4 best VR apps to learn something new (and get you moving)

You might have read our recommended basic, essential VR apps for Oculus Quest 2. Now, it’s time to check out our top list of very cool VR ‘activity’ apps available on the Oculus store (links included) to get you moving a bit more inside VR.

 

They’re not intense fitness apps, but a mix of more motivational activities and games which will promote the aspect of movement inside VR, without being too intense or exhausting. They’re also games you can go back to, and improve skills of sport, co-ordination and concentration.

 

Welcome to a world of self-improvement and education thanks to VR, only just beginning. Many of these apps also get improved and updated by their developers, thanks to feedback from Oculus users, so are worth buying to see new updates and features being added.

 

If you don't own an Oculus or VR headset yet, then here at Prizes Drop, our members are earning points they can swap for Amazon vouchers, once they've earned enough just by completing simple mini-tasks like watching ads or completing surveys. Sign up for your own dashboard today.

 

Guided Tai Chi

 

Follow the guided movements via your Oculus Touch controllers to learn Tai Chi moves which you can transfer beyond VR, into a daily routine to relax and help balance body and mind. Many users have found the scenic environments so good-looking they just go in to meditate, chill out and look around. Ideal for escaping negative energy including news about Covid-19. 

 

This app is more of an app than a game, so it's not addictive. It also won't turn you into a Tai Chi martial arts master. However, it will relax you, and it will introduce you to the subject. It's also a perfect gentle workout. 

 

Visit the Oculus page and Add to Wishlist...

 

Walkabout Mini Golf

 

 

Many world-shaking deals have been made on golf courses. How many will be made on virtual ones?

 

Even better with friends, this app does actually promote the shared VR activity of hitting a ball with a stick. You can join a Quick Match online, or create private room with to 5 of your (Facebook etc.) friends. The physics are highly realistic, but can also be a little frustrating as there's not much in the way of guidance, so be prepared to find your own way.

 

The 4 18-hole courses are beautifully made and designed, and it's just far more vivid and as close to the real thing as you can get. Unlocking the Night Mode makes playing them more challenging. Ideal for both casual and experienced putters, let's hope the developers continue to enhance and add new features...

 

Visit the Oculus page and Add to Wishlist...

 

The Climb 2

 

 

This game will introduce you to something of the feel of real climbing, without of course the strenuous effort! Here. you'll be replicating with your upper body the movements at the same time as taking you on a motivating adventure. Let's face it, what most fitness apps or trips to the gym are lacking is just that: motivation and adventure. You will also get to handle some of the gear or dynamic objects.

 

Interested in how many calories you'll be burning? Then be sure to turn on the Oculus Move setting before you play. 

 

Some of the climbs will challenge you, but they'll also be worth it as you take in the breathtaking views you manage to attain. It might also give you more of a head for heights. 

 

 

Visit the Oculus page and Add to Wishlist...

 

 

Carve Snowboarding

 

 

The learning curve for Carve may be steep, but it's well worth the trouble. This game will take you to a realm of speeding down slopes which no console game has ever been able to replicate. First however, you've got to take some time to familiarise with how the game is simulating the real activity. For one thing, you have to stand in a similar way with arms out, as with real snowboarders. After a bit of concentration, and a dose of the slopes, you'll see the thrill of what the game has to offer. 

 

Many of us will never get near to actual snowboarding, or even snow, at this rate. But this will show you something of what you're missing, or have been missing all this time. It's a workout with some thrilling sensations. 

 

Visit the Oculus page and Add to Wishlist...

 

Hopefully, that’s enough of an array of experiences to warm you up to the potential of more activity-based VR apps for Oculus. Don't forget the ever-popular Beat Saber music rhythm game, and SuperHot, a time-based shooter which also work (amazingly) well.

 

But as you can see, it’s not all games and shooting! VR is what you make it, just like the internet once was, before it became a realm of distraction and reflection to exploit (often negatively) our inner needs and emotions !

 

Let’s hope VR can elevate and complement our existing realities, as well as being more fun and immersive, and social. 

 

Covid-19 and lock-down has only accelerated this trend, and brought more attention to this emerging medium of experience, rather than just information. Soon, it may also become a realm for remote working for many. 

 

Stay tuned to Prizes Drop blog for more VR highlights. Keep on earning those points via your personal dashboard, so you can swap them for free Amazon, Facebook vouchers when you've garnered enough!