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[Amerikan]

Anyone else feel sick an hour into games? Feels like motion sickness. I have a big 4K TV, with both PS5 and XSX. Both console’s games give me pain, and I feel the same with older games (kingdom hearts 1, uncharted, etc.) and indie games (The last guardian). Might be the lighting, because I don’t feel sick with classic JRPGs or on my handheld mode in Switch, I don’t recall.

I can lessen the nausea with ibuprofen but it’s not like I can take that every day.

I do have seizure disorder but I’m not exactly getting seizures so wtf.

Anyone else know what to do? Or have a similar problem?

 

[Boy bawang]

I couldn't play Alien Isolation because of that unfortunately. It depends too much from game to game and person to person to make accurate stats I believe.
You seem to be on the wrong side of the spectrum.

 

[Soodanim]

If I were a betting man, I'd say your problem is more related to your seizures than you think. Seizures are from some sort of brain fuck up, so the odds are that a related/similar error is responsible for this.

That said, I would love to know what it is about your set up that causes it. It wouldn't be the consoles themselves, I think it's more likely to be the display. HDR, perhaps? Maybe a motion issue? It would explain why classic JRPGs don't trigger the problem.

What's UFO Test guy's username? I bet he'd be able to offer some insight if it's display or motion related.

OP, if you could provide more information about the TV you're using it may be helpful. If you're not that way inclined, just the model number will be enough for others to get the information.

 

[Wohc]

That sucks. I would ask a doctor and not some internet nerds. But the first thing i would try is playing at a friend on a different tv. Maybe you got a tv with vrr flickering or something else you can't stand. I would also try to increase the distance to my current tv.

 

[cormack12]

Stand up and play like this while looking at the screen

 

[RoboFu]

Depends on the game, the last star ocean game is completely unplayable for me because the camera makes me sick.

Turok on the n64 was another game that was completely unplayable for me as well.

 

[Davevil]

FPS are nono for me.
Same VR.

 

[Deputy Moonman]

I couldn't play Alien Isolation because of that unfortunately. It depends too much from game to game and person to person to make accurate stats I believe.
You seem to be on the wrong side of the spectrum.

Definitely varies from game to game. Most 1st person shooters affect me to some degree but Halo has always been an exception. 3rd person shooters are much more forgiving in that area. And yes alien isolation was awful. I couldn't play it for more than 20 minutes before feeling absolutely horrible. Never finished it

Any kind of camera bouncing to mimic actual movement, especially when running in 1st person shooters is the worst. In that respect Halo has always been smooth. You can see the arms and held weapons move but the actual center of display remains level.

 

[ahtlas7]

Probably get with your dr. You don’t want your games to induce seizures. Maybe you need glasses or glasses of different strength? Or try changing your distance to the tv/monitor occasionally.

 

[SeraphJan]

When your brain think its too real, but your body doesn't, it creates motion sickness, like someone mentioned in this thread, if you move your body around while playing it might look weird but works to a certain degree

 

[Winter John]

Yup. It's mostly caused by a low fov. I'm usually fine with 3rd person games; but the first thing I do before I buy any 1st person game is check if it has an fov slider in the options.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I have similar issues when i try to play on the tv, which is why i only use monitors for games nowadays. Low FOV, excessive motion blur also make me feel sick in games with too much camera movement like FPSs.

 

[KungFucius]

The only thing I notice is that my brain makes me feel like I am falling when I jump off cliffs in 3rd person games like AC/Horizon. I get stomach butterflies like a roller coaster. It only started happening last gen. I am not sure if it is age or due to better graphics/bigger TVs. It's actually kind of fun sometimes, but also jarring because it is just a game and my brain should know better.

 

[Punished Miku]

My brother has had this his whole life. Can't play any FPS games or he'll vomit. Needless to say, he didn't try my Quest 2 out either.

He's never had a seizure, so I don't think it has anything to do with that.

 

[manzo]

Yup. It's mostly caused by a low fov. I'm usually fine with 3rd person games; but the first thing I do before I buy any 1st person game is check if it has an fov slider in the options.

