When Holodia’s Holofit software on Sidequest finally left its home of relative darkness and switched to the bright lights of Oculus’ curated Quest store, I was delighted for it and was glad that many more people would get the opportunity to do these wonderful workouts -Try out the app that brings your cardio equipment into virtual reality.
Unfortunately, the launch had mixed reception, partly due to new users not being familiar with what the program had to offer. Holofit is a strictly training solution that allows you to use your rowing machine, bike, or elliptical machine in a variety of virtual environments for serious training. However, in order to get into the Quest Store, they had to make their software playable for users who didn’t own machines so that people could see what the software was about. Unfortunately, this has led some people to think the app is rubbish since all you are doing is pretending to ride a bike by circling your arms! In case it’s not obvious, cycling should be enjoyed while rowing should be done with a rowing machine. But one of the downsides of anyone able to download your software is that regular Quest players can install it who have no idea what the software is or what it is for, and consequently 1 star – Discard reviews that say cycling with your arms is dumb …
The second complaint, however, was more justified. The early release last month on the Quest Store was quite ugly, literally. The game wasn’t aliased at all, resulting in jagged, blurry images that flickered terribly in the distance. With Sidequest, the app was largely hidden and had to be looked for by dedicated fitness enthusiasts who wanted to use the software to link their Concept 2. The graphics weren’t that important to a crowd already turned into the potential of virtual reality to revolutionize their cardio training, and used Holofit to maximize their health and fitness potential.
However, the Quest Store is a larger and more sophisticated market where consumers are used to high quality visual titles like Beat Saber, Vadar Immortal and Moss. Flickering, jagged textures don’t cut it.
Well, Holodia has listened and scrubbed his rough diamond giving it a makeover and an overall improvement and polish. The game has now antialiasing enabled and has been increased to a full 90 Hz.
The result is a dramatic visual improvement. The rails on my favorite troglodyte level now appear crisp and clear in the distance instead of falling into a shimmering, imperceptible mess. Some new graphical features have also been added, including allowing your boat to leave a trail as it moves through water.
I’ve included some before and after photos and a video clip of the newly revised Canyon level.
As a long-time user of Holofit with my rowing machine, I had kind of accepted that the resolution wasn’t the best so I didn’t really think it bothered me. I have to say that this update has really increased my appreciation for some of the fantastically created worlds Holodias created and made me want to sit on my rower and explore them again.
If you have reviewed the game before and found it visually poor, I would recommend trying again. It’s much prettier now.
Know the difference
I took a few screenshots during the game that hopefully will give a hint of the improvement. Note that due to size restrictions, these images have been compressed by the website, making the differences more difficult to see. The improvements can be seen much more clearly in the headset itself.
Aiguebellete – before
In this unbiased version, you can see the red buoys are fuzzy, pale, and indistinct. You can see the lack of aliasing on the rower’s legs.
Aiguebellete – after that
In the new version, you can clearly see that the rower’s legs are sharper, even though they were captured from further away. The buoys are crisp and clear and the boat now leaves a trail as it passes through water. The colors have also been revised.
Paris – before
Holofit’s Parisian Level is rich in character and detail and a joy to row through, but the old version sure was blocky. Here you can see the road texture stop abruptly halfway up the road. The man on the left is barely visible and the building textures are blurry.
Paris – after
The text is now clear and readable, the character models are clearer, and both the buildings and street textures look sharper and more detailed. This is a great world to travel through in the new update!
Cave dwellers – before
Cave dwellers could be Holodia’s most ambitious world yet. It is a wonderful adventure by train through a Tolkienesque dwarf mine. However, the original version had such a low resolution that in the headset the rail in front of you often flickered and shimmered terribly. The textures were also blurry.
Cave dwellers – after
In this new version, despite the fact that this image was taken a little further away, note the enlarged details on the trees and rocks. If you look closely, you can see the track bend around the corner and then twist in the other direction. In the old version you could never see so many details.
Finally, I added a video of the Canyon level below, which also includes a remaster. The Quest 2 records all of the videos at 720p, so it’s difficult to really demonstrate the difference between the versions, but in the headset the difference is instantly palpable and profound.
Overall, I’ve been very impressed with this update and look forward to seeing what else Holodia can bring us.
You can download a free trial version of Holofit from the Oculus Quest Store. After the trial period expires, the app requires either a monthly or an annual subscription. Note that this is not a “game” but a serious training tool that brings your cardio machines into VR. You need a bike, rowing machine, or elliptical trainer to get the most out of the program!
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