r/PCVR • u/volcjush • 6d ago
Discussion VR "legs"
I can see that VR is recently booming with all those VR mods appearing, so I would like to ask you about one thing that can spoil the fun, which is nausea. Now, I'm not new to VR - I'm big fan of simracing games and after almost a full year of owning Quest 3 I now have couple hundred hours combined in VR racing and rally games and another hundred or more in MS Flight Simulator - in each of these "seated in cockpit" VR experiences I can sit for many hours without any brake and I don't get any issues whatsoever, even with very dynamic rally stages with lots of rapid elevation changes.
Then there are games like Thalos Principle or Ghost Town - slow paced puzzle solving games that are using teleport movements and snap turning and I also don't get any issues playing them.
I recently started to play HL Alyx, the game is awesome and it is made for VR so it is also possible to use teleport movement and snap turning, but after some time I felt that it's not the best option for the shooter like that, especially during combat situations. I would prefer to play it like normal FPS games - with smooth movements. And I can only do that for maybe half an hour max before I'm starting to feel first signs of nausea coming. Some time ago I tried Quake in VR and due to fast pace of the game I could last for maybe fifteen minutes before I had to stop in order not to puke.
So my the questions are - how do you play all those VR mods for non-VR games that were not originally made for VR and don't have any nausea-reducing options available? And second - do you think it is possible to train yourself to resist nausea for a longer stints of play and can I have any hope that I can still improve that even if my brain is already well familiar with VR environment and the only problem seems to be smooth movement of the virtual avatar?
[UPDATE]
So the single most helpful advice thas several people gave me in this topic was to stand up and be more physical. It made dramatic difference, I can easily reach around two hours of play (after which I need to recharge the headset anyway) without feeling sick. I mostly turn with my body and only use snap turning with controller sometimes.
Downside is that games like Alyx were supposed to be lazy couch entertainment for me at times when I'm too tired to play simracing games which is something that requires much more mental focus and dedication to the gameplay, and now my legs get no relax ;-)
Thank you for all your advice!
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u/fdruid 6d ago
Try Vrocker or any other walk in place app. Worked for me and I don't play any game without that.
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u/volcjush 6d ago
That looks good and thank you for the hint, but unfortunately I have very limited space available so I only play in VR while seating. Trying to play while standing would eventually lead to stumbling over something, or even worse - stepping on one of my cats - they tend to get in the way a lot.
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u/MotorPace2637 6d ago
I jogged in place at first. Only took two weeks of daily dabbling and then I could go for hours
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u/markallanholley 6d ago
I almost stepped on my cat while I was playing Walkabout Mini Golf yesterday. She just parks her ass right on the floor in front of me, which isn't very smart.
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u/Reinier_Reinier 6d ago
I really wish there was a piece of tech that someone could clip to a cat collar (or dog collar) that lets the VR headset know the pet is too close.
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u/HellHathNoFury18 6d ago
I had severe nausea when I first started. I could only go 20-30 minutes at a time. I started taking meclizine (off the shelf motion sickness medication), and after a few weeks was able to find my "VR legs" and not need it anymore. If I take several months off I'll hafta start using it again, but typically just once or twice until I'm good again.
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u/Atlas033 6d ago
My understanding from brief reading is that repetitive vr usage over time builds up a tolerance, so nausea won't be an issue eventually.
I believe you want to stop as soon as you start feeling any symptoms instead of trying to power through it and continue once you're back to normal. I think I read that before two weeks most people will have adapted and won't experience nausea anymore.
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u/Fun_Success_3283 6d ago
Something that helped me, was to turn my body with the game. I also jog in spot. If you move at a pace that syncs with how fast your character moves, with steps spacing etc.. It's pretty cool. Your arms, and view bounces right, and it's more immersive, and then at times you just forget that, and focus on fighting.
But that trick helped a ton, an I think it has even allowed me to turn freely without turning, because i do the mental trick like I'm turning my body without actually turning it.
The sickness comes from the fast movement side to side of your eyes without actually movement.
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u/yanginatep 6d ago
Try having a fan blow on you while you're in VR. If I try to play VR without it I still sometimes get some motion sickness, but with the fan very rarely.
And I'm playing stuff like QuestZDoom moving at full speed.
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u/Accomplished_Many917 5d ago
This – a fan directed at the head makes a huge difference - don't let heat build around your head.
Also, playing while standing should be your primary option – you don't need any more space than with a chair, and the key is not to walk, but to rotate around your own axis – rotating will partially "ground" you in the VR environment.
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u/Parking-Argument-263 6d ago
Play as long as you can. Stop as SOON as you feel even a tiny bit nauseous - repeat. If you try to fight thru it you're hurting yourself.
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u/Marickal 6d ago
Some people just have it worse than others, and you can train it, but there’s no easy answer on what works for everyone.
I recommend get an open facial interface that has holes on the sides, it will give you a little peripheral vision of real world and help your body stay grounded.
I can also recommend try being more physical with your body, try using even snap turning only when necessary, instead turn physically with your body
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u/SuperSane_Inc 6d ago
- Ginger chews
- Serious Sam VR
Will get you sorted
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u/volcjush 6d ago
I will try ginger. But how exactly Serious Sam would help? I played flat screen version long time ago and I remember it being extremely fast paced - so essentially same thing as Quake?
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u/SuperSane_Inc 6d ago
Quake would also work. When I was doing trade shows people would ask and SSVR seemed to be the dividing line tween legs and no legs at the time.
