Virtual reality is growing in popularity, but there's one thing standing in its way — the fact that many experience nausea, or "VR sickness," while using VR devices.
To help ensure users that VR sickness isn't as big of a deal as some think, an artist spent 48 hours using the HTC Vive headset, and is pretty happy with how it went.
"I had no physical problems, no burning eyes, killing headaches or nausea," said the artist, Thorsten Wiedemann, the founder of the A MAZE Festival, in an interview with Vice.
While it's important to note that a panic attack almost ended the event in the 25th hour, the rest of the time reportedly went by pretty uneventfully, and can be seen from livestreamed footage posted on the official YouTube page of the Game Science Center Berlin.
Of course, the point of the experiment wasn't just to show the comfort of virtual reality, but instead was intended to be a demonstration of what Wiedemann thinks will be a common pastime in the year 2026.
According to Wiedemann, in 2026, it will be "normal that you jump into VR to meet your international friends in Social VR Rooms and go on crazy adventures together. But a long trip will be still special and could be understood as a controlled drug experience."
During the 48-hour time period, Wiedemann was led through a series of VR games, demos and more to keep him entertained. He also spent two-and-a-half hours daily sleeping with the headset on and ate a special "liquid food" concocted from a mixture of chocolate, bananas and a specific medicine that prevented him from needing to use the bathroom during the time.
