7 Ways To Use VR For More Than Just Gaming
7 Ways To Use VR For More Than Just Gaming
Did you know that there are so many more uses for VR than just gaming? I want to show you seven different ways that you can use a virtual reality headset for more than playing games (though playing games can be very fun too).
As I go through each seven, I will list just five apps that go along with them though there are so many more for each category!
1. Art & Design
There are so many apps that relate to Art and Design. You can find apps for painting, graffiti, 3D printable creation, architectural design, and more.
Doing art through VR allows for access to your “supplies” anywhere you can play VR. It also means you don’t have to clean up afterwards either!
Design apps allow you to see things as they might really be in real life. So many mixed reality apps let you put things on your wall, set things on surfaces, and more. You are able to move around your designs and grab them to make adjustments. Many of these apps allow exports in forms that you can use with 3D printers.
Here are some of the top games related to Art & Design:
Vermillion
VR Painting
Price: $24.99 (CAD)
Vermillion is a painting app that mimics Oil Painting almost perfectly. There are many features including multiplayer, paint-by-number, layers, and more. Follow my step-by-step painting tutorials right in the game.
Get up to 25% off with my referral code: https://tinyurl.com/2s4amv38
Gravity
Sketch
Price: Free
Gravity Sketch is a design app that lets you export the files in files compatible with 3D printers. Design, move, adjust, and recolour your projects. Collaborate with others as well.
KingSpray
Graffiti
Price: $19.99 (CAD)
KingSpray Graffiti is just what you think it is, a graffiti painting app. You don’t have to do anything illegal to paint on walls here. Paint in various areas, use well-known spray paint, and more.
Get up to 25% off with my referral code: https://tinyurl.com/ysakesec
Color Space
Price: $11.99 (CAD)
Do you like to colour? Color Space is an app that lets you colour in VR. With simple point-and-click capabilities, this is a very relaxing app that is also very satisfying. Discover many different colouring books with scenes from nature, cityscapes, medieval times, and more.
Spatial
Price: Free
Spatial is a place where creatives can design buildings, rooms, etc. to show off to others. Artists can design galleries where they can show off their artwork. Import and export designs to customize your space. Then share your space with others and have a virtual place to hang out.
2. Meditation & Relaxation
There are many types of relaxation and meditation apps available on the Quest store. Find what is best for you and increase your mental well-being!
Liminal
Price: Free (In-app purchases)
Relax, unwind, engage, explore. Liminal is a great way to chill out and have some fun! Six categories of emotional and cognitive states. Keep coming back – free experiences rotate weekly.
Pillow
Price: $11.99 (CAD)
Pillow is an immersive app designed to be used lying down! Relax in bed in mixed reality as you experience four amazing interactive dreams, all playable in single-player or 2-player co-op!
TRIPP
Price: Free Trial / Subscription
When you subscribe to TRIPP, you can access 100+ fully immersive meditation experiences. Follow along with your guide’s soothing voice, and different breathing exercises, and earn streak rewards to stay in the present moment.
Maloka
Price: Free
Travel to your own personal island and embark on an immersive mindfulness journey like no other. Maloka’s enchanting visuals maximize the activation of low Beta and Theta brain waves, helping to easily bring you into a state of flow.
Guided Meditation VR
Price: $16.99 (CAD)
Meditation is made simple & visual. Bring peace, joy, and calm back into your daily life with Guided Meditation VR. Rebuilt from the ground up for Oculus Quest. Over 30 hours of guided meditation. Over 40 lush environments to meditate in. Over 200 audio tracks. Customizable sessions. Relax here.
3. Travel
Do you want to travel but don’t have the budget? Get the next best thing by travelling in VR! Explore foreign countries, natural wonders, the ocean, and more!
Wander
Price: $11.99 (CAD)
From the comfort of your living room you can teleport almost anywhere in the world – whether you wish to walk across the London Bridge, stroll the gardens of the Taj Mahal, or witness the enormity of the Great Pyramids of Egypt – unlimited exploration awaits!
National Geographic Explore VR
Price: $11.99 (CAD)
Set off as a National Geographic explorer to discover two of the most iconic locations on the planet! Head to Antarctica and Machu Picchu, Peru with a mission to capture photographs for the National Geographic magazine.
BRINK Traveler
Price: $19.50 (CAD)
Travel to some of the world’s most amazing natural wonders in fully immersive 3D to feel like you’re really there! Step into a postcard with BRINK Traveler and visit some of the most breathtaking places on Earth today!
Wooorld
Price: Free (Add-ons available)
Dive into Wooorld, a one-of-a-kind social platform bringing a 3D map of the world into your room in Mixed Reality. It’s the best way to explore the world and play games together. Enjoy Wooorld for Free, or unlock premium add-ons: Explorer+ & Player+.
4. Fitness
Try out a new way to workout with VR Fitness apps. Many people say they are more engaging and fun. Incorporate your love of gaming with staying fit! Some apps are monthly subscriptions, others are one-time fees, and some are free!
There are many sports apps as well like pickleball, basketball, table tennis, that will keep you moving. Some people like music apps like Beat Saber or Synth Ryders for fitness as well!
XR Workout
Price: Free
XR Workout is a full-body fitness app that features controller-less abilities, high intensity, mixed reality, and multiplayer experiences. Use furniture in your room to assist in your exercises. There are even live classes you can attend
Les Mills
Price: $34.99 (CAD)
Work out at home with a premium fitness app. LES MILLS, the world’s leading fitness company, brings the BODYCOMBAT experience to your headset with an extensive workout portfolio, top-quality coaching, innovative mechanics, and different intensities.
