definitive VR motion sickness opinions

I'd love to venture into VR but the threat of motion sickness is killing it for me.

I really don't want to have to force myself to play to overcome any inner ear miscommunications. I also don't want to take Dramamine every time I play a game. It would then cease to be a fun activity.

How are the opinions on this? Has anyone had to abandon the VR rig or reduce playable time because of this?

Thanks in advance to everyone who responds.

I get motion sickness quite easily. I can no longer drive a car due to a disability, so now have to ride with my wife whenever we go somewhere. For longer trips I have to take Dramamine.

This was a big concern for me when I purchased my Rift in Jan of 2017. When I first started with the Rift flying in DCS, I started getting queezy at times. I would take short breaks whenever I felt it coming on.

I am going to say after about 2 weeks, I adapted to it much better and was hardly bothering me any longer. I will still very occasionally do some crazy maneuvers or what have you and feel it in the pit of my stomach, but I get over it very quickly and it is kind of rare that happens now.

As always, YMMV. I would not let it hold you back on trying though - if you are Amazon Prime member just get the device through them, they have great no question return policy.

I get motion sickness when playing floating zero-gravity games where you're in space.

For racing/flying simulators where you have grounded, physical controls to hang onto, it's much easier.

In any case, it might take a week or so of short play sessions for you to get used to it. For me, having ButtKicker Gamer 2 (or something similar) is the biggest factor in having completely zero motion sickness. I highly recommend it.

I get motion sickness when playing floating zero-gravity games where you're in space.

 

For racing/flying simulators where you have grounded, physical controls to hang onto, it's much easier.

 

In any case, it might take a week or so of short play sessions for you to get used to it. For me, having ButtKicker Gamer 2 (or something similar) is the biggest factor in having completely zero motion sickness. I highly recommend it.

Hahaha, I will try those zero gravity games.

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You will probably get motion sickness.

But you will also definitely get over it.

Might take a week or two, but you will get over it. No dramamine required. Just go easy at first, and ramp up slowly.

(1) air-start and gentle level flight in a pleasant-to-fly bird, like the F-18, F-5, A-10. No turns, and don't look around. Just start straight-ahead. If you get sick, stop. Take a break. Like down. Try again in an hour or even the next day.

(2) try some gentle banks. Keep looking right ahead. As before, don't push it past you comfort zone, but take it as far as your comfort zone allows.

(3) build up to more aggressive manouevering. Try some sight-seeing (including turning your head to look around). Instead of taking a break when you feel a little queasy, pull back straight and level and look out straight ahead and see if that helps you; if it does, carry on, if it doesn't than, yes, indeed go ahead and take a break and continue.

It took me about a week for the main hump and then a little bit longer to iron out all the little bumps. Now it's simply not an issue.

Definitely stay away from helos till you've gotten your VR legs, though!

You will probably get motion sickness.

 

But you will also definitely get over it.

 

Might take a week or two, but you will get over it. No dramamine required. Just go easy at first, and ramp up slowly.

 

(1) air-start and gentle level flight in a pleasant-to-fly bird, like the F-18, F-5, A-10. No turns, and don't look around. Just start straight-ahead. If you get sick, stop. Take a break. Like down. Try again in an hour or even the next day.

 

(2) try some gentle banks. Keep looking right ahead. As before, don't push it past you comfort zone, but take it as far as your comfort zone allows.

 

(3) build up to more aggressive manouevering. Try some sight-seeing (including turning your head to look around). Instead of taking a break when you feel a little queasy, pull back straight and level and look out straight ahead and see if that helps you; if it does, carry on, if it doesn't than, yes, indeed go ahead and take a break and continue.

 

It took me about a week for the main hump and then a little bit longer to iron out all the little bumps. Now it's simply not an issue.

 

Definitely stay away from helos till you've gotten your VR legs, though!

I got those nauseas feeling the first flights but now are fewer, it’s seems related to low frame count but my opinion as an MD is this is: is a natural reaction, all your world is turning upside down but the info coming from the inner ear to the brain is “nothing is moving” so...our brain answer is... “i got some nauseas for you”.

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Hahaha, I will try those zero gravity games.

 

 

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Mission ISS does still get to me.

Mission ISS does still get to me.

I’m downloading it right now. Thank you.

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I got those nauseas feeling the first flights but now are fewer, it’s seems related to low frame count but my opinion as an MD is this is: is a natural reaction, all your world is turning upside down but the info coming from the inner ear to the brain is “nothing is moving” so...our brain answer is... “i got some nauseas for you”.

