How much of this fatigue for you is with your eyes? How much is it with your head/neck?
I just wonder, because even when they "set" the focus of these HMDs to "infinity", your eyes are still technically only looking at a screen at a fixed distance, mere inches away. Everything I have read about so-called "simulator sickness" and other maladies in HMDs have said that eye fatigue results from this "fixed focus" issue. It doesn't cause as much issue for pilots training in simulators, because the actual screen being projected on is several feet away from their eyes, allowing them to become more naturally focused toward "infinity" (parallel).
I also wonder about the head and neck areas and fatigue. Most of the HMDs - while lightweight compared to systems of the 1990s - still seem like they have a lot of "nose weight", and aren't balanced on the head. Proper balance (fore/aft and laterally) is crucial to long-term use with lower fatigue, even with a light weight HMD. Also, the more weight that rests on the bridge of the nose, the worse the amount of fatigue.
Much of this knowledge is based on research that was done in the 1990s and earlier, both with those early HMD systems, and other earlier simulator systems. I'm continually surprised that current commercial offerings seems to either be unaware of such research, or that they ignore it for the sake of marketing (distributing the weight on the head results in a more "helmet like" HMD, which probably isn't as saleable to the public; ultimately, the public probably would like to see something as lightweight and wearable like a pair of sunglasses, but current display and optics technology isn't there yet - if it ever will be).
Cannot speak for OP, but for me, personally, it is the type of things I use VR for that exhausts me. I mostly use it for games, which requires standing and moving around (depending on the game, it can be quite a bit). So I mostly get physically exhausted and sweaty, which prompts me to take the headset off. No motion sickness or eye strain on my end. In fact, my eyes feel way more strained after looking at a computer monitor than after VR.
I don't really consider that to be "simulator sickness" fatigue - it's just exercise and fatigue in general due to the course of the simulation, not because of technical flaws in the implementation of the hardware.
Though I can understand where you're coming from; I recall really "playing" Dactyl Nightmare in the mall (most people would just stand around and stare in the game - it was kinda stupid), and I would walk away fairly sweaty from the "workout" of playing the game (crouching, moving, shooting, aiming, etc).
I always thought that was one of the best aspects of VR gaming - that I could actually be in the game, and not just viewing it through a window semi-passively.
Yep, that's it, I fully agree with you. I was trying to relay that the exhaustion i get from the VR is just inherent to the physical activities I perform while in VR, nothing to do with VR itself. You phrased it much better than I did, so thanks for clarifying to others reading :)
I wish there were more good VR experiences I could do from the couch. When I’m tired and want to relax, it turns out sitting and putting my feet up is a pretty important part of what I’m looking for.
Agreed. Even just for straight up standing experiences, a lot of them involve way too much movement for someone living in a cramped apt. Playing Superhot VR recently, my friend accidentally broke my drinking glasses on the counter :(
It would be nice to be able to just sit down and relax in VR while playing a game.
You can find some more pictures and stuff with google - the company no longer exists, and I don't know if any of the prototypes or such are still around; if they are, they are probably "unobtainium".
But anyhow, part of the system was a particular style of "zero gravity" posture chair, as you can see from the pictures and such. So playing Elite Dangerous in an HMD from a similar chair might be an interesting experience...
For me, I personally feel enclosed and slightly seasick. I don't think it's a weight issue, but something to do with the inherencies of the system. I can stand a hololens longer than a Vive, for instance.
Interesting - are you prone to claustrophobia? It sounds like what you experienced is similar to that, from what little I know about the condition.
Do you have the same response when wearing other kinds of goggles or face shield (say something like welder's goggles, or lab goggles, or a scuba mask, or a welder's hood - things like that)?
I don't think I've ever heard of this being reported, but it doesn't surprise me as a possibility, either. It may even be mentioned in the literature out there (while I have an extensive collection of literature and research papers on VR, I'm certain I don't have anywhere near all of it).
