24 Jan 2022 10:21 AM +00:00 UTC

VR Motion Sickness: What Are The Best Ways To Reduce It?

If you're looking for the best ways to help reduce VR motion sickness, we've got you covered right here.

If you've invested in one of the best VR headsets available, chances are the first thing you'll want to do is use it. If you're only using VR for the first time though, it can be a pretty daunting experience to have a hefty headset on your head the first time around.

Understandably, therefore, people will handle it in different ways. Some may be completely comfortable and have no issues, but it may be the case you end up feeling a little queasy, and therefore it can be helpful to know how to reduce this feeling.

Listed below are some of the best ways we think there are to reduce motion sickness and help you have a more comfortable experience in virtual reality.

How To Reduce VR Motion Sickness

There are a handy few things you can try in order to mitigate the feelings of motion sickness, from playing whilst sitting down to making sure you're comfortable with a properly adjusted headset.

Play For A Few Minutes

If you're looking to just get started with VR, then it makes sense that you take things a few minutes at a time.

In total, playing for around half an hour to forty-five minutes in one sitting is advisable generally speaking, but for those with motion sickness, cutting this figure down initially to a handful of minutes is most likely your best option.

This is simply due to helping to ease you in and help you find your feet in VR. If you feel comfortable, it may be worth incrementally increasing the duration of your playtime to a level where you feel comfortable.

Sit Down

As well as playing for a few minutes at a time, sitting down whilst you're playing can also help to ease you in, and mitigate any effects of motion sickness.

VR gaming is an experience traditionally enjoyed whilst standing up and moving around, but if you do suffer from motion sickness, sitting down and taking things slowly can help to make things less disorientating.

Headsets such as the Quest 2 do allow you to utilise it whilst sitting down, as long as you set your Guardian boundary around your chair or sofa.

In addition, some games can actually work better whilst sitting down, such as Fruit Ninja and Star Trek: Bridge Crew, which we'd also consider one of the best multiplayer VR games out there, so starting with these may be a handy way of starting out in VR.

Adjust The Headset

VR Motion Sickness: What Are The Best Ways To Reduce It? — Image Credit: Meta - adjusting or swapping out the strap of your VR headset could be key in making sure you're comfortable

Image Credit: Meta - adjusting or swapping out the strap of your VR headset could be key in making sure you're comfortable

It may sound a little bit simple, but actually, making sure you're comfortable with whatever VR headset you've got on is going to be rather helpful in making sure motion sickness doesn't affect you as much.

Adjusting the strap on headsets like the Oculus Quest 2 is easy to do, and also, if you want to remove the strap and replace it with another, like the more supportive Oculus Elite Strap, then this is also convenient with just a couple of steps in order to change it.

Keep Cool

A symptom of motion sickness can be feeling warm or starting to sweat, and therefore it makes sense when you're playing to open a window or point a fan at yourself to help you out.

Sometimes it can also get pretty warm if you've got a headset on, so putting a fan on can cool you down a fair bit, and also help to increase air circulation, which will help to mitigate any effects of motion sickness.

Lower The Brightness

Putting on a headset and entering into the bright, vibrant world of virtual reality may be a little jarring to some at first, and understandably, it may make sense to lower the brightness down on your headset.

This can help to make things more comfortable and also prevent a sensory overload when you're playing, aiding you in making sure everything feels right, and also, it may be a contributing factor in helping you to perhaps incrementally increase your playtime.

So, there you have it, that's our two cents on some of the best ways you can reduce motion sickness. Of course, sometimes, VR may not be for everyone, and if you do experience any issues, be sure to consult the relevant professional.

Be sure to check back in with us for more VR guides, news, and info, especially as 2022 looks to be a bumper year with the potential release of Project Cambria.

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