 

 

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Not an MD, but I agree 100% on all counts.

Sea(car/air)-sickness is your vestibular system telling your brain you are moving but your eyes not agreeing.

VR-sickness is the opposite but the same effect: your eyes telling your brain you are moving but your vestibular system not agreeing.

Will be really curious to see if conditioning for one helps with the other (i.e., will someone with firmly established VR-legs not get sea-sick or vice versa)!

And yes, low frame count definitely makes things worse, to the point that even if you are used to VR a frame rate drop can still make your queasy

Just to add to the chorus... you will get over it. I've got a plethora of issues with one of my ears, too many to mention here, but to say the least, I'm significantly prone to motion sickness.

And yes, after a few weeks, you get your 'VR legs' and it totally goes away. Now, I really miss it... the tickle in your stomach when you complete a loop is gone, but I still totally love it. I don't even have a tinge of motion sickness after a year.

Funny enough though, the thing that always still gets me just a little bit, is when you are taxiing and you hit the brakes... that little dip in the nosegear when you stop still gives me a little motion ;)

Get it, you won't regret it.

Just take your time getting used to it, don't do what I did and jump in and go, this is cool takeoff and start doing loops and rolls LOL:cry:. I had to lie down for a bit after that.

Just go easy, I was even playing some car sims inbetween flying to get my VR legs. The car VR sims, assetto corsa, iracing etc run real nice in VR as they are much smaller then flight sims, they hold 90fps easy and I think it helped me get my VR legs.

 

Funny enough though, the thing that always still gets me just a little bit, is when you are taxiing and you hit the brakes... that little dip in the nosegear when you stop still gives me a little motion ;)

 

Get it, you won't regret it.

next time you drive your car and stop at some lights pay attention to your stomach. its that final lurch of the stomach that tells you, you have stopped.

and without that lurch it really effects you :)

the first time I came to a stop in a driving sim I thought my face was going to hit the steering wheel. because my body thought it was still moving because of no lurch :) and my eyes were telling me the car has stopped. so if the car has stopped and I am still moving then this is going to hurt...

its quite discombobulating. until you get used to it.

When I tried the Hornet with my VR headset, since I only have a HD7970 as GC, I am only able to get 20 FPS if I want a readable cockpit, but I am able to fly long time (for sure over an hour) without motion sickness of any sort, and I don't go easy on low flying, spin, barrel roll and other stuff like that, yet I had it once while trying Dirt Rally on Oculus even with good FPS.

And since the big difference between Dirt Rally and DCS is how quick the camera move around, I guess if you are afraid to have motion sickness, start flying sloothly, with high FPS at first (even if you had to sacrifice graphics quality until you got accustomed) if you don't have a good GC and disable G effect affecting camera movement.

If even this scare you too much, simply start with an aircraft parked and just look around the cockpit, maybe start it, but don't move it until you feel comfortable, then navigate on the ground while avoiding hard braking/turning, if you manage that, you can probably handle a flight.

If you already have a VR headset, just try it, if you have troubles, try doing it for a short amount of time and increase slowly how long and then how hard you fly, if you don't have one, well try if you can borrow one, and more importantly, don't be afraid about that, if you can handle DCS with Track IR, you have great chances to handle VR as well, TIR can actually goes harder on inner ear than VR headset since the head movement aren't 1:1.

Ginger pills help a lot with the nausea.

Ginger pills help a lot with the nausea.

But is the hair colour change permanent?

But is the hair colour change permanent?

:megalol:

Yea, aside from the hair color change and the loss of your soul... they work well.

hey! corny jokes are reserved for the OP. It's in the terms. did you miss that when you signed up?

:-)

I really thank you all for your responses. I guess I'm going to just have to try one out.

hey! corny jokes are reserved for the OP. It's in the terms. did you miss that when you signed up?

 

 

 

:-)

 

 

 

 

I really thank you all for your responses. I guess I'm going to just have to try one out.

:lol: anyhoo....I'm sure you will be fine. I was in the same mindset prior to buying my Rift and approached my first Spitfire flight gingerly (did you see what I did there?). I taxied around for a few minutes then took the plunge. The feeling of really flying was so overwhelming that I forgot that I might feel air sick and continued a gentle circuit and landed. I kept it to short flights and slowly built up to more vigorous patterns. The only time I feel slightly uncomfortable is in a hard turning dog fight where I'm having to crane my neck around left, above and right quickly, but it soon passes.

