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Is VR sickness due to bad programming or something else?

ennogs
Expert Protege

I have had my rift for about 2 months now.  In most
games and experiences I don't get any VR sickness.  I have tried things
like lucky's tale, rollercoaster’s, eve valkyrie, cyber space demo, Dirt Rally,
Blaze Rush, mountain goat etc. 



When I play a game where you have to move about but don’t have a body such as
No limits 2, theme park studio and tiny park VR I feel really nauseous after a
couple of minutes.  In the games you don’t get a graphic the represents
you as you walk around.  It gets so bad I
have t take the rift off and stop playing.  The nausea I feel in my stomach
last for about 20 - 30 minutes after taking the Rift off.  I don't feel nausea
when on the rides it is walking from ride to ride that causes it.  



Is it bad programming causing the nausea or something else?   I don't
understand how I can play lucky's tale and walk around for ages without feeling
sick but within a couple of minutes walking around a theme park I feel really
nauseous.  




6 REPLIES 6

SadGamerDad
Heroic Explorer

Short answer is it's all in how the brain works, maybe one of the resident Doctor's will type up a longer answer for you. I'd suggest googling it..

harryinthesoup
Protege
Well in one case you are observing someone else doing things, in the other your brain thinks it's you who are doing things.  Better take a trank !

RedRizla
Honored Visionary
I have found once sickness starts the more you think about it the worse it gets. What I mean by this is I got to a point where just looking at the Rift made me feel sick. What I suggest that helps sometimes is to move your head in tandem with your controller when you look around and don't make fast movements. 

DarkTenka
Trustee
The only "bad programming" I've found that contributes to motion sickness is whether or not the developer uses acceleration/decceleration when moving.

I've found the sudden jolt from stopped to moving and back to stopped can cause some discomfort, and I would assume that would mean motion sickness for those who are sensitive to it.

When the developer includes a smooth acceleration and deceleration when you move I find it much more comfortable.

I also find that a similar effect when going up/down stairs.. if it suddenly snaps you onto the stairs as you move up or down instead of smoothly inclining or declining then it can be pretty uncomfortable.

Having or not having a body in the game world can also supposedly contribute to this though it hasn't effected me personally.

Other than that I find like lovethis said, making sure to move your head or make motion with the directions you are turning/pitching/rolling helps alleviate the discomfort and eventually you become immune to it.

Zenbane
MVP
MVP
Ethan Carter is proof that developers can play a role in either reducing or increasing motion sickness issues.

I wouldn't necessarily say that bad programming is the primary cause, although a bad programmer can certainly induce motion sickness. However, I would say that "good programming" can help prevent or reduce motion sickness.

blanes
Rising Star
World of Diving is really bad for me and I wish they had a Snap turning option where it turns to say 30 or 45 degrees instantly. The games with that option work for me without sickness. WoD has left me reallt ill for hours afterwards and actually fear putting the Rift back on ! Because of it I have never gotten out of the first pools levels into the open sea because I cannot complete the timed tasks before my head explodes :neutral: