HTC Vive/VIVEPORT VR Review – ReMind VR: Daily Meditation

This review was originally created in October 2018 for HTC, targeted to their Vive/Vive Pro (VIVEPORT). It is reproduced here without alteration.

Meditation is probably as popular today as it’s ever been. In our stressful world of work, partisan politics, social media, always-on technology, and general hustle-and-bustle of everyday life, it’s no surprise that many of us seek out techniques for a daily reset. This mentally clear and emotionally calm state, where stress, anxiety, depression, and even pain can be greatly reduced, can be achieved through focus or mindfulness techniques. ReMind VR: Daily Meditation, offers a guided method for achieving this more relaxed state of being, which, thanks to the power of virtual reality, can help transform even the most novice practitioners into a more Zen-like state.

As you might expect, an experience like ReMind VR: Daily Meditation has minimal requirements, so it can be enjoyed by anyone with the base hardware and just about any size room. It supports Vive, Vive Pro, and Oculus Rift setups, and can be experienced standing or seated. In fact, as a further testament to its versatility and adaptability, one of the scenarios doesn’t even use the Vive controllers and can be enjoyed while lying down.

There are three short exercises, or scenarios, to choose from. The first, called “Letting Go,” places you on top of a high building overlooking a peaceful city landscape filled with skyscrapers. From this vantage point, you toss paper airplanes, watching them slowly glide through the air. This scenario is meant to represent and encourage the release of negative thought patterns, leaving stress behind, replaced instead by feelings of peacefulness, happiness, and freedom.

The second scenario is called “Drop the Habit.” In this scenario, you’re placed on the shore of a lake in the Japanese countryside and skip small, smooth rocks along the water’s surface. This exercise is meant to represent and encourage observation of how a clear mind can be disturbed by the impact of negative thoughts as the ripples extend across the water’s surface. In turn, you’re meant to learn how to remain focused and centered despite the presence of disruptive thoughts and feelings.

In the third and final scenario, “Infinite Lightness,” you simply observe changes as the sun slowly moves and the sky changes colors. This exercise is meant to represent and encourage transformation of our perspective and clearing of the multi-tasking mind as you maintain a forward gaze. This is also the only scenario that can be fully experienced without use of the Vive controllers and works even if you wish to lie down.

While ReMind VR: Daily Meditation is not the most attractive game, the clean, crisp visuals still suit the experience well. The soothing sounds and music are similarly effective in setting the mood.

Meant simply as a brief, regular meditation experience, ReMind VR: Daily Meditation, delivers in spades. You don’t need to be well-versed in meditation or meditative benefits to get full value out of this enjoyable, well thought out, experience. With regular usage, this really should be a great way to become more relaxed and mindful. And putting the meditative benefits aside, the three experiences make for a nice, relaxing change of pace from the usual goal-driven games or hot spot-driven educational titles.

Score: 5 out of 5 stars.

ReMind VR: Daily Meditation is available on Viveport or with a Viveport Subscription.