In the world of virtual reality (VR), there is a topic that remains largely unexplored and taboo: VR-induced nausea. Avi-Bar Zeev, a seasoned VR designer, has called on companies in the XR industry to reveal just how much their devices cause people to become nauseous. He believes it is crucial to understand which segments of the population, particularly by gender, experience nausea in different VR experiences.
Zeev’s call for transparency echoes a shocking discovery made by author Wagner James Au. Au reveals that Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has not conducted substantial research on whether there is a gender component to VR nausea. This oversight has haunted the industry’s future, including Apple and its Vision Pro headset.
The issue of VR-induced nausea has been known for decades, with military researchers documenting the reaction among volunteers testing early flight simulators. The common assumption is that poor graphics or how motion is displayed in VR contributes to the discomfort. However, Au highlights research by danah boyd, a senior researcher at Microsoft, that suggests there may be a sex/hormonal component to how VR is experienced.
Au explains that boyd found a sex difference related to experiencing 3D in trans people undergoing hormone therapy. When taking a steroid hormone similar to testosterone, these patients improved at solving puzzles that required mental rotation of objects. This suggests that graphical improvements may not address the sex-related nausea experienced in VR.
Despite boyd’s findings and her call for further research, Au notes that few VR industry members reached out to her. Even Meta, after acquiring Oculus VR for $2 billion in 2014, did not pursue the research questions raised by boyd and others. Au’s attempts to get answers from Meta have been met with silence, indicating a lack of concern or understanding of the issue.
The oversight of VR-induced nausea is troubling, considering the massive investments made by companies like Meta and Apple to bring VR to the mainstream. Meta’s Quest 2 VR headset has an estimated install base of only 20 million units, significantly smaller than leading video game consoles. The Wall Street Journal reported that 2 in 3 Quest owners don’t actively use their headsets, likely due to nausea experiences.
Au emphasizes that this issue should not dismiss VR as a technology with valuable use cases. VR has proven beneficial in physical therapy, training, gaming, socialization, and creativity. However, if VR had been developed as a niche product with limited applications, the industry might be in a more sustainable state today.
In terms of addressing VR-induced nausea, Zeev believes that augmented reality (AR) headsets like Apple’s Vision Pro could help alleviate the problem. AR that blends seamlessly with the real environment and avoids jitter or lag may reduce nausea. However, dynamic environments or movement can still invoke the same problems as VR.
Jeremy Bailenson of Stanford University led a study showing that a majority of AR sessions with the Quest 3 caused simulator sickness symptoms. Gender differences in simulator sickness have also been observed in studies, indicating a potential hormonal component to the reaction.
Zeev’s call for companies to share their research on gender differences in VR-induced nausea is crucial. Without transparency and open research, it is difficult to understand the extent of the problem or develop solutions. Zeev is recruiting industry professionals to join his non-profit XR Guild to discuss this and other pressing issues.
Overall, the lack of research on gender differences in VR-induced nausea is a significant oversight that must be addressed by companies in the XR industry. Transparency and collaboration are needed to understand the problem fully and develop inclusive and comfortable VR experiences for all users.