Time to workup a virtual sweat.
If you’re a proud Meta Quest VR user, you’ll be happy to learn that Meta (formerly Facebook) just announced support to pair a Bluetooth heart rate monitor to the headset for viewing or tracking stats, along with other new health-related features.
While Quest headsets already had the option to estimate calories burned, the new Health Connect Integration takes things a step further. For one, Android users can automatically sync workout data to Health Connect, seeing stats in the headset or on their phones.
More importantly, when paired with a compatible heart rate monitor over Bluetooth, the Meta Quest can display a user’s heart rate from any game or app right inside the “Move overlay.” You’ll get floating information on exercise length, heart rate, calories burned, and more.
It sounds like the Garmin HRM-Dual and the Polar H10 chest straps are the only supported health trackers so far, but we’re expecting more soon, not to mention support for smartwatches.
Last year, Meta added the option for iOS users to sync certain health information to Apple Health, and now Android users can do the same with things like MyFitnessPal or Samsung Health, thanks to the latest fitness update. Open the Meta Quest app and enable the “Health Connect by Android” toggle in settings.
Previously, this process was somewhat cumbersome. Android users had to pair a heart rate monitor to their phone, download the VR app or game to the same device, then pair that to the game in the Quest, if even possible. Now, it’ll all happen automatically.
We’re not entirely sure if this supports the original Quest or only the Quest 2 and the latest Quest Pro. That said, if you’re a VR fitness user, give it a try and enjoy the benefits.
via The Verge
