Fitness has become a huge part of the Meta Quest experience, whether that’s a casual rhythm videogame or a far more serious, workout-focused app. Keeping track of everything since 2020 is Oculus Move, giving you basic in-headset stats such as Move minutes and estimated calories burnt. Now the Move app is getting an upgrade, adding new features such as phone and Apple Heath integration.
With Apple hosting its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) yesterday, announcing new health features for its watch and iPhone platforms, Meta’s has got in on the action by giving users the option to sync their stats with Apple Health. Whether you’re working out in virtual reality (VR) or not, you’ll be able to sync everything together, automatically tracking those fitness routines on your iPhone or Apple Watch.
How to set up Move with Apple Health
“Connect Move with the Oculus mobile app,” (see below).
“Tap on the “Connected Apps” tab at the top.”
“Tap on the toggle next to “Apple Health” to enable syncing. You need to provide permissions for both “Active Energy” and “Workouts” to fully enable this feature.”
For non-Apple users, the Oculus Move app has become easier to use as it now integrates with the mobile app, a feature Meta previously revealed back in March 2022. So you can now see all your stats without having to jump into VR all the time.
How to set up Move on the Oculus App
“From the Move app in VR, tap on Settings in the bottom right corner.”
“Scroll down to “Connect Move to Oculus Mobile App” and toggle the switch on.”
“Your Move stats, including information like Move minutes, calories burned, and goals, will be encrypted and stored on our servers so you can track your fitness progress from the Oculus mobile app.”
“You can disconnect your Move stats from the Oculus mobile app at any time by going to your Move settings, and toggling the switch off for “Connect Move to Oculus Mobile App” while in-headset.”
When it comes to fitness on Meta Quest you’ve got plenty of software and hardware accessory options to pick from. Join up with monthly subscription workout apps like Supernatural and FitXR, or grab controller grips and new silicone facial interface covers to wipe the sweat away.
All these features have now begun to roll out, so you may not see them appear right away. For continued updates for Meta Quest, keep reading gmw3.
Meta is expanding its Oculus Move VR fitness tracker to new devices beyond Quest.
As announced in a blog post today, you’ll soon be able to merge your Move stats into the Oculus Android and iOS apps so that you have a quick view of any workouts you’ve done in VR on a given day. iOS users can go a step further with integration with Apple Health, meaning you can track workout progress for exercises both in and out of VR in one play. This is an optional addition for the app that will start rolling out next month.
Meta says it will not use this information to influence the ads users see on its platforms. Oh and, yes, the company is still calling the service Oculus Move, despite the Oculus brand having been now almost entirely replaced by the Meta branding, right down to the logo you see when you boot up the headset.
VR workouts have become an increasingly appealing prospect since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with some platforms like Supernatural and FitXR even launching monthly subscription services on Quest headsets. Meta itself is set to acquire the former company, though a report in late 2021 claimed that the FTC had opened an antitrust probe into the potential deal. The company also plans to release an ‘Active Pack’ of accessories for Quest 2 this year that includes controller grips and more.
Are you going to bring your Oculus Move stats to smartphones next month? Let us know in the comments below!
Oculus Move is Quest 2’s onboard activity layer that tracks just how much you’re moving during gameplay. Now the company says its baking support for Move into both Apple Heath and the Oculus App itself.
First introduced in November 2020, Oculus Move lets you view how many calories you burned and minutes you spent moving in VR—making probably the biggest fitness tracker you own.
Since launch though all of the stats collected by Oculus Move have only been inside the Move app itself, something that is changing with updates coming next month. At some point in April, Meta says you’ll be able to opt in to check your Move stats outside of VR (like you can see below), either through the iOS Apple Heath app, or the Oculus mobile app on both iOS or Android.
This is a big integration for Apple Heath users, since it means they’ll get info from both their Apple Watch and Quest in the same place.
Meta says the syncing process between the Oculus app or Apple Heath is “entirely opt-in,” which means all Move data stays local on your Quest if you don’t give the go-ahead.
