[losely translated from Chinese (original article link)]

TL;DR:

Working out with VR did help me lose weight and reduce BFP. More explained below.

Disclaimer: This article only reflects my own personal experience as a casual gamer. I am no workout expert. Health condition differs from person to person. Please exercise your own caution. Consult your GP when in doubt.

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

Keeping fit while I stay-home-save-lives

When the pandemic broke out last year, I got myself an Oculus Quest and some VR games to stay in shape. From my (unprofessional) experience, I’m doing better with VR than using an actual treadmill (pretty low speed, tho), a spinning bike, dumbbells (2-4kg), and squatting (100 times a day). Ever since I used VR as a fitness tool, I have not only lost weight and reduced BFP but also had fewer colds, better moods, and feel more energetic. IMHO, VR is an excellent choice for working out at home.

Official trailer of Synth Riders:

Lost 4KG, reduced body fat percentage by 6% – How I did it

For the past 6 months, I have played VR games as a sport almost every day for 1 hour. As a result, I lost 4-5KG and reduced BFP by 6% without adjustment to my diet.

Playing VR with wrist weight

I have wrist weight (0.5kg-1.5kg) on about half of the playtime. However, I don’t recommend any beginner using it as it may do more harm than good if used wrongly. You should at least git gud (get good) at the game before starting to use wrist weight. Also, start with small weights first and add more after you get comfortable. Stop using it immediately if you feel any discomfort, such as joint pain or something else.

When you start using wrist weights, choose levels with less complicated motion and a slower pace. Fast movement and complicated moves with weight on the wrist may damage your joints. Me when I first started to use Weight for Synth Riders, I chose normal mode. 2 months later, I am now using hard mode. (Edit: years later, I am using export mode)

More on how to use weighted gear – an article I found.

One of my wrist weights

my VR sport experience/game recommendations

I have played a few VR games that get players all sweaty. Every time you play a new VR game, you will experience new muscle pain afterwards. That’s good ’cause it means you have trained new muscle. 

A few VR games for exercising I recommend:

Beat Saber: Slashing cubes rhythmically with a lightsaber.

Pistol Whip: Did lots of squats dodging bullets (And then found out you didn’t have to dodge that low)

Ninja Legends: Slashing ninjas into halves

Thrill of the Fight: Boxing (I kept hitting my headset blocking. Probably my problem)

Synth Riders: That’s what I am going to talk about in the article.

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

Synth Riders – How to play

Orbs (music notes) in different colours fly towards you from the front. You’d have to beat them at the right time with your hands (left, right or both according to the colour). It’s like Taiko Drum Master, but you hit the notes with your actual hands instead of smashing buttons. Besides correct timing, you’d also have to hit them in the correct position.

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

First-person view [Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

On top of beating the notes, there are rails for your hands to follow. This leads your whole body to twists and turns.

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

Dodging obstacles.

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

Got a lot of cool dance moves

I could never dance on my own. But I did feel like dancing following the movement of the orbs (music notes). The designer must be very good at choreographing (of course!).

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

You can really make a lot of moves in Synth Riders VR – jab, swing, push, wave, knock, pull, poke, slide, stretch (I don’t know if these words are accurate. It just means there are really diverse movements). It works different muscle groups in the upper body as well as the core muscles.

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

The only drawback I would say is there’s not much leg work. So just do some squatting in between songs to make up for that.

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

Lots of songs in Synth Riders VR

The main game includes 55 songs. There are songs from the 90s, and there are songs from recent years. Gamers from different age groups should be able to find something they like. If they are not enough for you, there are 20 more DLC songs. Listen to the full list of songs here. (Personally, I think “Electro Swing Essentials” and “Adrenaline” Music Pack have the coolest moves)

4 of my gameplay records:

The Electric Swing Circus – Empires

Luke & The Belleville Orchestra – I Loved You Then

The following two are DLC:

Bad Religion – 21st Century (Digital Boy)

Can people who suck at music play Synth Riders VR?

Yes, they can. I suck at music. My music is terrible to a point where my secondary school music teacher actually asked me, “Have you ever successfully sung a song? You may be tone-deaf.” She stared at me in a pathetic way. In the end, she gave me an E (just pass) for my exam out of pity. (Thank you, teacher!)

 

[Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

Later I transferred to another school where the principal liked to use the announcement system to summon all the students (3000+) to line up the field and perform school dance out of the blue. I could never learn the dance moves. I couldn’t follow the beats. I stepped on others’ toes and pushed people around. Once, the principal called out my name and accused me of not dancing seriously. (Luckily, she always mispronounced my name. So it is not too bad.)

Anyway, although I suck at music, I can now play some perfect songs at expert levels in Synth Riders VR after around 2 months of playing. It turns out I only have bad ears but not bad eyes.

Cyberpunk environment [Synth Riders VR in-game screen capture]

 

ENDS