Are long lines at the mall, parking, gift wrapping, cooking, and family togetherness making you feel like Clark Griswold or the Grinch? If so, take a breath, we’ve got the holiday survival guide to keep you energized and in good spirits, while you play VR with your family and friends this holiday season!
Fun Times
Why should kids have all the fun? Grab a buddy, drink some hot cocoa or nog and get the VR gear warmed up and ready. Time for a little fun! Try out these exciting VR games and keep a camera nearby!
Fallout 4 VR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jspdtha3t1k
As one of the VR gaming industry’s most anticipated releases, Fallout 4 VR is chock-full of good times. Roam around an open world collecting items like ammunition, guns, and Sunset Sarsaparilla like the old Fallout games. You may even come across a friendly dog to accompany on your journey. This is a great game for gamers who’ve played Fallout before or who are new VR users that need storylines and scavenging between combat and action scenes. Also, a great game to play if you’ve got time to kill or want to avoid getting into any awkward discussions.
Available on: HTC Vive with tracked controllers
Price: $59.99
Purchase here: Fallout 4 VR
Sparc
You won’t need to gear up to play this dodgeball meets Tron VR game. Sparc is a great competitive game that will have you challenging Nana and your cousins to a round or ten against an AI challenger. Don’t be surprised if your Nana beats your high score, that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. Just let it go. Videotape any newbies trying VR for the first time and upload it to YouTube. Make sure you keep them away from any TVs — you don’t want anyone jumping towards the ball and ending up in the ER when they could have been eating pie.
Available on: PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus RIft
Price: $17.99 to $9.99
Burn Some Calories
Eating too much pecan pie, chocolate mousse, and other sugary confections can seem like a good idea in the moment, but can really do a number on that top pant button. Poor thing, it’s just trying to keep things together. Play these VR games to start working that meal down! Rules for swimming apply here. It’s a good idea to wait an hour per plate before you dive in!
Box VR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPMC-mYkWjk
Music heads will love this punch, hook, uppercut to the beat VR game because they can choose their own favorite songs or use heart pulsing electronica. Play holiday music and see what punching to the beat of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is like and then give everyone a chance to feel the burn. See how many rounds you can go in Box VR before you throw in the towel! Also, keep a towel nearby, you’re going to be as sweaty as Santa in his suit in the summertime.
Available on: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality
Price: $14.99 to $19.99
Purchase here: Box VR
Superhot VR
Fight against red polygonal bad guys and slow down time to slice and dice or shoot with precision. Give the holiday blues a run for their money or burn off some of that second helping with Superhot. Did the family gettogether go awry? Did you slip in snow? Punch a Superhot enemy in the face or throw some ninja stars if you’re feeling really coordinated. If you’ve eaten too much, be careful during those slow-mo parts, they’ll really have you ducking!
Available on: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR
Price: $18.74 to $24.99
Purchase here: Superhot VR, Superhot VR
Go To Your Happy Place
With holiday music playing since November, we could all use a little quiet time to ourselves. Make a cup of tea, put on your comfy pants, and put on the VR headset for a little you time, you’ve earned it!
Guided Meditation VR
Groceries, check. Gifts, check. What else is there to do? Chill out! Geez. Kick back and relax away from all the excitement in the air. Clear your mind — you’ve got 17 rejuvenating environments to choose from. If you live in a snowy area get transported to a faraway beach, if you live in a desert get taken away to outer space. Meditate by yourself with a soothing backdrop that will drown out noise, or use guided meditation to soothe an overstimulated mind.
Available on: HTC Vive, Gear VR, Oculus Rift
Price: $7.49 to Free to $6.79
Purchase here: Guided Meditation VR, Guided Meditation VR, Guided Meditation VR
House of Meditation
No one wants to be around a buzzkill or grumpy pants during the holidays. Get your holiday game face on by taking some time out for you. Get cozy and recharge your batteries by taking a mental dip into the ocean, take a trip to Mars, or unwind in a Japanese garden. With 8 environments, there’s plenty of options for any Grinch to grow their heart by at least two sizes. Use the guided meditation if want someone else to do the work, or practice mindful breathing techniques with the breath tracker, so your mind and body will be ready for anything the holiday’s surprise you with.
Available on: Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Daydream
Price: Free to $6.99 to $4.99
Purchase here: House of Meditation, House of Meditation, House of Meditation