If so, Meta says Move stats are “processed and stored on our servers in order to provide this feature and protected with end-to-end encryption on our servers. We don’t use your Oculus Move stats to inform the ads you see on any Meta services.”
You may have only just got the latest v31 update for your Oculus Quest but just like every month in 2021 Facebook has new improvements ready to roll out. At the end of last week CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed the first details of what to expect in v32, with the update enhancing the Oculus Move fitness app as well as sharing all those media files.
Oculus Move arrived a month after Oculus Quest 2, allowing users to track calories burnt and time spent exercising in virtual reality (VR). Whilst you can currently set goals such as how many calories you want to burn each day or your “Move minutes”, the v32 improvements will: “help you track fitness goals in VR and share your stats on Facebook, Messenger, or in Groups,” Zuckerberg notes.
He also mentions that new tools will be made available so you can: “easily sync screenshots and screen recordings to your phone.” Screencasting has long been available so non-VR users can see what someone is playing but for creators looking to get more content onto their portable devices, this would be a huge improvement.
Nothing else has been shared at this time. VRFocus would expect to see an Oculus Blog post appear during this week delving deeper into the various improvements as all the Oculus Quest updates have begun their rollout by the end of each month.
Most of Oculus Quest’s recent software updates have been geared around improving the social aspects of the headset. For instance, v31 added the “Invite to App” button whilst v30 added microphone swapping. And for those interested in social VR and work Facebook’s big announcement last week saw the open beta launch of Horizon Workrooms.
As for Facebook’s long-term social plans for VR expect to hear more about Zuckerberg’s vision for the metaverse during Facebook Connect which returns in October. For continued Oculus Quest updates, keep reading VRFocus.
Oculus Quest 2 is getting a big update starting today with the rollout of the v23 software which brings a heap of improvements to the headset, including the launch of the ‘Oculus Move’ fitness tracking feature. Many of the updates also benefit the original Quest.
With a gradual rollout starting today, the Quest 2 v23 software update is bringing a bunch of enhancements to the headset. Facebook rolls out updates to users slowly, so not everyone will see the update right away, but you can check for an update manually to see if it’s available to you. Here’s how:
How to Update Quest and Quest 2
In your headset, bring up the Quest menu by pressing the Oculus button on your right controller. Find the Settings section (gear icon).
On the left of the Settings section select ‘About’ at the bottom of the list
Look next to the ‘Software Update’ label to see if a new version is available
Check the ‘Version’ label to see which version is currently installed
Note that some features in the update are experimental and will only be available to a subset of users for the time being.
So what’s in the v23 Quest 2 update? A lot. You can check out the complete release notes here, and we’ve got a breakdown of the major additions below, along with some extra details from Facebook.
90Hz Refresh Rate in Menus and Select Apps
Image courtesy Facebook
First and foremost, Quest 2 is finally getting updated to support 90Hz refresh rate out of the box for all system software and any apps that opt-in to run at that refresh rate. A higher refresh rate makes everything in the headset look smoother and feel a little more real.
Oculus had marketed Quest 2 as having a 90Hz refresh rate (compared to the 72Hz of the original Quest), but at launch it was limited to an opt-in experimental mode which only applied to the headset’s menus. The v23 update makes the 90Hz refresh rate the default in all system software, and also allows developers to update their apps to run at 90Hz if they choose (this will be based on whether the apps can maintain consistent 90 FPS).
Oculus Move Fitness Tracking
Image courtesy Facebook
Facebook is adding a new headset-wide fitness tracking feature to Quest and Quest 2 called Oculus Move. Using the tracked motion of your headset and controllers, the feature estimates the calories burned while playing games in VR and even allows you to set daily goals for fitness activity.
The company says the feature will ask for basic information like your weight, height, and sex to better estimate your calorie burn, and claims this information will “be stored locally on your headset and not shared with Facebook.” Providing the information is also optional; users can skip the step and still use the Oculus Move feature with averages used for the estimation instead.
