, all without hand-tracking controllers. It is possible to use your own music, tracks from YouTube, as well as connect a Bluetooth heart rate sensor.
Initially, the project was developed alone and open source. There is a github with the old version https://github.com/mgschwan/VRWorkout.
I tried a bunch of content, settled on this one, though instead of the last one for strength training, I now have hardware at home. I advise you to go the same way and find what suits you the most. Where to see:
life hacks
Suddenly, during classes, people sweat, and with active movement in an incomprehensible thing, this face becomes hot on the face.
How to improve comfort:
Fitness headband. So less sweat gets on the mask.
Faceplate with holes for ventilation. I’m fine without it, so I can’t advise which one is better. Heard good things about KIWI Design.
The ultimate method of dealing with fogging lenses is to wipe them with a damp cloth with Fairy and wipe dry.
Another trick is to use a more comfortable grip in active games that do not require the use of sticks / buttons. Here is my:
Well, everything seems to have written what I wanted. I would love to read about your experience in the comments!
* An organization whose activities are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.
