FitXR (PC) Review

With fitness games, it's hard to actually go wrong when it comes to the Oculus Quest. The portability and lightweight nature of the headset means they are incredibly viable when it comes to giving a great experience. FitXR is primarily based around boxing fitness and so in simple terms, each workout focuses on high intensity cardio and quick reaction times. Like a number of other titles, hand-shaped gloves will approach the player to the beat of the music, making it a case of pounding them in good time. However, this is of course a fitness class, so don't think you're in for an easy ride. FitXR throws sideways body shifts, squats, dodging, reaction walls, and even dance moves. There's a lot in here to get the endorphins flowing.

Now, here's the elephant in the room. The move to a subscription model has definitely turned a few heads. Essentially, the whole experience was a single purchase previously but the developers have now added a recurring cost. While all existing FitXR users will get a 90-day free membership at launch, it's fair to say some might still be annoyed that they are locked out of the new features unless they fork out for the subscription fee.

However, what is on offer for the subscription does seem to be a nice selection for those who are dedicated enough to pay it. The new classes that are released every day are a great sell in terms of providing fresh new content. As everyone knows, routine can grow stale, and there's nothing worse in fitness games than having to replay the same routine every time. The new workouts - with some banging tracks from Warner Music UK's dance label, FFRR - really make working out fun by granting the sensation of stepping into an actual studio.

What also helps is the style of the dance workout, with an instructor talking to and encouraging the player as they follow along to the avatar's moves. While it's obviously not a live instructor, it certainly gives a very good impression of one and as a simulation of actually being in a dance class, it's not bad at all. One of the new studios in FitXR is the excellent HIIT workouts. These high-intensity regimes challenge endurance and stamina. Instead of orbs flying at the player to prompt a momentary rest, the HIIT workouts are all about constant movement, fast reactions, and using a whole range of body motion. To put it simply, it'll definitely be a case of wiping the headset down after one of these classes.

So, while the variety of actual workouts is quite excellent, and while there is a rolling conveyor belt of content and workouts from the range of available instructors, there is some work still to be done. There are some new environments that were added in this brand new update, with a sky park and urban roof space making an appearance. However, it would be fantastic to have more. While the offered environments do the job in terms of background filler, the joy of being in VR is being immersed in the experience, so some more dynamic environments with a bit more colour and life to them wouldn't go amiss.

While a lot of good work has been done on the UI and interface in terms of making it very professional, again, it seems like there is still a bit more to do. Simple things like the quality of the keyboard and buttons when creating an account stood out when compared to other titles on the Oculus Quest: it's a little fiddly and a tad unresponsive. It's not a massive deal but certainly the UI could do with a cleanup beyond the front end adjustments. Settings menus are important, too; getting the user into the experience by tweaking their settings is an important factor and one that could do with some work.

While the membership model is a risky one, it does appear to have paid off at the moment in terms of content. Something worth monitoring is the content rollouts - it will be interesting to see if this continues at a regular rate. It's okay to have these additions now, but in three months time FitXR will hopefully still be delivering high quality workouts. It's clear some previous owners of the game have been left a little upset at the change in the offering. What should be mentioned, however, is that a basic free version of the experience does still exist, with three dance and HIIT classes included. It's not a huge offering, but it is a compromise that the developers have made to attract players sceptical about paying.

Leaving the best until last, what has also been unveiled in this latest update is multiplayer. No longer will workouts at home have to be solo affairs, and this is really when FitXR starts to get exciting. Up to seven members can engage in live workouts together. They can chat to each other before, during and after the class is finished. This kind of addition is worth noting and actually experiencing it is a real treat. There's something special about bringing a social nature to an experience like this, particularly because it's the kind of thing a lot of other games would struggle to replicate. It evolves the FitXR experience into something that genuinely does feel like a real world workout class - which is probably the best compliment someone can pay a title in this genre.