Somewhat confusingly, the release notes say “these features and enhancements will become available throughout the week of 11/13/20,” but the Oculus Move section says, “Oculus Move is rolling out gradually starting next week,” so although the v23 software is a prerequisite, it sounds like Oculus Move might not start showing up for another week yet.
Reduced Latency and Quest Resolution Improvement
The release notes also indicate that Facebook has reduced overall latency on both Quest and Quest 2 through “software enhancements,” though details are sparse. We reached out to Facebook for additional details and it shared the following:
We implemented a latency reduction technology which can reduce motion to photon latency by managing frame timing according to the application’s actual workload. Compared with the existing fixed latency mode, it can achieve significant latency reduction for many cases. This is a mobile version of a technology already implemented in our PC software.
Specifically for the original Quest the v23 update will bring “improved image resolution” to the headset. Again, details in the release notes are minimal, but Facebook provided us with a bit more info:
Specifically, we increased the [render resolution] for the Home environment, including all System UI. This effectively increased the resolution there, so you’ll see improved crispness/clarity.
New Onboarding Tutorials
Image captured by Road to VR
To help users get up to speed with their new VR headset, Facebook says it has added “a series of mini tutorial experiences to introduce you to the basics of VR.” While the lovely First Steps experience is a great ‘intro to VR’, it seems the new tutorials will be focused on more specific use-cases, perhaps like navigating the system software, downloading new games, browsing the web, etc.
It isn’t yet clear if these will be fully immersive tutorials like First Steps, or more like step-by-step guides with floating boxes in the system menus. We’ll have to wait and see—Facebook says this particular feature is experimental and won’t be available to all users.
Voice Command Improvements
Voice Commands on Quest and Quest 2 are one of the best ways to quickly control your headset, like launching apps, opening menus, changing settings, or dictating text. The v23 update now adds automatic punctuation for dictation:
As you speak, dictation will automatically fill in periods, commas, question marks and capitalization. Afterwards, you can give us a thumbs up or thumbs down to provide feedback on your experience.
Note: This experience will gradually roll out to English speaking users in the US & Canada.
The dictation button has now been built into the search bar making it easier to search the Store with your voice.
The Voice Commands feature a a whole will also now become available to English speakers in Canada.
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With such a big update to Quest and Quest 2, it’s clear that Facebook is continuing to put a ton of energy toward iterating on its standalone headsets and improving the experience over time through software. Keep your eye out for the v23 update, but remember that you might not be eligible to download it for a while yet.
In a blog post Facebook announced that the Oculus Quest v23 system software update will begin rolling out today. The new update includes a native 90Hz refresh rate option for the Quest 2 and a new fitness tracker, Oculus Move. The ability to purchase and gift apps for others will be coming later this month. Oculus Link is also exiting beta today.
At launch the Oculus Quest 2 supported 90Hz refresh rate as an option just for the Home area and apps like the Oculus Browser, but not games in general. You could use a workaround patch to unlock the framerate, but it wasn’t officially support for games. Starting today, the update should start rolling out. This portion of the update is for Quest 2 only:
“Starting today, all system software including Home, Guardian, and Passthrough will run at 90Hz by default, and we’re allowing developers to start shipping Quest titles with native 90Hz support.”
Then update v23 will also include Oculus Move, a new embedded app for both Quest and Quest 2 that works across all apps and games. This app will track your estimated calories burned based on your activity level, which is measured by the headset and controller movement. You’ll also be able to set daily goals. The blog post says it’s a “gradual” rollout, so it may not appear immediately in your library.
Finally, and I do mean finally after years of waiting, you can finally gift games and apps to other Oculus users. This update isn’t coming until “later this month.” You’ll be able to purchase things in the mobile app or on the web browser and send them to directly to a friend. You’ll start to see a new “Buy for a Friend” button, similar to how Steam handles it for PC games.
Combined with the new ability to cast to a PC browser rather than just a Chromecast device, Quest and Quest 2 are getting lots of new features just in time for the holidays.
