It is important to be comfortable

It is important to know how to fully enjoy the virtual reality experience in a headset! You must be comfortable, and you must know how to avoid the nausea and dizziness feeling that people report !  I am now a regular headset user, but when I started out, I too experienced a small amount of nausea and dizziness, but thankfully I developed strategies that proved very helpful!  I thought it important to share how to enjoy the VR experience when wearing a headset!  If you, or someone you know, experiences nausea or dizziness, read on, these tips might help! 

But that nausea and dizziness!!!!

When I began using the Meta Quest 2 headset, there were occasions when I felt nauseous, and sometimes I felt dizzy.  This typically happened when I was using apps that involved a lot of movement around me, or, had me arrive at a location that appeared to be high up above the ground!  I do not do well with heights or fairground rides, so it makes sense that in VR I would have some difficulty with that too.  I also struggled with the weight of the headset on my face!  Despite these early difficulties, I soldiered on, and I believed that having the virtual reality opportunity and experiences justified taking the time to become more familiar and comfortable!  Just like learning to ride a bicycle when I was a child, or when I learned to ski, I had to learn strategies to ensure I could be safe and effective to fully enjoy the experiences, and this new experience was no different!   

I began my virtual reality experience by taking frequent breaks, whereas now I am a user who loses complete track of time – and I now set my event alarm on my phone–a lot!!!  Early on, I also found the weight of the headset on my face to be uncomfortable, it made my head ache!  I ventured online to see what could help me with that, and I settled on purchasing a BoboVR!  The BobVR attaches to my headset strap and balances the weight nicely – it even holds a portable battery too!  Did I say I lose track of time in the headset? That also means that I run out of juice regularly, so having a wearable spare battery is very helpful!

Tips on how to enjoy your virtual reality experience

My own experiences with headsets, and watching students and friends wear headsets, leads me to the purpose of this blog post, which is to provide tips on how to enjoy the VR experience when you are wearing your headset, so here goes:-

• Adjust the headset to make sure it fits comfortably and securely on your head
• Try to keep your head level and still when using the headset
• If possible, reduce the brightness and contrast of the visuals displayed on the headset. 
• Take frequent breaks from the headset every 15-20 minutes to avoid onset of dizziness and nausea
• Move slowly in virtual reality to avoid triggering the vestibular system and potentially cause dizziness
• Sit in a stationary chair while using the headset to help maintain balance
• Adjust the Interpupillary distance (IPD) settings on the headset to help with the focus and alignment of the lenses for your eyes
• Consider purchasing prescription lenses – they are reasonably priced! A friend of mine just purchased a pair of prescription lenses for her Quest for $80
• Increase frame rate: Lower frame rates can increase dizziness for some people, adjusting the frame rate in the headset settings may help.
• I have heard from other friends that chewing gum while using the headset works too, but I haven’t tried that myself!
• Consider searching online for headset straps – you will be surprised how many gadgets are out there to help you to be comfortable.  I personally recommend the BoboVR.

I hope these suggestions give you some relief if you are having problems with being physically comfortable while spending time in virtual reality!  I no longer struggle at all and am a regular VR user 🙂  By all means if you have any tips to add, please comment!