Does the PSVR make you sick ? Give it a chance, it will go away soon!
Out since October 13th, the first PS4 virtual reality headset by Sony might get you to feel nausea or other unenjoyable motion-sickness-related symptoms. However, for those of you who feel motion sickness, know that symptoms do go away with time. In this article, we will go over our tips and advice to overcome the symptoms. In other terms, do not return you VR headset right away if you get sick, symptoms will go away with a little time.
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1. Start slow with the PSVR
Upon purchase of the VR, you allow a brand new technology to come in your living room. Virtual Reality represents something that you may have never tried out more than 30 minutes. It is actually this very moment that you will have to preserve, do not force it too much. We recommend you to start playing VR games on very short periods of time for a few days, never going over the 30-minute time period, while also allowing you to pause the game and take off the headset for about 15 minutes. By doing one or two 30-minute sessions a day, your brain will progressively get used to this new way of seeing things and you will become more comfortable with the technology.
What happens with motion sickness is that there is a discrepancy between what your brain interpret through your eyes (movement, landscapes passing by, etc.) and what your inner ear reports to your brain (which is the fact that you are sitting or standing still, not moving). This difference in data provided by both your eyes and your inner ear confuses your brain into provoking nausea, headaches or dizziness.
2. Get used to it with relaxing games first
If you are a rookie when it comes to virtual reality, do not start your experience with demanding or action-filled games. On the contrary, give priority to games that put you on a rail like Batman: Arkham VR, Tumble VR, Headmaster, or other PS VR worlds games ( except Scavengers’ Odyssey and VR luge). Your brain will then have time to get used to the technology, and the symptoms should gradually go away within a few days.
3. Repeat the experiences on short periods of time
Within the first week of use, you will be able to move up to more demanding games. If you still feel motion sickness in Driveclub VR, EVE:Valkyrie or RIGS, do not push it, stop playing, take off the headset and get back to it a day after. You will be able to play more often and over longer periods of time gradually, as the symptoms disappear on their own.
4. Our experience with PlayStation VR
Whether it is Sadako or Miracle ( Speedy being motion sickness proof, probably due to the fact that he does not have a brain) we got used to the headset gradually and the symptoms we felt in the first few days went away within a week. However, there are still games our brains do not want to fully function with like Here They Lie or Rise of The Tomb Raider. Nevertheless, the symptoms seem to have weakened in comparison to last week.
Either way, we choose not to push ourselves to the limit. As evidence by our five-minute sessions on Driveclub VR last week, that turn into a full hour without feeling any discomfort whatsoever. In other terms, if the PSVR ( other any other VR headset) makes you sick, give it a chance and get your senses used to being shaken up, without pushing them too far.
However, if the first week has passed and you are still feeling uncomfortable with no notable improvements, it unfortunately means that this experience is not for you. If you have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to get in touch with us on Facebook, or comment below!