Beat Saber for PlayStation VR: Should you buy it?

Beat Saber on PSVR
Beat Saber on PSVR (Image credit: Android Central)

Best Answer: Absolutely. If you own a PSVR, you really should own Beat Saber. It is now a permanent part of my PlayStation VR Top Five and never fails to keep me amused, even when I suck at it. Which I do. A lot.

Amazon: Beat Saber PSVR Bundle ($350)

Beat Saber is addictive fun

Everything about Beat Saber draws you in. From the bright visuals to the amazing soundtrack, the game wants you to play it for long periods of time, and you will. The levels are just hard enough to make you need to finish them, while not being so easy as to breeze through the game.

There is a level I am stuck on right now and it is driving me crazy that I can't do it, but at the same time, I'm not just rage-quitting. Instead, I just keep trying, enjoying the music and the feeling that I am trying to tune into the force, all the while getting a whole heap of calorie-burning exercise.

It's a real workout

I have been playing Beat Saber for at least an hour every day since its release, and I really feel I am making some gains health-wise. Each day, I feel a little bit faster in my movements, and I am certainly less tired at the end of my sessions.

To really get the most from the aerobic nature of Beat Saber, you need to use maximum effort. I really enjoy putting the headset on and taking it to the max for an hour. A good tip is to go on the free play, choose a banging track, then put "no fail" and "expert mode" on. From there, you can go nuts for an hour and really work up a sweat.

This is my boy's favorite mode. He gets to swing his saber around at blistering speed and essentially hit nothing, but love every second of the fast-paced, color explosion happening in his face. The best thing though is he doesn't even know it's good for him, so I am sneaking in some daily exercise under the guise of video games. Score!

There is a lot more to come

The makers of Beat Saber have promised to add 33 more tracks to Beat Saber for PSVR. This is coming as three free tracks and three paid 10-track pack. Each track pack will cost $10, which at $1/track is not an unreasonable price. That said, to get all of the new tracks, you are essentially doubling the cost of the game.

It's a real shame that the PlayStation ecosystem is so restricted that the level creator Beat Saber has for the PC version will never be available for PSVR. That means we will never get to play the game along to our favorite smash hits. We can only ever get music specifically licensed for the game and although a lot of them are excellent, I would still enjoy playing Through the Fire and Flames on expert mode.

James Bricknell
Since the days of the HTC Hero James has had two or three Android phones stuffed into pockets. James is always on hand to offer advice on phones, apps and most recently, PlayStation, especially VR, It's now something of an obsession. Find him @keridel wherever Media Socials itself.
TOPICS