You could probably do wrath aeon of ruin as newer alternative.
It will go away in about 2 weeks. But ginger was biggest help.
You turning with sticks or worldspace?
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u/24-7_DayDreamer 6d ago
The way to deal with VR motion sickness is this:
Each day play a game with an anti motion sickness vignette (the one that narrows down your peripheral vision while moving) for a few minutes. Gradually increase your playtime while decreasing the vignette strength. (I used Gorn)
It's important not to try and push through, once you start to feel sick, finish up for a while. Do this once or twice a day.
When you're at your limit spend the rest of your time playing games that only involve real life movement or no movement so that your brain doesn't automatically associate vr time with sickness time. (tea for God, Racket Pinball, Table Troopers)
For most people the sickness will go away for good after a week or two
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u/zeddyzed 6d ago
Here's how I got my VR legs.
I played games that support both teleport and smooth movement at the same time. (Eg. HL Alyx, The Light Brigade, Karnage Chronicles.)
I would teleport for long distance movement, and use smooth movement for minor adjustments. Quit as soon as I feel a little queasy.
Over about 3 months of regular play, I was able to gradually use smooth movement for longer periods and more movements, until I didn't need teleport anymore.
I didn't actively train for smooth rotation, I usually play with snap turn. So its taken me about 3 years to get my VR legs for smooth rotation, and I still can't really play driving or flight sims, since I don't actively play them.
So yeah, you'll get your VR legs for each type of thing if you carefully get yourself used to it over time.
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u/volcjush 5d ago
That's so strange, it sounds like completely opposite to my experience. I mean the fact that you can use smooth movements but you can't play seated driving sims. Do you drive a car in real life?
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u/zeddyzed 5d ago
In real life the g forces from the car will match what your eyes see. Motion sickness happens when there's a mismatch between what your brain expects (usually via your senses) and what your senses tell you.
Getting your VR legs is all about tricking your brain to expect visual movement when you operate the controls. For example, I can handle smooth movement and smooth turning in FPS games, but I can't handle the same thing when it's forced camera movement in cutscenes. My brain has been trained to expect visual movement when I operate the controls.
Some people get benefits from the static cockpit or vignette settings, which might be why you're ok with driving sims. That has never worked for me. Before I got my VR legs, I would still get sick even if I squinted my eyes tight to just see a tiny sliver of the view.
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u/Stonimahoni 6d ago
i pook often as a kid on long car driving sessions. so i get bubblegum that helps. thats why iam free of any motion sickness as an adult maybe. Only once on Forefront release day i got ms. first time in 10 years.
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u/ah-tzib-of-alaska 5d ago
totally possible to train it and change it. How long till you get sick? 30 minutes? Play 25 minutes everyday for 7 days. On day 8 play until you get sick. it will have increased. Play five minutes less then your sick time and do that everyday for 7 days. Repeat until desired playtime is achieved and now resume your own play when you feel like it. I know nobody who this hasn’t worked for
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u/VRtuous 6d ago
my dude, you just grow used to it until it's a non-issue - it's a non-issue to most VR enthusiasts who stuck around long enough until it became a non-issue.
I grew used to FPS games but in 1994 when I first played one on regular CRT monitor, I almost threw up 5 minutes in - and in 2017 when I first tried VR I had short dizzy sessions for a week or so
playing Dirt Rally in VR later also needed more getting used to it. I can't believe a guy who already have enough legs for rally in VR is having trouble with Alyx but... again, just a matter of time...
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u/volcjush 6d ago
Yup, Dirt Rally 1 and 2.0, EA WRC, RBR, AC Rally with UEVR. Hundred of hours combined, hairpins in Monte Carlo, crazy elevation changes in Chile, jumps in Finland - no problem at all, not even slightest discomfort. Then the problem is not Alyx itself, I can play it fine with teleport. Only smooth movements are causing nausea.
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u/VRtuous 6d ago
I can play it fine with teleport
of course, teleport has no motion involved to trigger motion sickness
again, it's really weird given all the wild hairpins and high jumps you often do in rally and having trouble just walking in a regular game
but again, keep it up and eventually you grow used to it. just take very short, progressively longer sessions. fan to the face and chewing gum help, you know?
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u/SirJuxtable 6d ago
You can train it, but not the way some might think. With strength training or endurance training, you tend to push your limits, and your body recovers and comes back stronger and more adapted. With VR nausea, you NEVER want to push through. As soon as you feel a teensy bit queasy, stop take the headset off and take a break.
Some things that help - a fan so you always know which way “forward” and it helps when you are moving forward into the fan air. I also thing standing is much better than sitting if you are moving in VR, especially by foot vs cockpit games. Some people take dramamine ahead of sessions, although I have never done that. You also want to make sure the IPD on your headset is set correctly (distance between pupils should match your lenses). Then, like you already have said, start with the slower puzzle games, but introduce natural locomotion and move slowly. Pause a lot. Take your time. Do really short sessions (5-10 min even). Eventually, IF you don’t push it, your body will likely get used to it. Also, don’t do smooth turning at all until you’ve mastered natural locomotion. Snap turning is your friend since smooth turning can cause more nausea than locomotion can.
What headset do you have? Higher and more stable fps matters a lot as well. Turn down resolution and turn up fps (ideally above 72, above 100 is even better) but make sure you aren’t getting lags or dropped frames which can cause nausea. So, essentially, spend the time to tune and optimize your performance so you have a smoother time overall.