Aviron’s home fitness equipment operates on a simple principle: People hate working out. But many of those same people love playing video games. Perhaps the only thing standing between them and a more active lifestyle is some health competition and well-timed distraction.
It’s the same gamification concept that made Nintendo’s Wii and VR games like Beat Saber hits. Instead of bringing the workout to video games, however, Aviron bring video games to the workout.
Founded in 2018, the Toronto-based startup made itself known in 2022 with the release of a gamified rowing machine. The pandemic was a predictably great time to launch a connected fitness startup, as gym closures left many predicting a future centered around home workouts.
Gamification works well with rowing’s speed up/slow down nature. It’s clear why Aviron came out of the gate with a rowing machine, rather than the more familiar treadmill or bike. With a platform in place, the company has since diversified into those form factors, as well. Aviron announced a bike in August 2024. Within a few months, it added connected dumbbells and the Victory Treadmill to the lineup.
Amid a deluge of Peloton and NordicTrack wannabes, Aviron offers differentiation. Where brands like Peloton dominated the market through an almost cult-like devotion to its instructors and classes, Aviron continues to bank on gaming to set itself apart. The good news for the Victory Treadmill is that Aviron has built a robust software and gaming experience for the rower and bike that can largely be ported over to the new hardware.
Most of the titles available here will be familiar if you’ve spent time with Aviron’s other machines. Instead of basing your gameplay on how strongly you row or how quickly you pedal, however, the Victory uses elements like walking/running speed and incline to control the titles.
Playing a fishing game or Aviron’s equivalent of the brick and ball game, Breakout, is less natural on a treadmill. The company addresses this to a certain degree with a pair of almost joystick-like controllers. It’s a clever solution that makes the process of adjusting speed an incline more dynamic. Most of us are used to typing in a couple of numbers and getting started.
The Victory treadmill demands you engage with these things more directly while working out. On the whole, I found it easier to get lost in the competitive aspect of gaming on the rower than the treadmill. It simply feels less intuitive interacting with games when walking or running.
The good news, however, is that there’s no shortage of distractions to tap into on the 22-inch touchscreen. I found myself watching a lot of YouTube and essentially falling back into familiar gym habits. You can also log into most of the big-name streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Max, as well as Spotify.
Beyond these, Aviron offers up scenic virtual routes and a small — but growing — selection of classes. It’s clear the company hasn’t made the same sort of massive investment in instructors/classes that we’ve seen from the likes of Peloton, but that content is more of a supplement to the core gaming offering.
The connected fitness market has changed a lot in the three years since Aviron released its rower. Companies like Peloton bought too much into their own hype, suffering extreme financial consequences when excitement slowed. Even so, there’s still plenty of competition — especially when it comes to well-established categories like the treadmill.
There’s a broad range of quality when it comes to home treadmills, from $5,000 NordicTracks to $200 foldable systems. At $2,499, the Victory splits the difference in terms of pricing. It’s not as massive or solid as one of the systems you’ll encounter at the gym, but it’s solid quality, none the less, and should last a while. The controls are responsive, the belt speed goes up to 12.5 mph, and the system’s low-to-the-ground profile lends it stability.
The broad content selection, meanwhile, means the system isn’t likely to turn a $2,499 clothing rack any time soon.