Oculus Quest 2 is getting an official, cross-app fitness tracker named Oculus Move.
Move was revealed towards the beginning of this week’s Facebook Connect Keynote. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the service just after announcing Quest 2 itself. An image of the service showed Move tracking stats like calories burned, minutes spent moving and intensity of workouts across apps like Beat Saber, The Thrill of the Fight and OhShape.
It seems like users will also be able to set goals and view their workout history, too. Zuckerberg said Facebook would start “testing out” the feature on Quest later this year. There aren’t any details yet on exactly how the service will track calorie stats; could it perhaps pair up with fitness watches?
Fitness has proved to be a somewhat unexpected and incidental benefit of getting into VR in the past few years. Games like Holopoint (which just hit Quest) and Beat Saber feature fun core mechanics that just so happen to keep players active over the course of long sessions. Players have ended up losing weight whilst having fun, and others have built on that success with fitness dedicated apps. There’s even a subscription-based service called Supernatural.
Move’s arrival won’t be welcomed by everyone, though. Independent VR fitness group, YUR, had already implemented a cross-tracking app of its own for Quest via SideQuest. Move will be giving that service stiff competition.
Will you be using Oculus Move? What apps do you think would suit the service best and what features would you want to see? Let us know in the comments below!
Facebook Connect was dense. There were a bunch of game reveals, insights into new research into AR, and the revelation of Oculus Quest 2, the company’s latest and greatest standalone. Now it seems Facebook is squeezing out some interesting system software to go along with all new stuff: onboard fitness tracking is going to be a thing.
Called Oculus Move, the new “fitness experience” is hoping to keep you more active—you are after all probably going to be cooped up inside this winter a lot more than usual.
This system-level fitness tracker is supposed to help you track of calories burnt while keeping up to specific fitness goals.
From the video, it seems you’ll get some of your basic fitness perimeters, including active minutes, activity streak counting, and a handy bar chart so you can find out how much you’re burning over the course of time.
This, Facebook revealed today, will also let you track these stats across any app, which provides both real-time stats and in-game overlays so you can keep tabs on how you’re performing.
The company says it will be rolling out Oculus Move late this year to “select users on the Quest Platform.”
Although Facebook hasn’t said as much, this sort of system is rife with possibilities for third-party fitness band integration, although it’s unclear whether the company will ever be happy working with Apple, Fitbit, Garmin, and the endless gads of Chinese brand fitness bands out there. Maybe a Facebook fitness band? We’ve seen stranger things from a tech company (we’re looking at you, AMD Bike).
The cord-free, standalone Meta Quest system is one of the best options for VR fitness, exercise and workout routines. Here are our picks the best Quest 2 fitness and exercise apps to get your blood pumping.
[This article was originally published in March 2020. It was edited and updated in March 2021 and again in February 2022.]
The following list is in no particular order, however there are two general categories of apps on the list.
The first category is apps that are specifically designed for working out in VR — usually with specifically designed sessions that you follow for a workout session.
The second is incidental workout apps — apps and experiences that weren’t designed specifically for working out, but can be used in such a way because they get the blood pumping enough when played at a high intensity.
Despite all these new additions, the basic premise has always remained the same — it’s features rhythm-based boxing, dance and HIIT routines that gives you points for speed and accuracy. In July last year, the app also added a bunch of notable artists to its music catalog, including Calvin Harris and Tiesto.
FitXR is free to download on the Quest Store, with a subscription-based service in place for access to workouts. There’s a 7-day free trial for new users.
Let’s not beat around the saber – initially, Supernatural started out as a fitness-focused Beat Saber clone. Notes fly at you in time with music, which you have to hit in-time using bats and occasionally you’ll be forced to squat to avoid obstacles. However, the service has since added new boxing workout as well, expanding its offering of guided coach workouts.
Every 24 hours, there’s a new workout playlist/routine for you to run through. The aim is to get you sweating with big arm swings and quick squats. The better you perform, the harder the routine will get, thanks to Supernatural’s adaptive difficulty.
