Last year, publisher Fibrum released a sci-fi shooter called Space Ops VR. Compared against the more established VR shoot’em ups like Onward, Pavlov, or even Firewall Zero Hour, it, well… wasn’t great. I suppose the politically correct way of putting it is that it wasn’t polished, but that would be a lie. At best, it was a highly forgettable VR game with recycled assets and matchmaking lobbies devoid of other human players. And like many other forgotten titles, it was likely headed by a team of game devs who were deliberately cutting their teeth for bigger jobs. At worst, Fibrum funded this thing as a cash grab and expected it to work.
But—insert an excessively long pause here—Space Ops VR did introduce a ‘competitive’ game mode where two or more players could rush parallel instances of the same obstacle course at the same time. It’s the first time I’ve seen this idea in VR. And while its execution felt disjointed even to the most recent update, anybody and their buddy(ies) could adapt a few special techniques to get some LISS exercise out of it.
You can still technically get fit in this one while having a few cheap laughs with your friends, however, and we’ve explained how to do just that below, so read on.
Wear a Weighted Vest
Space Ops VR isn’t much of an intense game at all. Many of its interactions are abstracted to elementary gestures and button presses. So, slap on a vest weighing 20lbs or more, and don’t take it off until after you’ve finished an entire round.
Run In Place
You should run in place any time you move around in Space Ops VR, with or without a weighted vest on. You’ll need to teleport plenty, so don’t worry about emulating teleportation movements by running in place. Also, make sure not to overstep your boundary guidelines. It’s easy to mosey on out of your play area by accident while you run in one spot, even if you think you’re staying put. Pace yourself, and be mindful about developing this habit as you play.
Push Yourself Outside of the Headset
We recommend warming up and cooling down from play sessions with real-world exercises. Before entering VR, you should do a set of about 8-12 pushups to get your blood flowing. It’s always difficult to give your forearms a really nice, controlled workout in VR. We recommend sitting down with two adjustable barbells and doing three sets of 10-12 wrist curls or reverse wrist curls after you’re finished with your session in Space Ops VR.
In conclusion, there are a handful of things you can do to modify Space Ops VR for better fitness results. However, if you’re looking for better fitness games to play in VR, look no further than Beat Saber, Holopoint, Pistol Whip, The Thrill of the Fight, BOXVR, OhShape, and Audioshield.
Which fitness tips do you feel we should have included for Space Ops VR? Let us know in the comments.