In the past three years, better and better VR headsets have begun to appear in the market from Valve Index to Oculus Quest.
They are still pricey as the first LCD televisions back in the late 1990s, but it is a technology that is here to stay.
One of the problems with exercise machines has always been that though exercise bikes and climbers and ellipticals sold in large numbers, few used it when the novelty wore off.
But what if an exercise bike and an Oculus Quest or Go was mated together. Would it result in people pedaling more and thus having healthier bodies? Prima facie, the answer is yes. We explore the details in this VZFit review.
What Is VZFit?
VZfit for cycling is made by VirZOOM. It launched just in time for Christmas 2019 and is a brand new product, one of the many to follow, no doubt.
VZfit sensor kit consists of a thumb controller and a crank sensor. The package weighs 7 oz or about 210 grams. At the time of writing, it is priced at $100 on Amazon, and the VirZOOM website offers a 20% rebate. It is not clear if you can buy VZfit for only $80 from the site.
Both the thumb controller and the crank sensor pair with Oculus (Quest or Go priced at $500 and $200 respectively) via Bluetooth. They are powered by two button cells of the type that power desktop motherboard BIOS.
You would need to own an exercise bike and an Oculus headset. The exercise bike can be upright or reclining, a cheap one for $100 or an expensive $300 bike with tons of features, it really does not matter.
The thumb controller pairs with the Oculus app on your phone. You would have to open a VZFit account. Once the account is confirmed by email, you will be able to download two apps from Oculus Store – VZFit Explore and VZFit Play.
What Do You Do With The VZFit?
You can sign up for a free or premium account. The latter costs $9.95/mo or $99.95 annually. What does it offer extra? Be a little patient, and let us find what the gizmo does first in the VZFit review.
The crank sensor attaches to the pedals and the thumb controller near the handlebar grip. The latter has a simple + switch with A and B mode to shift through the menu and a + and – for volume.
As soon as you turn on the VZfit sensor kit and put on Oculus, you will see yourself riding the bike down a street. If you pedal faster, you will go faster and vice versa. Using the 6DOF sensors of Oculus, you are allowed to lean right and left to turn the bike across a corner and even look down and around.
Using the VZfit for cycling is an authentic experience. The cars whizzing past you also seem extremely real. But remember that the scenery is from Google Maps, and you cannot expect a stunning 4K vista, as you see in immersive surround pictures.
It is patchy at times, especially when Google has updated only a part of the Street View but on the whole more exciting than watching NBA games on a 40-inch television while pumping the pedals.
You do get the mental effect of pedaling outdoors, and as you get nearer to something and pass by it, there is psychomotor feedback from your mind and body that is too strong to deny.
If you were struggling to stick to a cycling regimen, then this should help. But is it reason enough to buy a new Oculus? Probably not.
VZFit Premium Features
There are numerous rides in the Explorer. Using the free account, you can access them one at a time randomly. The premium account allows you access to all the routes, and therefore you can revisit your favorite cycling track as often as you wish.
Then there is the matter of games. The Play app allows you access to several FPS games – Pegasus, Tank Battle, Wild West, Helicopter, Cycling Race, Formula Car, and a few more.
These can be adapted to multiplayer mode. Of course, as you pedal quicker, the tank will drive more rapidly across the terrain, and Pegasus will fly faster and so on.
The games are not very real, but they are not bad, either. If you get immersed in the gameplay, you will soon find that 20 minutes of cycling has elapsed without you noticing it. Free account allows you access to one game only.
Both free and premium provide leaderboard and your own stats (the time you have spent pedaling, distance, and calories burned). You could use premium for in-app purchases during gameplay. At $10, it is cheaper than a gym. Therefore it makes sense.
After Use Verdict
Without a doubt, it is fun. But will long term use lead to boredom? That is yet unknown in a product that has been on the market for less than two months. It is as realistic as the current technology dictates. Better maps would produce better experience, but of course, that is an immense exercise (pun not intended).
How would we rate it? If you own an Oculus, then buy VZFit. It was a great experience. If you don’t own an Oculus, then wait a year for better versions to come along with a more real-life feel to it.
At the end of the day, if you stick to it, then you would probably lose weight. Feedback on peer reviews indicates that some have lost three pounds in a month. That is definitely nothing to be sneezed at.