VR Preview: PowerBeatsVR – VR Fitness

PowerBeatsVR is a VR fitness game and boy does it deliver! I was sweating after playing for a few minutes and my thighs were especially sore. To be fair, I am pretty out of shape.

The game has a very simple premise, you use your hands to punch spherical objects flying at your face. It only uses hand tracking and no buttons are needed. The objects are timed to the music so there is a rhythmic element to your movement. As you increase the game’s difficulty, PowerBeats throws in more challenging obstacles that make you move your entire body such as walls and floating mines, which can be dodged by side stepping or squatting.

As a fitness game, it is incredibly effective. The need to constantly be moving your arms and legs at a quick pace is an effective form of cardio. Compared to other fitness games that I have played personally such as Beat Saber, Ring Fit Adventure, and Synth Riders, PowerBeatsVR was the most effective at working up a sweat for me. It was the first game to make me physically sore.

You will require a tad more floor space than other games with more stationary play styles, as you will be moving a step to either side and punching sideways and forwards with your arms. I managed to play in a cramped office space and while I managed to play successfully, I was a little worried I would punch a piece of furniture or a monitor.

Since you will be working up quite a sweat, I would also highly recommend using a sweatband and a waterproof face cover. I played the game with the Oculus Quest 2 and let’s just say the default foam cover is going to get pretty repulsive rather quickly.

Overall, PowerBeatsVR is a fun and surprisingly effective fitness game, especially for folks who don’t have easy access to a gym or have the desire to go outside.