VirZoom’s previous prototypes were actual bicycles, which meant you had to turn the handlebars to move inside the game. That turned out to be terrifying because users were incapable of seeing their hands or orienting their body in real space. VirZoom resolved the issue by fixing the handlebars in place, while motion-sensing tech like Sony’s PlayStation Camera now tracks your head movements instead. That allows you to turn by leaning your shoulders left and right in gradual or more dramatic fashion. The handlebars also contain buttons and triggers to interact with in-game objects.

my heart rate was noticeably in the triple digits

After five minutes on the VirZoom last week wearing the latest version of PlayStation VR — Sony’s dedicated headset, due out sometime next year — I could feel sweat collecting on my forehead and my heart rate was noticeably in the triple digits. Thanks to Sony’s most recent ergonomic choices, this version of PlayStation VR, which we’re told is very close to the consumer version, has a cushier forehead piece. The goggles also slide forward and backward to your liking without the need to strap them as close to your face as possible. So while you may not deal with dripping sweat while playing, exercising in VR can still be an uncomfortable activity requiring a nearby towel.

The games are not that great, and there’s no getting around that. The three titles I tried firsthand amounted to mini-games you’d more likely find in an older arcade: capturing bandits while riding a horse and swinging a lasso; collecting coins in mid-air while flying through a canyon on a winged Pegasus; and racing cars. What’s fascinating, however, is how the VirZoom can take those subpar experiences and elevate them to something exhilarating, with complex sensations you’ll only to find replicated by a modern-day 3D theme park ride.

By mixing in-game motion with real-world movement, the result is an experience that’s more about immediate physical responses than it is about feeling teleported to a different world. Your eyes may not be tricked by the so-so graphics, but your body will certainly be screaming at your brain, telling it that you are in fact moving. Of course, the VirZoom did bring me right up against my discomfort threshold. But it never surpassed it.