Are you feeling motion sick after using your brand new PSVR2? Read on to know why this is happening;
Virtual reality headsets simulate reality by creating a virtual world which can be seen and felt by the user. Despite the ongoing attempts by VR developers to reduce the motion sickness part from the VR experience, people are still feeling uneasy and nauseated after using PSVR2.
What are the symptoms of Motion Sickness?
The main thing that needs to be addressed is that; if you are using a PSVR2 headset or any VR headset for the matter, you are going to feel motion sick because our bodies take some time to adjust to the hyper simulation and virtual reality creation by the VR headset. Hence, you should prepare yourself mentally and physically if you look forward to your first ever VR experience.
During or post PSVR2 use, the user may feel symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, headache, eyestrain and abdominal discomfort.
Why does PSVR2 cause motion sickness?
While using VR, whenever our brain receives conflicting signals from our eyes and inner ear, we start experiencing the symptoms of motion sickness. In simple words, we get motion sick when the world around us is moving but our body is not moving accordingly (i.e. stationary). This causes an apparent confusion in the body and suddenly we start feeling discomfort and motion sick | Article Source: Frontiers of Human Neuroscience (article here).
According to a study published in the Journal of Vestibular Research, (article here), it was observed that upto 80% of VR users have experienced a certain degree of motion sickness. This number of affected users is alarmingly high and now, developers and VR companies need to work on technology that will help lessen these symptoms.
What type of PSVR2 games should I play to avoid motion sickness?
Well, it is recommended to avoid playing “free roam” VR games in order to lessen the impact of VR induced motion sickness. Users who are sensitive are recommended to play games that do not involve excessive body moment or the “sit-and-play VR games”. Also, avoiding games that have excessive amounts of flashing lights is highly recommended as those kinds of games cause not only eye-strain but also may lead to photosensitive epilepsy.
Experts recommend PSVR2 users to start slow when it comes to using VR; play strategy based or “non-first person” based games. Also, while getting used to PSVR2, you should keep your gaming sessions short, as excessive usage may also trigger the onset of motion sickness.
How to avoid being PSVR2 motion sick?
Well, if you want to still keep playing on the PSVR2, then there are certain “life-hacks” to get around the issue. Most people recommend a cocktail of Dramamine and Ginger, while some say that taking frequent breaks in your gaming session, until you get used to the motion sickness will definitely help in reducing the uncomfortable feeling.
However, you can check our extensive article here, which explains the various ways in which you can avoid being motion sick, using the PSVR2, must you should play.
Getting used to VR is essential to get rid of motion sickness caused by PSVR2. A person who has never used VR in their life is bound to experience discomfort and dizziness while using PSVR2 initially.
What are the other health issues caused by PSVR2 (motion sick-ness aside)?
- Eye Strain: not only PSVR2, but all VR headsets are known to cause eye-related issues such as eye-strain. This is caused because VR is very taxing on the eyes, as it constantly requires the user to adjust to various light exposures, distances and focal lengths.
- Photosensitive epilepsy: as seen above, due to flashing lights and bright colors, light sensitive users may experience symptoms of photosensitive epilepsy that may worsen and eventually lead to seizures.
- Mental issues/Depression: Virtual reality enables the user to interact with a virtual world filled with virtual people. Bring present in virtual reality, a VR user can sense that they are physically present in the virtual world (as documented in the Journal “Cyberpsychology, Behaviour and Social Networking”). This feeling may alter the VR users’ sense of reality and the user may start experiencing fear or excitement.
These issues with VR usage may have a negative impact on the user’s health and hence, may need the user’s discretion to use PSVR2.
Disclaimer: We here at xtenverse do not intend to offer any medical advice against or for the treatment of VR induced motion sickness. Also, we do not promote nor derogate any particular VR head set model or their respective manufacturing company. Kindly use the above information as per your discretion.
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