This is it for me. It's the FOV (Field of Vision) settings in the game. It depends on these things mainly for me:

- The FOV. This is totally game-dependent. Some games a low FOV is ok, for some games a higher is needed. I was OK with Alien Isolation on PS4, but Turok N64 (also mentioned here) was absolutely horrible. Another I couldn't play was TimeSplitters 2.
- Very low framerate makes it worse. This was a problem in the 90's, mainly console versions of Doom, Wolfenstein etc.
- High camera Motion Blur or head bobbing also affects this.

It's very individual. I can play VR games for like 30 minutes before I have to stop. The main thing is that do not fight against it. When you start to feel even a LITTLE bit of nausea, stop for 30 minutes, do something else. If you try to stomach it and continue, it will get worse soon and recuperating can take the rest of the entire day.

 

[Skifi28]

I've only ever experienced motion sickness gaming when I was, ironically, sick. I can tell you it's a bad idea to try and game when you're about to throw up.

 

[Elios83]

Since you have a seizure disorder there might be a relationship and you should discuss it with your doctor.

In general motion sickness with games is not uncommon, I also have it fortunately with just a few games.
It depends on a combination of factors including field of view, camera movement, distance between playable character model and camera and the way the character is animated during the standard run/walk and how the camera tries to follow that movement, motion blur.

Thankfully many games now have accessibility features that allow you to customize those aspects. In the last two years I had motion sickness with both TLOU2 and Deathloop and I solved the issue tweaking with the accessibility features.
The Witness was an other major offender but the worst case of motion sickness in a game for me was Half Life 2.

 

[jm89]

Increasing fov and reducing camera shake normally helps, but that's assuming the game has those options.

The last game that really fucked me up was obeserver system redux. Had to take diphenhydramine to fight it off.

Stray gave me minor motion sickness and didn't have those options, so just had to move far away from my monitor.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Right, headbobing and camera shake are two thing i immediatly turn off in any game.

 

[The Alien]

Only game that I ever got motion sickness from was Rocket League.
Though I hear thats not uncommon!

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Type of game, screen size, your visual acuity, your glasses prescription (if any), FOV etc, there’s a lot that can contribute to motion sickness while gaming. It may even vary with the same game. I used to get motion sickness playing Doom on PC in the 90s, or Spyro 2 on the PS. It doesn’t happen to me with those games now. But there’s the occasional day when I could be playing much slower games and still get ms from camera movements.

 

[MarkMe2525]

I'm not an expert but I believe how much of your fov is taken up by the display has an influence on symptoms. You may want to sit further away or downsize the display in the future.

 

[GymWolf]

I get vr legs after some intense sessions.

No motion sickness tho.

 

[Vandole]

Red Dead Redemption is the only game that ever gave me motion sickness. I couldn't play it more than about 30 minutes without getting a really nasty headache. I think it had something to do with the horseback riding. I powered through it because I enjoyed the game so much, but I never replayed it and I think that's one of the reasons I've always been hesitant to start the sequel.

 

[LegendOfKage]

Is your TV in gaming mode? If not, maybe you have one of those "true motion" or whatever they're called settings turned on. I know settings like that can give your games an uncomfortable feeling and bad response times.

 

[Queso de Grande]

I have only got motion sick from playing a tight over the shoulder camera game like RE4 on a very large TV. Once I play them on 40 inch or smaller I am fine.

 

[Pasta la Vista]

Yeah low fov and high motion blur does this to me depending on the game. I have 55 inch 4k display also which I think is too big. More and more i prefer just gaming on a monitor. Don't think i'll ever go over 40 inches for a TV again (if it's even possible to find TVs that size anymore).

 

[AlphaMale]

I never got dizzy before, but then suddenly I first started get nausea after playing Resident Evil 4 for only a few minutes. Then, all the Batman games. Then it kinda clicked... turns out, I only get nausea when I play 3rd-person games where the camera is TOO CLOSE to the person, and a bit off centre. (like an over-the-shoulder view).
So because of that, I still haven't played the new God of War. I even had some difficulty with Days Gone, even though its camera wasn't quite so bad.

