towalrus, a fit gamer and beatmap creator we found in the r/Soundboxing subreddit wants to share these tunes with other Soundboxers around the world. The gamer wears a Vive headset to exercise and have fun in VR, but he had his first taste of virtual reality in 1992 after he was pulled up to the stage at Epcot Centre to try out a virtual magic carpet.
When asked about how he uses VR and the punch to the beat game for exercise, he said, “ VR is kind of just incidental – I love to play Soundboxing, and I really get into it with hard punches and dancing, so it’s just a fact of life that after 15 minutes I’m going to be sweating and puffing.” Having had numerous hours of experience in Soundboxing, towalrus champions the boxing game as a legit workout sharing, “I think VR can be a great tool for someone who wants to start to get some physical activity in their life or wants to supplement a more traditional exercise regimen.”
Video Credit to: towalrus via Reddit
When asked about what type of songs players should pick he replied, “In terms of what songs to pick, the only guideline for me is that the best beatmaps are songs that I know inside and out – favourites that I’ve been listening to for years,” and that, “A song doesn’t need to be fast to be interesting; if you are very familiar with the song you can find those hidden patterns within it and bring it out through beatmaps.” Soundboxing is an effective VR fitness game because it immerses you in the music you already like and would work out to, while the beatmap creation is perfect for customized workout challenges.
towalrus has given us a helpful tip on how to keep your VR controllers (especially Vive wands) in working order. He says, “ to keep my controllers alive I wrap them in Glad cling wrap and then put a silicon skin over that.” Cling wrap is effective for creating a barrier between the tech and hand sweat, and the silicon skin is helpful for locking out moisture and maintaining a grip onto the controller during intense punches.
The following Soundboxing playlists are just a few examples of what you can do with your Soundboxing experience! The majority of these beatmaps were created by towalrus with recommended songs from fellow beatmappers quintthemint and cognaccat. Check out their Soundboxing pages for more songs to punch to!
Now go get your groove on and have a great workout!
Rock Playlist:
Fatboy Slim – Weapon Of Choice [Official Video] (3:52)
Modest Mouse – Dashboard (4:12)
Bloc Party – Helicopter (3:40)
Rage Against The Machine – Renegades of Funk (4:35)
Nine Inch Nails – Zero Sum Year Zero (6:18)
The Smashing Pumpkins – Cherub Rock | Live @ Metro Chicago (1993) (4:43)
The Pixies – Where is my mind {lyrics} (3:40)
Hip Hop Playlist:
The Avalanches – Because I’m Me (4:44)
Kanye West – POWER (1:42)
Doctor Octagon – Bear Witness (3:00) created by quintthemint
The Pharcyde – Runnin’ (5:04)
OutKast – So Fresh, So Clean (Video) (4:00)
N.W.A. – Express Yourself (4:33)
Ugly Duckling – I Won’t Let It Die (4:19)
Electronic Playlist:
Royksopp – Happy Up Here [Official Music Video] (2:47)
Justice – D.A.N.C.E. (Official Video) (3:01)
Phantogram – Black Out Days (3:49)
Reel 2 Real feat. The Mad Stuntman – I Like To Move It (Official Video) (3:55) created by quintthemint
Major Lazer – Original Don ft. The Partysquad (2:41) created by cognaccat
Animal – Miike Snow – (Fake Blood Remix) (4:27)
Daft Punk – Around the World / Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Official audio) (5:42)
Obscure Song Playlist:
Bunga Book by TAPE FIVE (3:27) created by cognaccat
Toots and the Maytals – Monkey Man (3:45) created by quintthemint
TAPE FIVE – The Magic Slapstick (3:34) created by cognaccat
Marshall Jefferson – Move Your Body (6:43) created by quintthemint
TNGHT – Higher Ground (Hudson Mohawke x Lunice) (3:19) created by towalrus
Amindi K. Fro$t, Tessellated & Valleyz – Pine & Ginger (Official Video) (3:09) created by quintthemint
Italobrothers – Stamp On The Ground (Official HD Video) (3:33) created by cognaccat
For a full list of towalrus beatmaps go to his Reddit post here!
Let us know which songs were your favorite to workout to in the comments!