At long last, in April 2024, the masterpiece rally game "EAsports WRC" will become VR compatible.
In fact, I was one of those who splurged on a VR headset in the autumn of last year, eagerly anticipating the release of EAWRC.
However, when I decided to give the previous installment, Dirt Rally, a try, I ended up absolutely detesting VR due to the severe motion sickness it caused me.
Right after starting, I was immensely impressed by the immersive 3D experience. "Wow, this is so three-dimensional. Ha! I can see inside the car and the co-driver too! This is kind of amusing," I thought. And 10 minutes later, I threw off the headset and collapsed onto my bed, lying motionless on my back with a serious expression. Although I used to get motion sickness as a child, I had overly confident that Dirt Rally would be different, especially since it was a game I had been deeply hooked on for over 2000 hours—it felt like a betrayal from a loved one. The nausea gradually subsided, but the watery eyes persisted for much longer.
That’s the story.
Perhaps you've experienced something similar?
However, through trial and error, I have managed to overcome the sickness completely, and I am now happily awaiting the day when EAWRC supports VR.
Just like someone who used to dread bus trips as a child because of motion sickness, I have found ways to enjoy playing VR. Below, I’ll share the causes of VR sickness and specific countermeasures that have helped me, hoping they can help you too.
- Exploring the Causes of Motion Sickness
- Countermeasures—Installing VR Sensory Patterns
- Summary: Sickness Turns to Euphoria
Exploring the Causes of Motion Sickness
Scientifically, the cause of motion sickness is attributed to a "mismatch of sensory input".
Let's break down what this means and how it leads to the feeling of nausea.
◇Sensory Mismatch
In our daily lives, our brains store certain patterns of sensory combinations.
When perceptions match these established patterns, everything feels normal.
However, when playing VR, we encounter completely different sensory patterns, leading to confusion in the brain.
The reason why reading in a car or getting seasick happens is due to the balance sensation constantly receiving shaking stimuli, despite the visual perception not catching significant movement information.
Deviations from everyday sensory patterns cause motion sickness.
◇The Crisis of Poisoning
But why do new sensory patterns make us want to vomit? Why do we feel nauseous or break into a sweat?
This is purely speculative, but when the brain detects a discrepancy from normal sensory patterns, it might mistake it as "Poison! I've ingested poison!!". The primary reason for such mysterious sensations of floating is attributed to consuming something dangerous. The brain panics, thinking "I'm going to die! Vomit it out—now!"
Considering the past, when food quality wasn't always guaranteed, and even historical figures faced poisoning threats, having a defense mechanism against toxins was crucial. However, this reflex has remained overly active into modern times, causing false alarms with new technologies like VR.
With this perspective, preventing VR sickness could be a matter of the brain learning and saving the VR sensory patterns as "normal" and not a sign of being poisoned.
Next, let's look at the countermeasures.
Countermeasures—Installing VR Sensory Patterns
Given the reasons behind motion sickness, the solutions can be summarized into two approaches:
1. Teaching your brain that the discrepancy in sensory information during VR play is not harmful, but just another type of sensory pattern.
2. Directly reducing the discrepancy in sensory information.
Here's how I completely overcame VR sickness with specific strategies:
1.Gradual Exposure
The key to installing VR sensory patterns is to gradually increase the time you're exposed to them.
Unlike a school trip where you have to stay on the bus for hours, with VR, you can stop as soon as you feel sick and try again another day. What initially might only be bearable for 10 minutes can extend to 20 minutes, then 40, and eventually an hour.
While playing, remind yourself, "This isn't poison. It's a harmless sensory pattern." People don't stay perpetually susceptible to motion sickness; consistent exposure will successfully install the right patterns in your brain.
2.Choose Your Timing Wisely
Be careful with the timing. Getting sick in the morning or during the day can ruin the rest of your day. If you play before bed, you can just sleep off any sickness.
