VR fitness app Supernatural announces annual pricing starting at $149

Within, the maker of VR fitness app-slash-game Supernatural, has announced new annual pricing plans for the service. Until June 1st you can sign up for a $149-a-year subscription, and the price will rise to $199 for people who subscribe after that date.

Supernatural is a great VR workout, but it doesn’t come cheap. After a 30-day free trial, the service costs $19 a month, which comes out to $228 a year. The subscription model is somewhat unprecedented for VR apps, but Supernatural is a Peloton-style living service with very high production values; each day it’s updated with a new workout featuring licensed music from major artists, photorealistic natural environments, and 3D-captured trainers who guide you through the tracks.

“When you think about Netflix, you don’t expect Netflix to be $20 and you get new shows in perpetuity,” Within co-founder Chris Milk told me earlier this month. “The only way that a business model like that works is that there is continued revenue flowing into the company for the company to continue to make new content for its subscribers.“

The annual pricing obviously means paying more upfront, but it probably makes more sense for anyone wanting to make a commitment to the product — or for people who have experience of never getting around to canceling gym memberships. $149 a year works out at about $12 a month, which does feel like a significantly easier sell than $19. Within also promises that anyone buying into that plan now will never see a price hike.

Supernatural is out now in North America for the Oculus Quest. You can read our impressions of the service and our interview with Within’s co-founders here.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/13/21256980/supernatural-oculus-quest-pricing-annual-subscription-announced