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I have just bought (or more accurately, my partner has allowed me to buy) a Meta Quest 3. That's because after playing Asgard's Wrath during the holidays last year I'd wanted to make the upgrade to play its sequel in all its glory. Despite all these good games, my VR headset has proven to be a surprisingly good tool for developing some sense of mindfulness.
By May this year, I noticed it wasn't the huge experiences and grand adventures that kept me coming back to my little headset. Instead, it was methodical rhythm games like Beat Saber and Synth Riders. Even when I got the chance to test out the Pico 4 Ultra this year, which is a competent Meta Quest competitor, one of the things that most intrigued me was the included ankle trackers for their rhythm game compatibility.
As a hardware lover, but also a chronic overthinker, I've become too fond of having an extra screen to watch a video or listen to music from. Even now, writing on just a single monitor, I lament the fact I haven't bought a second by now.
If you were to check my VR playtime this year, I think Beat Saber would sit near the very top, and it's not necessarily because it's the VR game I enjoyed the most. I've found Batman: Arkham Shadow to be great fun and have played the first hour or so of Behemoth. Though I haven't yet got the courage to start something as big as Asgard's Wrath 2, I expect myself to get there in the next 2-5 business weeks.
However, I realised after quite some time with it that I use Beat Saber in a way akin to mediation. I'll look at the exercise ring on my Apple Watch and think I can close it with a few minutes of exercising in VR but, actually, I've realised it's just an excellent way to clear my head.
Beat Saber is quite a tactile game, with controls that vibrate as you swing at blocks coming towards you, but it's not filled with things to pay attention to. There's no story to speak of, no hidden message that you have to decipher. It's just you, music, and your sabres.
As someone who likes to have two or three screens on the go at one time, I've found myself 'cutting back' on screen time by slapping just one big one (the Meta Quest) to my face. I know that sounds counterintuitive but it's true. I've noticed myself decompressing from a hard day or popping the headset on when I have to think something through.
I've always enjoyed taking a shower when I want to think something over because it's an intentional pause in everything else going on in my life to take stock, but there's only so many you can take before you perhaps need a better coping mechanism.
Under the guise of being able to do some light exercise in my home, I've often found myself putting on the headset just to get a moment to think. The music of Beat Saber, being predominantly EDM, isn't quite to my usual taste but it's the the perfect backdrop to a contemplative moment. Instead of looking at its music as a traditional soundtrack or grouping of challenges, I've been flitting through songs as you might choose a form of white noise before yoga.
This is where the Meta Quest 3 comes in. With new and improved controls, a better chip, and most importantly, greater passthrough, I've been able to more casually keep myself hydrated in the headset or get a good sense of my surroundings. You still can't really look at a phone in there but I'm kind of glad you can't. The limits of this technology have been a boon to my own mental health and sense of space in a way I didn't quite think was possible.
Best VR headset: which kit should you choose?
Best graphics card: you need serious GPU power for VR
Best gaming laptop: don't get tied to your desktop in VR
VR has proven to be very good at providing a space for me to think at multiple points in my life and I think that's part of why I like it so much now. At the start of the lockdowns in 2020, I spent quite a lot of time caring for my sick nan and being very cautious about leaving the house for fear of bringing anything life-threatening back with me. That was when I bought the very first Quest, which was also my first time trying VR.
I didn't have a PC capable of running VR so being able to play games natively without the costly expense of upgrading my rig felt like a game changer. Then, I bought the Quest 2 soon after its release and only liked the shape and processor of that headset even more.
In the last year, I haven't newly found this meditative space in VR, instead, I've just realised it exists. I've found the comfort of a headset multiple times to think things through over the last few years but, now, it's all a bit more intentional.
I suppose it's time I get a few more song packs then, to go with this shiny new headset.
