Is the hand-tracking on the Quest good enough to handle a rhythm game that demands low latency and pinpoint accuracy? After diving into the early access version of BEATABLE, which has players tapping, clapping, and snapping in time with the music, I can say that XR Game’s latest creation is definitely up to par for casual play. However, it left me wondering if it possesses the precision and reliability needed for more serious gameplay.
BEATABLE at a Glance:
- Developer: XR Games
- Available On: Horizon Store (for Quest 2 and beyond)
- Reviewed On: Quest 3
- Release Date: April 10, 2025
- Price: $10
Note: Since this game is in Early Access, the developers consider it a work in progress, likely to evolve over time. This review reflects the current state of the game without issuing a numerical score.
Gameplay
Whether you prefer to sit or stand, playing Beatable only requires a small area of your desk, table, or any flat surface, positioning it as an accessible option. The game offers four "lanes" where beats emerge from the horizon. It doesn’t demand a large play area—roughly the size of a keyboard would do. Players will find themselves engaging with two types of beats: the straightforward and the hold beat, plus additional symbols for clapping and finger snaps. While it still offers a physical challenge, Beatable is a refreshing break from the high-energy, arm-flailing motions typical in games like Beat Saber. Bonus points for its mixed reality mode—it’s a nice touch.
Just like Beat Saber, Beatable is pretty simple to pick up. You just need to tap your open palm on the table, making it much faster to learn than something like Guitar Hero, which requires memorizing button-to-color mappings. Despite its accessibility, I’m not sure if I’ll truly master Beatable anytime soon.
Sure, managing to snap my fingers with one hand while tapping out notes with the other is enjoyable. Yet, my gut tells me that the hand-tracking might not be quick enough to foster the muscle memory needed for higher levels. That slight delay in responsiveness can throw you off at critical moments.
There’s no precise way for me to measure how effectively I hit those notes or whether my "Perfect" score was genuinely flawless. From my experience, the precision seems “good enough” for casual play, but chasing expertise might require fiddling with hand positioning. I often found myself hovering over notes, trying to hit them with the least force at the right moment, which gave me inconsistent results.
Relying purely on hand-tracking, Beatable compensates cleverly when activating notes. According to XR Games, they manage tracking delay by implementing a small input and audio delay, syncing detection as necessary—a trick commonly used by console developers.
The key to success is aligning your table with your playspace as accurately as possible before diving in. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself struggling with timing. Also, good lighting is crucial to achieve optimal performance.
While precision is crucial for honing high-level skills, that wasn’t my main gripe with Beatable, nor its catchy albeit unfamiliar tunes. My reservation lies with the game’s stickiness, which I’ll delve into more in the Immersion section below.
Immersion
This is where things get a bit tricky. I’m accustomed to VR rhythm games that make me feel cool, regardless of how ridiculous I might look playing—and truth be told, I’ve never been too concerned about appearances anyway. The problem is, Beatable doesn’t quite give me that cool factor I crave.
The motions of tapping my desk and keeping up with the beat are engaging, and there are intricate flow sequences to master at intermediate and expert levels. However, that’s about where Beatable tops out—it doesn’t quite emulate anything beyond tapping surfaces and clapping hands.
Sure, Beat Saber doesn’t transform you into a master swordsman, nor does Dance Dance Revolution turn you into a professional dancer. But in the moment, they sure make you feel like one. With Beatable, I don’t quite know what I’m achieving beyond the motions themselves—and perhaps that’s enough for some.
I can’t shake the feeling that if they introduced something like bongos or a type of control panel that needed precision to prevent an imagined catastrophe, the game would capture me a bit more. Instead of hitting table notes with nice graphical details, I’d love to see more interactive elements that enhance the overall experience.
Although XR Games likely didn’t prioritize the “cool” factor, they addressed one of the primary challenges in hand-tracking games: the absence of tactile feedback. Ingeniously, Beatable uses the table as your “button," which is brilliant, but I wish it were a tad more dependable.
Comfort
Beatable offers solid comfort levels as you can play it on any flat surface—seated or standing—with no need for artificial movement.
Pro Tip: If you’re going hard on your surface or haven’t quite mastered the necessary force to hit notes consistently, consider laying down a large desktop foam pad. It will soften both the impact and sound of your taps.
Conclusion
Beatable reaches an acceptable level of precision for casual players, though I remain uncertain about crafting true expertise at this stage. Utilizing the table for tactile feedback is truly innovative, and I hope the developers continue to tackle the challenges of Quest’s hand-tracking limitations. Should Beatable manage these tweaks and maintain frequent DLC music drops, it might just pave the way for a burgeoning subgenre within XR gaming.
Note: This game is still in Early Access, meaning developers have marked it as incomplete, with expected changes over time. This review assesses its current state without assigning a numerical score.
