Your legs are just standing there
In the still-emerging world of virtual fitness, Supernatural — the rhythm-based workout app that has guided Quest 2 users through arm-swinging choreography — is preparing to extend its reach downward, literally. By the end of October 2022, the app will introduce knee-strike targets and leg detection, completing what was always an incomplete promise of full-body conditioning. The update arrives not in quiet, but against the backdrop of a federal antitrust challenge questioning whether Meta should be allowed to own both the platform and its most dominant fitness tenant.
- Supernatural has long drawn criticism for leaving the lower body entirely out of its rhythm-based workouts — a gap that undercuts its claim to full-body fitness.
- The end-of-October 2022 update introduces knee-strike targets and leg detection, a feature teased nearly a year earlier that finally closes that gap.
- At $18.99 a month, the app's premium pricing has always demanded a premium experience — and the absence of leg workouts was one of the few arguments skeptics could land cleanly.
- Meanwhile, Meta's bid to acquire Supernatural is under FTC fire, with regulators warning that pairing it with Beat Saber would hand one company a stranglehold on VR fitness.
- The acquisition battle has fractured industry opinion — some see monopoly risk, others see regulatory overreach into a sector still finding its footing.
For anyone who has exercised in a VR headset, the rhythm is familiar: raise your arms, swing to the beat, repeat. Supernatural, the subscription fitness app that has defined working out on Meta's Quest 2, built its entire library around that motion — coaches, choreography, popular songs, and not much below the waist. That limitation is about to change.
By the end of October 2022, Supernatural will roll out leg detection and knee-strike targets, letting players engage their lower body for the first time. The new targets sit lower on screen, positioned along the center line, designed to be struck hard with the knees. It's a simple addition in concept but a significant one in practice — the app can finally claim full-body conditioning rather than glorified upper-body cardio. Developer Within had teased the feature back in January, and its arrival removes one of the more persistent criticisms aimed at VR fitness as a category.
The update lands, however, in the middle of considerable corporate uncertainty. Meta has been attempting to acquire Supernatural outright, but the FTC has challenged the deal, arguing that Meta's simultaneous ownership of Beat Saber — a rhythm game with overlapping mechanics — would illegally consolidate the VR fitness market. The case has divided observers: some see genuine antitrust risk, others worry that regulatory intervention could slow innovation in a sector still taking shape.
For now, Supernatural continues to evolve regardless of who ultimately owns it. The knee-strike feature suggests its developers believe the workout experience still has room to grow — and players who have grown restless with arm-only routines will soon have a new reason to strap in.
For anyone who has strapped on a VR headset to exercise, the routine becomes familiar fast: raise your arms, swing to the beat, repeat. Supernatural, the subscription fitness app that has dominated the VR workout space on Meta's Quest 2 headset, has built its entire library around this premise—coaches leading you through choreographed arm and torso movements set to popular songs. But that limitation is about to crack open.
By the end of October 2022, Supernatural will roll out an update that adds leg detection and knee-strike targets, letting players work their lower body for the first time. The new targets will sit lower on the screen than the standard ones, positioned along the center line where notes travel, designed to be struck hard with your knees. It's a straightforward addition in concept but a meaningful one in practice: the app can finally claim to offer full-body conditioning rather than just upper-body cardio.
Developer Within, the company behind Supernatural, had teased this feature back in January. The update represents the logical next step for a fitness app that charges $18.99 per month or $179.99 per year and has become the most popular VR fitness offering available. The app's appeal has always rested on a simple formula: real coaches, real songs, real sweat. Adding legs to that equation removes one of the few legitimate criticisms that VR fitness skeptics have lobbed at the platform—that it leaves half your body untouched.
The timing of the update, however, arrives amid significant corporate turbulence. Meta, which owns the Quest 2 platform itself, has been attempting to acquire Supernatural outright. But the Federal Trade Commission has challenged the deal, arguing that Meta's ownership of both Supernatural and Beat Saber—another rhythm-based fitness game with similar mechanics—would constitute an illegal consolidation of the VR fitness market. The FTC's position has split the industry. Some observers agree that allowing one company to control the two dominant players in VR fitness would be anticompetitive. Others contend that such regulatory action could stifle innovation and growth in a still-emerging sector. Still others have suggested the FTC is targeting the wrong concern entirely.
What remains clear is that Supernatural itself continues to evolve, acquisition battle or not. The knee-strike feature signals that the app's developers see room to expand the workout experience beyond what currently exists. Whether that expansion happens under Meta's ownership or remains independent may ultimately depend on how the FTC case resolves. For now, players who have grown tired of arm-only routines will soon have a reason to lace up their headsets again.
Notable Quotes
VR fitness is amazing, especially when you can't or don't want to work out with others at a crowded gym— Android Central reporting
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
So Supernatural has been the dominant VR fitness app for a while now. What's been holding it back?
Honestly, it's been a one-dimensional workout. You're swinging your arms to the beat for thirty minutes, and your legs are just standing there. It works, but it's incomplete.
And this knee-strike update fixes that?
It does, at least partially. Now you have targets designed specifically for your knees. It's not a full squat routine or anything—it's still rhythm-based—but it means your lower body is finally part of the equation.
Why did it take so long to add this?
Leg detection is technically harder than arm detection. Your Quest 2 controllers track your hands, but your legs need a different kind of sensing. Within had to figure out how to make that work reliably.
And the FTC is blocking Meta from buying the company?
They're concerned about monopoly power. Meta already owns Beat Saber, which does similar things. Letting one company own both the biggest players in VR fitness looked anticompetitive to regulators.
Does that acquisition battle affect whether the update actually ships?
Not directly. Supernatural keeps developing either way. But it does create uncertainty about the company's future and what happens to the app long-term.