Eye strain trouble (in game focus)

[NakedSquirrel]

I'm having an issue with VR in DCS. The game seems to cause very bad eye strain. I believe it is due to things being slightly out of focus? It's like I'm flying with my eyes crossed... not that things are blurry, but my eyes are working hard to focus on objects at different distances.

 

I wish I knew how to better explain the problem, but my eyes are working overtime to focus on the image, it's exhausting and almost painful to try and play the game in VR.

 

It's probably related to IPD, because I can purposefully induce eye strain by setting silly IPD settings. I have "Force IPD" set so that the world scale is roughly 1:1, but the focal point of the image is off somehow. It's the same sort of strain I notice when I use the 'zoom' option in game.

 

As far as my VR "sea legs" I'm typically unaffected by nausea or eye strain, but DCS is causing me issues. I don't notice much eye strain in other games or sims. I prefer narrow IPD settings in most games (smaller than my measured IPD), I find it's easier to read/focus on things that are close up when I move the lenses closer together. I have the IPD of the headset set to the same as the "Forced IPD" setting in DCS, but there's still something wrong with the in-game image.

 

Putting this out there to see if anyone has suggestions.

Edited September 26, 2018 by NakedSquirrel

[The_Nephilim]

Well not sure which VR headset had a IPD Setting on the headset itself but maybe check that as well..

[NeilWillis]

Have you ever seen an optician to have your eyes checked? It would be a good first step in eliminating possible issues. You can probably get a free check if you shop around.

 

It's very easy to jump to conclusions regarding hardware, when it may just be highlighting a more fundamental issue.

[backspace340]

I'm not sure why you've fiddled with the in-game IPD setting, that's just for world scale which should have been fine by default on the main headsets (and you definitely aren't required to match headset IPD with the in-game IPD). It's the headset IPD that will change how cross-eyed you are. I'd suggest putting the in-game IPD back to the default setting and then just adjusting the headset IPD to a level where you are comfortable.

[FragBum]

Out of left field try the NTTR map I find it the cleanest clearest and sharpest map in Rift VR, the PG map looks out of focus and blurry compared to the NTTR map. The NTTR map is also the best performance wise of all the maps by a large margin.

 

The other thing is getting the HMD set up correctly height and angle of the HMD are vital for best resolution adjust so that the whole image is in focus and you have minimal colour fringing top and bottom, go over the set up a few times to get overall image quality as best as possible. This also changes as the face interface piece ages and no longer holds the HMD at the same distance as it used to, they are fairly cheap to replace on the Rift.

 

Also clean the lenses regularly it's amazing just how much gunk accumulates on the lenses from when your eyes blink.

 

Also don't fixate on the screen door effect that can cause problems with some practice you wont even notice it.

[Sandman1330]

I find 2 things affect eye strain: HMD IPD and the position on your face.

 

As mentioned above, make sure you adjust the positioning for the clearest image, shift up, down, left, right and tilt to achieve this. Finally, what I found was causing me trouble was tightness. If you have it too tight to your face, it pushes the lenses closer to your eyes and increases strain. It should be loose enough that the head straps hold it in place, not friction against your face.

[Ala12Rv-Tundra]

I find 2 things affect eye strain: HMD IPD and the position on your face.

 

As mentioned above, make sure you adjust the positioning for the clearest image, shift up, down, left, right and tilt to achieve this. Finally, what I found was causing me trouble was tightness. If you have it too tight to your face, it pushes the lenses closer to your eyes and increases strain. It should be loose enough that the head straps hold it in place, not friction against your face.

Regarding being too tight, I guess it has something to do with the inability of our facial muscles to freely move when the headset is way too much tight.

[Sandman1330]

Regarding being too tight, I guess it has something to do with the inability of our facial muscles to freely move when the headset is way too much tight.

 

Could be, but it seemed to me to just be too close to my eyes, like staring at your phone right up close is hard on the eyes too.

[FragBum]

I find for DCS my Rift does not need to be like an Alien face hugging creature attached to my face. :D

[NakedSquirrel]

I had the issue on the PG map after a 20-30 min flight in the A-10C. It threw me off because I’ve been able to play VR for hours on end with no fatigue or motion sickness. It could be the map. It’s probably the first time I did a long VR flight on the Persian golf.

[Ala12Rv-Tundra]

I find for DCS my Rift does not need to be like an Alien face hugging creature attached to my face. :D

However I dislike the feeling of the headset being loose while flying demanding manouvers or ACM.