7 things you can do to overcome motion sickness in virtual reality

Editor's note:

With so many new people getting VR headsets this holiday season, we thought it would be helpful to repost this list from 2017 focused on ways to overcome VR motion sickness. If you're experiencing severe effects, the best One thing to do is to remove the headset and stop immediately, but there are other steps to take that might help you get used to the immersive realm more quickly.

Editor David Jagneaux

also added a paragraph towards the end about alternative input methods that might help.

[When you purchase items through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission on those sales.]

Motion sickness: It's far from the flashiest aspect of VR, but it's a real problem for some people when they put on a headset and enter a virtual world.

VR motion sickness

occurs when your eyes tell your brain that you are moving through a virtual reality environment, but your body feels like you are sitting in a chair or standing still. If you are prone to the problem, these conflicting inputs make you feel miserable. Specifically, you might experience sensations such as nausea, dizziness, headache, sweating, excessive drooling, or all of the above. Even worse, these symptoms can persist for hours after removing the headphones and dialing together.

Even if you've experienced VR motion sickness before, don't give up hope just yet. It is possible to alleviate and even completely overcome VR-induced motion sickness. We have already traveled a

some tricks developers can use to limit reactions

here

, so we've included some consumer-specific tips below. Next time you run into trouble, try a few.

no baby

Let's say you had a bad experience playing a VR game. You tried it, and the moment you started moving around the virtual world, your stomach lurched and your head started spinning. You may not be keen on venturing into VR again, but if you give up now, you'll be depriving yourself of some truly amazing experiences. It's actually possible to overcome VR motion sickness without using gimmicks crazy at all. You can do that just by slowing it down.

If a game makes you uncomfortable, start by limiting your gaming sessions to a few minutes at a time. When you begin to feel uncomfortable, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and take a short break before try again. If you gradually increase the time you spend in these games, chances are you'll overcome the discomfort in just a few days. Before long, you'll be navigating fantasy worlds like a pro. For many people, getting their “VR legs” just takes patience and practice.

Ask someone to tell you everything will be alright

This one looks weird, but at least

a study

suggests it's rooted in scientific fact. According to the report, you may be able to overcome motion sickness in virtual reality simply by asking someone to tell you that you'll be fine. The study focused about sea cadets who, before boarding their assigned ship, were told they were unlikely to suffer from seasickness, whether that was true or not.

As a result, cadets who received this "verbal placebo" experienced seasickness at a lower rate than cadets who did not. Assuming the results are accurate, this method might help anyone worried about VR motion sickness before trying. Now all you have to do is get over your anxiety about asking someone such a weird favor.

Eat ginger in advance

This thin, slippery topping that accompanies your sushi isn't just meant to cleanse your palate.

some studies

, it's also good for kneecap nausea before it starts. If you

eat ginger

- or take a ginger supplement - an hour or two before you put on a VR headset, you can reduce your chances of wasting your lunch. Whether it works for you or not, it's as good an excuse as any to make quick additions or changes to your diet.

Direct a fan to yourself

Another potential remedy for motion sickness in VR that may seem odd is to have a fan blowing in your direction while you play. It's not clear why a cool breeze on your skin makes you less likely to vomit, but many nausea-prone netizens have reported that it actually stops the discomfort before it starts. If you've got a fan handy and you've struggled in a VR game, why not give it a shot? the least, it may help you not to sweat so much inside the helmet.

Take Dramamine

If you've ever gotten seasick on a boat or got dizzy while reading in a car, chances are someone has recommended you take

Dramamine

.Dramamine is an antiemetic drug that you can use to reduce the symptoms you may experience from motion sickness, which includes the VR-induced variety.

Dramamine comes in many forms, from standard pills to chewable tablets, and under several brand names. There's even one that's designed to provide 24 hour protection against nausea, which would be great for anyone who like to work their way through games.

Wear a wristband

If you are looking for a potential solution that does not involve taking medication,

sea ​​bands

might be the right choice. Marine stripes (and

other similar products

) are bracelets that apply acupuncture pressure to what is known as the Nei-Kuan point on your wrist. The result, for many people, is reduced susceptibility to motion sickness. Like some other potential solutions to This list, Sea-Bands are primarily marketed to travelers, but VR users have reported working in virtual worlds as well. You can buy Sea-Bands and other similar products online or in the most pharmacies.

Marijuana

If you live in an area where marijuana is legal and you're old enough to use it, you might find the solution to VR motion sickness in medicinal weed. After all, one of the main applications medical marijuana is

curb nausea

.It's not for everyone, but if it works, it works.

Alternatively, you can try something like

hemp oil

which is known to have similar benefits related to nausea.

Depending on what game you're playing on which headset, there may be other movement methods you can try to help alleviate the issue. To put it simply, adding more physics to your experience may help resolve the issue.

For example, if you jog in place and move around the room while playing, this will likely help trick you into believing that you are moving through the game world. Similarly, software solutions such as

VRocker

and

Natural locomotion

can also be beneficial.

On the hardware side, there are things like

Cybershoes

which allows you to sit down and swing your feet,

3DRrudder

that makes you tip your feet, and Virtuix is ​​known for its Omni range of

VR treadmill

which do a great job of avoiding motion sickness - with a hefty price tag.

Now the bad news: None of these potential solutions may help you feel better about motion-rich VR experiences. If none of them work for you, your best option is simply to Avoid playing games that cause motion sickness. Racing games, flying games, and games that allow you to move freely to explore virtual worlds are good to avoid if you are susceptible to motion sickness. virtual reality transportation.

On the plus side, this leaves many VR experiences as fair game. room scale, you'll probably do just fine.