I wish developers would recognize this and allow for an option for players to move the camera back and have it centered.

Anyways, hope this helps anyone with figuring out their own issues with dizziness.

 

[Rayderism]

People having this issue could try taking Dramamine to relieve motion sickness symptoms. At least it's something to try so you can enjoy your games without getting sick or dizzy.

Personally, I don't have this problem, but I've seen Dramamine recommended in various threads about motion sickness over the years.

 

[Fredrik]

Yeah, it’s a big issue. I can’t play many games at lower framerates, definitely not first person.

At 60fps or more things get better so you should try that, try play on PC, that’s how things got better for me.

Sometimes the FOV is messing with my head, again PC gaming can fix that too since you have more options.

A bouncing camera or a swaying gun can be problematic as well. Again, PC, try installing mods that remove those things.

Main reason why I always frown when a cool game is announced if it’s said to be first person. I never know if I can even play it. It’s a lottery.

But things has improved since 30fps has become more rare. Old games can be brutal, just had my 6yo play Skylanders Trap Team on PS5, the PS4 version is still 30fps there and I literally had to leave the room to not puke.

For some unknown reason I can still play in VR. Lots of people have issues there. No idea why I’m not affected. Maybe because the framerate is higher??

 

[nightmare-slain]

only games that made me seel sick was the original COD Modern Warfare and the Master Chief Collection editions of Halo 1-3 with original graphics.

 

[R6Rider]

Only 1 game outside of VR titles before getting used to them has caused me to get nauseous, and it was Embr. I think it was the default FOV causing it.

 

[01011001]

FOV, Framerate, Motion Blur

to me these 3 things are the biggest culprits of giving me light motion sickness.

any FOV below 90° is usually unacceptable for me for example. I had to really get used to the low ass FOV of Resi 8, and had some issues during heated scenes.
110°+ is where it's at

then there's framerate. 30fps games will make it worse for me as well, combine that with a low FOV and I'll barely be able to play a game like that nowadays.

then, motion blur, specifically camera based blur. taht shit should be illegal... holy shit.
I have to turn that off in any fast game. when I played Spider-Man on PS4 it was the first thing I turned off.


if you combine all 3, low FOV, 30fps, Camera Blur and you have a cocktail of pain.

 

[Wildebeest]

People call it Simulator Sickness as awareness of it has risen. The basic cause is what you are seeing on screen messes with your internal sense of balance. Common causes are no fixed elements on screen like a central reticule that doesn't move in any way or other hud elements. Then confusing pseudo realistic visual elements like post-processing, low fov, movement bobbing or the camera lurching forwards/backwards, and screen shake, can make things worse. Often the more developers try hard to make something feel immersive, intense, or up close, the worse things get.

If you have a big TV then your easiest solution is to sit further away or if not possible replace it with a smaller one.

 

[lukilladog]

Maybe it´s just the games you are playing, I had it a lot playing things like Half Life 2 or Fear, but I could play Call of duty or Planet side 2 for hours NP.

 

[I Master l]

I am pretty tolerant to motion sickness but i feel old games even the fast ones are more comfortable to look at
compared to modern games, I balme TAA for this

 

[ViperZombie]

People call it Simulator Sickness as awareness of it has risen. The basic cause is what you are seeing on screen messes with your internal sense of balance. Common causes are no fixed elements on screen like a central reticule that doesn't move in any way or other hud elements. Then confusing pseudo realistic visual elements like post-processing, low fov, movement bobbing or the camera lurching forwards/backwards, and screen shake, can make things worse. Often the more developers try hard to make something feel immersive, intense, or up close, the worse things get.

If you have a big TV then your easiest solution is to sit further away or if not possible replace it with a smaller one.

Yeah I have a problem with camera shake in games like Gears of War and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, some developers let you turn it off but not all of them. I have to really investigate games via Youtube before I spend money on them, and VR is a big no-go.

 

[Roberts]

Ouch, I feel bad for you guys. Never experienced motion sickness and have no clue how it feels. I even survived watching Lars Von Trier’s Idiots on a very big screen by sitting in the second row.