How do you address motion sickness in VR?

1 Causes of motion sickness

Motion sickness in VR occurs when there is a mismatch between what you see and what you feel. For example, if you are moving fast in VR, but your body is stationary, your brain may get confused and think that you are poisoned or ill. This triggers a response to expel the toxins, resulting in nausea and vomiting. Another cause of motion sickness is latency, which is the delay between your head movements and the corresponding changes in the VR scene. If the latency is too high, you may feel disconnected from the VR world and experience discomfort and disorientation.

2 Symptoms of motion sickness

Motion sickness in VR can manifest differently in each person, but some of the most common symptoms are nausea, dizziness, sweating, headache, fatigue, loss of balance, and anxiety. If you experience any of these while using VR, it is important to take a break immediately. Forcing yourself to continue may worsen your condition and make you more prone to motion sickness in the future.

3 Solutions for users

As a VR user, there are some steps you can take to prevent or reduce motion sickness. Choose a comfortable and well-ventilated space to use VR, avoiding direct sunlight, heat, or cold. Adjust the settings of your VR device and application to your preferences, ensuring the display is clear, the sound is balanced, and the motion controls are responsive and intuitive. Start with short and simple VR sessions, avoiding sudden or extreme movements, and use teleportation or snap turning instead of smooth locomotion or free rotation. Additionally, employ visual cues and anchors to orient yourself in VR, such as a virtual cockpit, a fixed horizon, or a grid. Lastly, take breaks regularly and hydrate yourself; if you feel sick, remove the headset and rest until you feel better before resuming VR.

4 Solutions for developers

As a VR developer, there are some steps you can take to minimize motion sickness in VR for your users. Optimizing your VR application for high performance and low latency is essential. This includes using efficient graphics, sound, and physics engines, as well as avoiding complex calculations that may slow down the frame rate or increase the rendering time. Additionally, the VR environment and interactions should be consistent and realistic to avoid conflicting motions. Natural and familiar objects, colors, and sounds should be used to create a believable world. Furthermore, providing options and feedback to your users is important. You should allow them to customize settings such as the field of view, movement speed, turning mode, and sound volume. Additionally, giving clear and timely feedback to your users through visual indicators, audio cues, or haptic signals will inform them of their actions and status in VR. Finally, it is important to test and debug your VR application for comfort and quality. Various methods and tools such as simulators, emulators, analyzers or trackers can be used to identify any issues or errors that may affect the user experience. Inviting different types of users to try your VR application can also help collect data that will improve the design and development of the application.

5 Testing and debugging tools

VR developers have access to a variety of testing and debugging tools, depending on the platform, engine, and framework they are using. For instance, Unity VR Simulator is a tool that enables simulation of VR input and output in the Unity Editor without a device. It allows users to control the virtual camera with keyboard and mouse or game controller, while also adjusting the resolution, refresh rate, latency, and frame rate. Unreal Engine VR Preview is another tool that lets developers preview their VR application in the Unreal Editor with a device. SteamVR Performance Test evaluates a system's graphics card, CPU, RAM, and OS with a benchmark test from Valve's Aperture Robot Repair. Lastly, Oculus Debug Tool enables monitoring and modifying the settings of an Oculus VR device and application. It also records performance data like CPU and GPU usage, frame time, and dropped frames.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?