How to Prevent Motion Sickness in VR?

How to Prevent VR Motion Sickness? 

Many people experience motion sickness while using Virtual Reality (VR) headsets. It is unfortunate that some people are discouraged from using VR because of this problem, even though they could improve with practice. Even experienced VR users can experience motion sickness since they may not know how to prevent it.

Don’t worry, there are ways to improve your VR experience and avoid motion sickness. You can enjoy VR without feeling sick by following some simple tips and tricks.

What Is VR Motion Sickness?

First, let’s discuss VR motion sickness and its causes in Virtual Reality.

When you view motion in VR, but you are not physically moving, you experience motion sickness. It is this inconsistency that can cause motion sickness. VR games, for example, can trigger motion sickness if you use the joystick on your VR controller to navigate and explore the virtual environment while stationary.

The cause of motion sickness is a lack of synchronization between the visual system, the balance system, and the touch system in the body. You may feel dizzy and nauseated when what you see in the virtual environment differs from reality.

During VR games that involve body movement in the virtual world while the physical body remains still, our brain may interpret it as walking or moving. It can feel similar to being carsick in this situation.

It is most common to experience general discomfort, eye strain, headaches, nausea, vomiting, pallor, stomach awareness, sweating, fatigue, drowsiness, disorientation, and apathy as a result of VR sickness.

How Long Does VR Motion Sickness Last?

In cases of persistent VR motion sickness or continuous vomiting, you should consult a doctor if it persists for an extended period of time.

Many people are not affected by motion sickness, so if you’re lucky, you won’t have to deal with it. As a result, you have strong VR Legs, which refer to VR users who have good brain-body coordination.

Do those who experience motion sickness and dizziness while playing VR still feel dizzy? The purpose of this article is to discuss how to strengthen your VR legs and prevent VR motion sickness. If you have ever experienced motion sickness, these tips can also be helpful.

How to Prevent Motion Sickness in VR

1. Take a Break Between Gameplay

As soon as you experience VR sickness, take a break. A person may experience cold sweats or a general feeling of discomfort. If you continue to play, the symptoms will worsen and recovery will be more difficult.

If you feel dizzy after playing the game for ten to fifteen minutes, you should rest immediately. In case of persistent dizziness, avoid playing for a few minutes or even a few hours. Drink some water, eat some food, and lay down for a few minutes or even a few hours.

You should be able to continue playing as long as you don’t have a headache. When you feel dizzy, don’t force yourself. We definitely do not want to become nauseated or vomitous as a result of pushing through.

Additionally, prolonged VR use without sufficient rest can lead to dizziness. If you want your VR legs to strengthen, you must take frequent breaks.

Taking breaks has also strengthened our VR legs over time. When you start slow and play short sessions initially, you will gradually be able to play longer sessions.

2. Select The Games Those Has Comfortable Ratings

Secondly, if you are new to VR, look for games with comfortable ratings. You’ll see a comfort rating when browsing through the Oculus Store.

What is a comfort rating? Essentially, it indicates the amount of locomotion a player will engage in during the game. All ratings can be categorized as comfortable, moderate, or intense.

For beginners, it’s best to choose games with an appropriate rating. As you gain more VR experience, you can eventually play games that are moderately rated and more intense. If you are dizzy, it’s best to avoid games with an intense rating at first because they usually involve more body movements.

The comfort rating system is not available on Steam or PSVR. You must rely on other sources of information, such as game reviews and YouTube gameplay videos.

You should look for games that use teleportation for movement, since teleportation doesn’t cause motion sickness like virtual walking. Beginners often experience dizziness from virtual walking.

Many games allow controller-based movement without causing motion sickness. Even some VR games allow you to customize your comfort levels, such as adding a vignette effect.

If you’re new to VR, you can try Beat Saber or Superhot VR. As well as providing a pleasant visual experience, these games are less likely to induce dizziness.

If you prefer games with movement, try Vader Immortal, Arizona Sunshine, Robo Recall, and others.

3. Adjust Your Comfort Settings

Most VR games allow you to modify comfort settings. In most games, these settings can be found in the VR or Comfort menu. Discover the settings that work best for you by exploring each option.

As soon as you have determined the ideal settings, you can apply them to other games as well. If smooth turning or non-head-relative locomotion is uncomfortable for you, you can adjust the settings to enable snap turning and head-relative locomotion.

4. Setting Up IPD

Virtual reality beginners often overlook an important aspect: setting up the IPD, or interpupillary distance. The IPD is the distance between your eyes. In order to prevent motion sickness and ensure a clear display, it’s crucial to match the IPD in your VR headset. If you are unsure of your IPD, you can measure it using mobile apps or a ruler, but the latter may not be as accurate.

Consider having your eyes measured at a prescription glasses store for a more precise measurement. In addition, if you know your IPD, you can input it into your headset. There are various methods for adjusting the IPD on different VR devices.