Supernatural is free to download on Quest, but is only currently available in select regions. Access to workouts uses a subscription pricing model, with a free trial period for new users.
One of the newer entries on the list, Les Mills Bodycombat is an attractive option for those looking to avoid a subscription model.
The app is brought to you by the Les Mills brand, which has gyms globally as well as a substantial online workout offering. The Quest Bodycombat app adapts one of these online workout classes into 30 boxing workouts for VR, available as a one-off purchase.
You’ll be punching and squatting to the beat of the music, with the option to select a playlist between five and 20 minutes. It’s not the most original VR workout option, but it gets the basics right in a polished experience available for a one-time price.
If you’re looking to pair a physical fitness machine with a virtual workout, then Holofit is one of two apps that lets you do so. The app pairs your headset with compatible bikes, elipticals and rowing machines, allowing you to use your physical machines in a virtual location.
However, even without any machines, the app also has HIIT, fat burn and time-attack programs that see you recreate skiing, running or cycling using movements with the Touch controllers.
Holofit is available on Quest via a yearly or monthly subscription model with a 7-day trial for new users.
VZFit
Another option for connecting physical machines and fitness trackers, VZFit uses Google Street View to let you virtually exercise anywhere you want. The app has Strava and Fitbit support, alongside connectivity with “most smart bike devices and trainer sensors.”
There’s also full body workouts and support for an optional cadence sensor, which you’ll have to buy separately, that allows you to connect a stationary exercise bike that’s missing smart bike functionality.
VZFit is available for Quest with a 7-day free trial and $9.99 monthly subscription.
Beat Saber was definitely never intended to be used as a workout app, but there’s a significant amount of people who use it for just that. A couple of levels on Expert or Expert+ in Beat Saber will get your heart rate pumping like there’s no tomorrow.
Beat Saber is available for Oculus Quest for $29.99.
Synth Riders is, yes, another VR rhythm game and while it takes some visual notes from Beat Saber and other entries in the genre, the gameplay is quite different. You’ll hit floating spheres to the rhythm of the music, and move your hands in circular or curved motions to follow tails that fly off each sphere. It’s similar in concept to other rhythm games, but with its own spin.
The game has implemented a variety of fitness-focused features, such as a calorie counter and a fitness update that arrived earlier this year and included live VR workout sessions, guided by a trainer.
Jamie described this game as “Beat Saber for your body” and said it was a “genuinely authentic fitness game.” It’s not a workout in the traditional sense, but it will get your blood flowing as you throw your body around to the music, fitting and moving yourself into all different shapes.
With the intensity ramped up, you might end up burning calories faster than some of the other fitness games on this list.
Pistol Whip might seem like a strange entry for a VR exercise list at first, but play a couple of the levels on harder difficulty and you’ll quickly see how Pistol Whip could qualify as a workout. The ducking and constant quick movements will have your glutes and quads burning after a long session.
While not designed as a fitness app, Until You Fall is a VR roguelike that will have you hacking and slashing in heart-racing melee combat. At its most intense, the game should offer you something comparable to a light upper body workout. That being said, its roguelike mechanics means it’s more game-y than other entries on this list. If you’re looking for something fun to play that also gives you a bit of a workout along the way, Until You Fall might be best.
There are a number of boxing games available on the Quest, but The Thrill of the Fight uses mechanics that aims to be more of a true-to-life simulator in a boxing ring, as opposed to a workout-first approach to VR boxing. A few rounds in the ring and you’ll be sweating profusely. We definitely prefer this one over Creed VR on Quest.
Oculus Move isn’t a VR workout app, but rather a feature that will let you track your progress, workouts and calories burned while in VR. It was announced in 2020 at Facebook Connect and should work Quest-wide on all of your apps. It’s a good option to natively track your fitness and workout sessions in VR across all activity on Quest.
Oculus Move can be enabled in the Quest system settings.
What are you favorite Quest exercise apps that keep you active in a VR workout session? Let us know in the comments.