Personally, I feel less sick when I'm tired or about to sleep, perhaps because the brain attributes the sensory mismatch to being tired or sleepy, and then I can easily fall asleep. It's like "sleep VR" instead of a nightcap.
3.Use Wind for Physical Sensation
This is about reducing the discrepancy in sensory information. While not a fundamental solution, it helps extend playtime and familiarize yourself with VR controls.
The first method involves using wind.
When you're carsick, opening a window can help because feeling the wind on your body provides a sense of movement, which can alleviate sickness. Aim a fan at yourself.
4.Look Ahead
Distant scenery moves less, so looking into the distance can prevent significant sensory mismatches. Conversely, looking directly at the sides makes the scenery rush by, increasing the mismatch and making you feel sicker.
Especially in rally games, when drifting or crab walking, the front scenery shifts dramatically to the side, and glancing at this can cause severe discomfort. Hairpin turns performed with a handbrake are particularly challenging. Since VR allows you to look sideways, try to quickly turn your head to keep your gaze ahead where you're moving.
5.Prefer High-Speed Tracks Over Low-Speed Ones
You'll clearly experience less motion sickness on tracks that allow you to speed straight ahead, compared to tracks with numerous hairpins prone to causing drifts. Furthermore, tarmac courses tend to induce even less sickness.
In the context of Dirt Rally, Spain or Poland would be recommended. Argentina and New Zealand, with their slower and more treacherous tracks, are less advisable.
For EAWRC players, Spain and Estonia come highly recommended, while Greece, for instance, might pose a higher risk.
6.Adjusting Controls and Environment
Difficulty in viewing or awkward controls can distract you, causing you to inadvertently focus on the fast-moving scenery. Getting accustomed to VR controls and creating an environment where you can concentrate solely on not getting sick is crucial.
Particularly, assign the "view reset" function to an easily accessible button. If you feel the view is too close or too high, move your head forward, backward, up, or down to quickly adjust it. The reset view button can be configured in the controller settings, along with other options like the accelerator.
Before starting, adjust the headset properly as the viewpoint resets based on its position. For instance, if you feel the view is slightly to the left, you can reset it slightly to the right.
Summary: Sickness Turns to Euphoria
The steps I took were roughly as follows:
Day 1, Day 2: Immediate sweating and nausea. The sensation of floating while turning hairpins overwhelmed me, forcing a retreat after 10 minutes.
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Day 3: I managed around 40-50 minutes, though I still felt somewhat queasy.
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Days 4-7: I could play for longer periods. The sensation of "playing a game" began to emerge, caring about times and rankings. After an hour, the worst symptoms were just teary eyes and a slight fog in my head.
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From day 7 on: Comfortable! Even pleasantly exhilarating. I could easily return to everyday life after playing.
It took about 7 days in total, with around 4-5 hours of playtime to fundamentally overcome the motion sickness.
The key is gradually increasing experience while minimizing sensory discrepancies and sneakily extending playtime to install VR-specific sensory patterns in the brain. Continuous play ensures proper adaptation.
Once accustomed, VR truly becomes fascinating. You might have heard about slopes in skiing, for instance, "30 degrees feels vertical when you're up there! Like a cliff!"
This perception difference is stark in VR. Places that seemed like mild slopes in 2D feel like sheer cliffs in VR, making it thrilling to race down them. Corners that seemed oddly difficult to navigate in 2D reveal their complex, uneven surfaces in VR, explaining the challenge.
While in English we refer to it as "motion sickness," the Japanese term "酔う" (to become drunk or intoxicated) seems to describe it more aptly. Much like with alcohol, the initial discomfort can eventually give way to a distinct, even enjoyable, state of exhilaration once you acclimate.
Now, dive into EAWRC, a top-tier Scotch born in Britain, and savor it fully. In a pleasant state of intoxication, race through tracks around the world—from Monaco to Kenya, Mexico to Italy, Norway to Indonesia—blurring the lines between reality and game, the everyday and the extraordinary, the virtual and the real!!!