Supernatural
Price: Subscription of $19.99 per month
Finally, a workout that doesn’t feel like work. Work out, box, meditate, and stretch in stunning locations around the world. Experience the unreal power of immersive fitness and see real results on your terms with our free 14-day trial.
FitXR
Price: $107.99 USD Annually
FITXR has a wide variety of fitness workouts including boxing, HIIT, dance, sculpt, combat, Zumba, Slam, and more. New workouts are posted each week. Work out with friends in multiplayer mode. Certified instructors help you get real results.
Pickleball One
Price: $28.99 (CAD)
Pickleball One welcomes you to the world of pickleball, perfect for both new and experienced players. With our user-friendly interface, you can dive into the game solo or join others, learning the basics and enjoying the depth it offers for every level.
5. Work & Productivity
From collaborating with coworkers on a project to having multiple screens in one place, VR can upgrade your abilities in the workplace.
Softspace
Softspace is an intuitive AR workspace where you lay out and organize notes, images, and websites. Connect related concepts, search the web for inspiration, and even get creative suggestions from our AI.
Immersed
Immersed is a virtual workspace that connects to your PC/Mac/Linux device. Work in various settings with large screens and whiteboards. Collaborate with others on your team.
Meta Horizons Workrooms
Workrooms is an immersive virtual office where you can meet teammates, brainstorm ideas, share presentations and get things done, whether you’re wearing a Meta Quest headset or joining from a 2D screen.
Arthur
Arthur is your virtual office space. It allows you to meet, collaborate and manage your work. Make it your own. Customize the spaces to your needs. Maximize your remote productivity and enjoy all of your favourite tools, such as pinboards, 3D flowcharts, presentations, MR Desks and tracked keyboards.
PowerPoint/Word/Etc.
There are VR versions of so many traditional apps like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Adobe, etc. Each of these allows you to continue your productivity in VR.
6. Learning
Learn an instrument, a new language, math, programming and more with your VR headset.
PianoVision
Price: $11.99 (CAD)
Become a PianoVisionary with the world’s premiere VR Music Teacher. PianoVision accelerates your piano learning using Mixed Reality and hand tracking. Connect a MIDI keyboard or play on a flat surface with the Virtual Piano!
Immerse
Price: $34.99 Per Month
Learn Spanish, English, or French with Immerse. Over 2,500 VR language learners have joined our virtual world to connect with international teachers and students, build speaking confidence, and fast-track their foreign language conversation skills. Subscriptions start as low as $25 a month.
Mondly
Price: $16.99 (CAD)
Mondly VR uniquely complements Mondly’s mobile language learning app, enabling you to refine your speaking skills. You’ll get instant feedback on your pronunciation, suggestions that enrich your vocabulary, and surprises that transform language practice with Mondly VR into a one-of-a-kind experience.
Math World
Price: $16.99 (CAD)
Math World VR combines simple math with mini-games that add a fun challenge. Whether it’s axe throwing, even/odds with throwing darts at balloons or shooting a bow and arrow at the correct answer for the equation, you’ll have countless hours of fun – all while helping improve your math arithmetic and exercise your brain!
Programmer VR
Price: $25.51 (CAD)
Set off on an exciting journey with “Programmer VR,” a first-of-a-kind VR game on the Meta Store. With each challenge you conquer, you’ll learn programming concepts like Instructions execution order, conditional statements, loops, arrays and much more. Boost your problem-solving skills and logical thinking – all while you play a fun game.
7. Watching TV & Movies/Entertainment
If you like watching TV shows and movies, your VR headset will be your new favourite screen. Watch the big (and immersive) screen from the comfort of your couch. You can also find many other entertainment apps like VR Immersive stories, VR Films, and more.
Bigscreen
Price: Free (in-app purchases)
Bigscreen is your VR movie theatre. Watch 3D movies with friends in a virtual theatre. Play your favourite PC video games on a huge screen. Hang out in social VR chat rooms. Choose from a variety of environments like movie theatres to campfires.
Netflix/Prime/Etc
Price: Streaming Service Cost
Most of the top streaming services now have a VR app where you can watch your shows on a big screen. Prime Video and Netflix are just two of them. YouTube can also be used for this as well. Meta also has “Meta TV” integrated into the headsets with lots of media to discover.
Xtadium
Price: Free
Xtadium is the ultimate social VR and MR sports experience that combines the excitement of live, on-demand, and pay-per-view access to sporting events. Watch the NBA, Nascar, UFC, Beln, and more. Much of the content is free while some require subscriptions. Only available in certain countries.
Paper Birds / VR Stories
Price: $7.99 (CAD)
Paper Birds is one of the many interactive stories that you can find in the Meta App Store. These are more than just stories being read to you as you are immersed in the story and can interact with what is going on. Check out the whole list on the Meta Store.
Invasion / VR Films
Price: Free
Invasion is one of many VR films that you can find in the Meta App Store. This one is free but some of them do cost. Some of these VR Flims do have interactive parts as well. Check them all out on the Meta Store.
If you enjoyed this article and want to help me continue to make more, please consider donating to the cause below:
Thanks for reading. If you have apps to suggest, please do so in the comments below!