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Who’s at Fault if VR Makes Us Hurl?

Who’s at Fault if VR Makes Us Hurl?

Being in the position that I’m in, I’ve had a number of opportunities to test out virtual reality headsets. The most positive was a PlayStation VR session with Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes . I felt fine, the tech worked well, and the game was good. The worst was at E3 2015, when I stepped into the Virtuix Omni, strapped on a headset, and had to play The Assembly . Despite being in a game designed to work with VR, the immersive control scheme, and being in the optimal situation to play it, I felt sick to my stomach. It was a combination of all things that culminated in a perfect storm of unpleasantness.

Which is why assertions from Chet Faliszek, a writer at Valve, suggesting responsibilities from VR-related illnesses lay solely upon software developers don’t rest well with me. A few of his exact quotes from EGX were, “The idea that VR must get you sick is [bullshit]” and ” It’s no longer the hardware’s fault any more. It’s the developers making choices that are making you sick.” It sounds like a combination of passing the buck and victim blaming.

I’m not saying developers are all in the clear here. This tech is still new. It will take time and testing to make games that work perfectly with VR. Games will exist that will make people feel ill, and it could be completely the title’s fault. But Faliszek’s ideas were a generalization. VR tech as a whole is entirely new, and it could be at least a generation before the headsets get close to providing perfect experiences.

Especially since the Faliszek went on to blame conventional control schemes as another reason people may feel VR isn’t right for them due to motion sickness or other discomfort. He points out Valve uses a Lighthouse system with a 5×5 meter space and trackable controllers, saying that gamepad and keyboard and mouse schemes aren’t right and can contribute to bad experiences. If VR has to have such stringent requirements to be “right” for people, maybe it isn’t the right time for it to be a consumer product?

Who’s at Fault if VR Makes Us Hurl?

It seems like that could be the next person to blame – the customer. What happens when VR starts making a name for itself in 2016 and some people still experience illnesses? Perhaps even with a Valve game like Portal 2 , which will support the Oculus Rift? Whose fault will it be if playing Portal 2 makes people sick? I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Faliszek would point the finger at the consumer for not having a device like the Virtuix Omni in their homes.

The first generation of VR is going to have problems. We all have to accept that. It doesn’t mean the concept will fail, just that it will take time to perfect. But people like Faliszek aren’t going to help the experience. All judgements and accusations should be kept in check until the consumer versions of the tech are out there and data has come in. Only then can we decide who’s at fault if things aren’t going right and people are getting sick.

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