Have fun and let us know your first impressions. I still get a buzz from that :thumbup:

When I tried the Hornet with my VR headset, since I only have a HD7970 as GC, I am only able to get 20 FPS if I want a readable cockpit, but I am able to fly long time (for sure over an hour) without motion sickness of any sort, and I don't go easy on low flying, spin, barrel roll and other stuff like that, yet I had it once while trying Dirt Rally on Oculus even with good FPS.

And since the big difference between Dirt Rally and DCS is how quick the camera move around, I guess if you are afraid to have motion sickness, start flying sloothly, with high FPS at first (even if you had to sacrifice graphics quality until you got accustomed) if you don't have a good GC and disable G effect affecting camera movement.

If even this scare you too much, simply start with an aircraft parked and just look around the cockpit, maybe start it, but don't move it until you feel comfortable, then navigate on the ground while avoiding hard braking/turning, if you manage that, you can probably handle a flight.

 

If you already have a VR headset, just try it, if you have troubles, try doing it for a short amount of time and increase slowly how long and then how hard you fly, if you don't have one, well try if you can borrow one, and more importantly, don't be afraid about that, if you can handle DCS with Track IR, you have great chances to handle VR as well, TIR can actually goes harder on inner ear than VR headset since the head movement aren't 1:1.

In all honesty, Dirt Rally has been the game I got worst and quickest motion sickness ever. It took me less than a minute of a gravel track in a slow Renault Alpine. I put the Rift away for like half a day.

I drive too Assetto Corsa, and alongside DCS, I find turning my whole body into a turn, the easiest way to keep sickness away.

Remember we have been simracing or flying for decades looking straight to a flat surface.

VR is a whole different animal.

In all honesty, Dirt Rally has been the game I got worst and quickest motion sickness ever. It took me less than a minute of a gravel track in a slow Renault Alpine. I put the Rift away for like half a day.

I drive too Assetto Corsa, and alongside DCS, I find turning my whole body into a turn, the easiest way to keep sickness away.

 

 

Remember we have been simracing or flying for decades looking straight to a flat surface.

VR is a whole different animal.

Exactly, Tho I don't have motion sickness in Assetto Corsa or DCS, Dirt Rally is different because of how much everything shake and move around.

This might also evolve : https://www.wired.com/2015/09/hacking-inner-ear-vrand-science/

Also "virtual reality" isn't a proper word to describe those currents headset, we aren't in a virtual reality, we just look at it, the proper name should be reality immersion headset, but marketing have make it that way, like those 'hoverboard" who don't over...

When the true proper VR will come, it will be like in those movies where we put an headset, our body is sleeping but the interface receive all our movement attempt and can give false feedback for the 5 senses, this will be true VR and game of any kind including sims will be awesome when this will be done !

I get motion sickness, when I play a sim (race or flight) without using my VR-Headset.

Seems my brain misses something.

Beside the fact, that flying in 2D again, is just not... I would say satisfying.

And driving in 2D is just not possible anymore. I don't feel and see anything.

Specially when driving in VR, u can feel the 3D movment of ur body. U feel oversteer etc..

The most important setting to avoid motion sickness in race sims, is, to lock the camera to the horizon. If you lock the camera to the cockpit, any tiny bump goes in your head, but not in your ear. It's better the car shakes under your head, than ur head itself.

when i first bought the Rift i got in the cockpit of Heuy and when i started flying i start getting the motion sicknes because your brain thinks that you actually there...after 1 hour of flight never saw that again,,,,in fact i only fly with vr now never felt it again...

...because your brain thinks that you actually there...

No, it's not because ur brain thinks u are there, it's beacause ur eyes gives another information than ur stomach and ears. And that confuses ur brain.

And you loose the sickness after a time, cause ur brain is getting used to this fail information and has learned to handle it, that u feel better.

It's also entirely possible you won't get any motion sickness at all. Never had it myself.

Just take your time getting used to it, don't do what I did and jump in and go, this is cool takeoff and start doing loops and rolls LOL:cry:. I had to lie down for a bit after that.

 

Just go easy, I was even playing some car sims inbetween flying to get my VR legs. The car VR sims, assetto corsa, iracing etc run real nice in VR as they are much smaller then flight sims, they hold 90fps easy and I think it helped me get my VR legs.

Same here, start walking and you’ll be soon running.

Like almost everything, it could be trained and you get use to it.

Cheers