Valve Index, HTC VIVE, Oculus Rift CV1, and Oculus Quest typically have a slider under the headset for this purpose. Through the Oculus app settings, you can adjust the IPD on the Rift S.

5. Try to Wear Travel Wrist Bands

Motion sickness can be combated using travel anti-nausea wristbands during VR experiences. Motion sickness has been proven to be alleviated by these wristbands because they exert pressure on the Nei-Kuan points in your wrists.

In order to locate the Nei-Kuan point, place the middle three fingers of your right hand on the back of your left wrist, just beneath the index finger.

When you press that spot, you’ll feel a slight tingling or sensitivity. Before you feel any discomfort, wear the wristbands on both arms to prevent motion sickness.

6. Eat Some Ginger or Drink Ginger Ale

You might want to try ginger during your VR sessions because it is renowned for its ability to alleviate motion sickness. You can consume ginger in various forms, such as ginger ale (available online) or fresh ginger for tea.

It is also possible to find ginger candy to chew on. Ginger may provide relief and help you feel better sooner if consumed before or after experiencing motion sickness.

If you prefer a more cost-effective option, you can make ginger water using sugar and drink it before or while playing VR. Individuals who suffer from motion sickness are often prescribed ginger ale to treat their symptoms.

7. Use a Fan in Your Gaming Room While Playing

When playing VR, use a fan to reduce motion sickness and enhance your experience. As well as providing a sense of movement, the cool breeze from the fan provides a refreshing sensation. The blowing wind from the fan can enhance your immersion if you’re flying in VR.

8. Start With Comfortable Games

Many people choose intense rollercoaster experiences when trying VR for the first time. It is important to note, however, that these games can quickly induce motion sickness. Before progressing to more intense games, start with comfortable games and gradually build your tolerance.

Start with games like Beat Saber or Superhot, where you don’t need to move much. Eventually, you can move on to games with medium comfort, such as Sprint Vector, which simulates running using arm movements. There is also the stealth kayak game Phantom Covert Ops as an example.

It is possible to play more intense games like Skyrim or No Man’s Sky if you can handle those games without experiencing motion sickness.

For platforms like Steam and Viveport, you may have to rely on reviews or gameplay videos for information about comfort ratings.

9. Check Your Setup

Before starting a VR game, make sure your tracking setup and computer configuration are optimized. Make sure your PC can run VR games at a stable frame rate.

To prevent tracking occlusions, you should also calibrate your tracking setup accurately. If tracking is disrupted by visual anomalies, instant motion sickness can result.

10. Check Your Frame Rate

One of the most common causes of motion sickness during VR gameplay is frame drops. It’s essential to check the frame rate after starting a new game if you feel uneasy. To do this, right-click the SteamVR window, select “Settings,” and then navigate to “Video” and “Advanced Frame Timing.”

11. Avoid Alcohol

If you suffer from motion sickness after drinking alcohol, you should avoid playing VR games. A virtual reality experience can be difficult when motion sickness is exacerbated by alcohol.

12. Physically Rotate Your Body in the Real World

Turn your body physically when you need to in VR. Turning your body instead of using the controller allows you to rotate your character more comfortably and less nauseatingly.

Although many VR games offer virtual turning options like snapping and smoothing, beginners without VR experience may feel disoriented if they rely solely on these methods.

Physically rotating your body will provide a smoother experience. It is also possible to translate physical movements into virtual reality by using specialized VR treadmills.

Note that this tip does not apply to Playstation VR, since the Playstation camera cannot detect the controller’s sensor if it’s turned away.

13. Swing Your Arms When Walking in VR

Walking in VR requires you to swing your arms as you would in the real world. Walking naturally requires your hands to move, and replicating these motions in VR tricks your brain into perceiving the sensation of walking, reducing feelings of dizziness or disorientation.

14. Explore Alternative Movement Methods

Motion sickness may be alleviated by alternative movement methods depending on the game and VR headset you use. It is generally recommended that you increase the physicality of your VR experience to mitigate the problem.

Moving around your physical space while playing can trick your mind into perceiving movement within the game world. During gameplay, software solutions like VRocker and Natural Locomotion can enhance physical movement.

In terms of hardware, there are devices such as Cybershoes, which allow you to sit and swing your feet, 3DRudders, which require foot movement, and omnidirectional VR treadmills, which minimize motion sickness but are expensive.

These are some of the strategies we have used to overcome motion sickness in VR. Below are some tips and tricks you can share with each other to help each other out!

Conclusion – How to stop VR motion sickness?

Motion sickness is a common problem when using virtual reality (VR), but it can be prevented or minimized. Try natural remedies like ginger or peppermint, take regular breaks, and adjust headset and display settings.

It is recommended to choose VR content that is designed to reduce motion sickness and avoid intense experiences. Start with comfortable games and progress to more challenging ones as you build tolerance.

Motion sickness can be avoided with these tips for a comfortable and immersive VR experience.

FAQ