PowerBeatsVR features unique support for Bluetooth and ANT+ heart rate monitors. The heart rate will be shown in-game and used for making the calorie tracker more accurate. This guide is about which heart rate monitors are supported and how to connect them to the game.
Supported Heart Rate Monitors
With the PowerBeatsVR Fitness Update v1.2.0 came a unique integration of Bluetooth compatible heart rate monitors that use standard Bluetooth 4.0 (Low Energy / Smart) protocol for transmitting heart rate (HRM) data.
Update v1.5.0 finally added support for ANT+ devices.
You can now check your current heart rate while playing and get related statistics at the end of each challenge including minimum, maximum, and average heart rate. We also use that measurement to make our calorie counter way more precise than it could be with pure movement tracking.
Guide for Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitors
Here is a list of heart rate monitors that are tested to work with PowerBeatsVR. This is not an exhaustive list. It simply serves as inspiration if you are going to buy a heart rate monitor to use with PowerBeatsVR:
- The Wahoo Tickr and Blue HR (chest strap)
- Polar H10 and Polar H7 (chest strap)
- Polar OH1 (arm strap)
- TAOPE Smart Cardio (chest strap)
- Bluetooth heart rate monitors by Fitcare Electronics (also sold as HW702a, smartLAB HRM, BerryKing Sportbeat,…)
As far as we know Fitbit HRMs will not work with PowerbeatsVR as they do not use a standard Bluetooth protocol, but rather a proprietary communication protocol.
If you are not sure if a heart rate monitor will work with PowerBeatsVR please ask the manufacturer if their device supports Bluetooth 4.0 LE / Smart and how to connect it to third party applications. On some devices, like smartwatches, you may have to enable broadcast of sensor data via Bluetooth first.
You are very welcome to notify us if you can confirm functionality with further models and we will add them to the list. You can comment below or join us on our Discord community server[discord.gg].
How to Connect a Bluetooth HRM
First, your PC must have a Bluetooth interface. If it has none, you need a USB Bluetooth dongle. It is best to use it in conjunction with a USB extension cable and place the dongle next to your playspace, as Bluetooth has a limited range.
With that in place, just start PowerBeatsVR, head over to the “Fitness” tab within the options panel, activate heart tracking, select “Bluetooth”, search for a device, select the correct one, if multiple have been found, and click on “Connect”. That’s it. No connection to your PC outside of PowerBeatsVR is needed. Now, your heart rate will be shown in-game just like your score and combo.
Guide for ANT+ Heart Rate Monitors
You can use any ANT+ heart rate monitor with PowerBeatsVR. It’s that simple. Here is a full list of officially supported devices: https://www.thisisant.com/directory/powerbeatsvr/
How to Connect an ANT+ HRM
In order to use such a device, you just need an ANT+ dongle for your PC. Here are a few good examples that can be found on Amazon:
- CYCPLUS ANT+ USB Stick Dongle
- CooSpo ANT+ USB Stick Dongle
- hLine ANT+ USB Stick Dongle
With such a dongle installed, start PowerBeatsVR, head over to the “Fitness” tab within the options panel, activate heart tracking, select “ANT+”, search for a device, select the correct one, if multiple have been found, and click on “Connect”. That’s it. Now, your heart rate will be shown in-game just like your score and combo.
Happy calorie burning!