Sony Says PlayStation VR Is Safe For Your Eyes, Recommends You Take Hourly Breaks

Although a doctor recently warned of potentially serious eye problems for the next generation of people with the rise of virtual reality, Sony says PlayStation VR is safe for your eyes. In their FAQ for PSVR, Sony said, “Yes [it’s safe for your eyes]. But as with all display devices (TVs, mobile phones, tablets, etc), we recommend taking 15 minute breaks every hour.”

Sony also brought up the fact that PSVR is designed to be the most comfortable headset on the market, but again, you should take 15 minutes breaks every hour:

PS VR has been designed to be the most comfortable VR headset on the market, and it can be worn for extended periods of time. However, due to the intensity of some of the VR experiences, we recommend you to take 15 minute breaks every hour when using PS VR.

As for the possibility of becoming nearsighted with prolonged use of PlayStation VR, Sony said that won’t happen because of the distance of the images:

No [you won’t become nearsighted with prolonged use]. Actually the focal distance of the images presented by PS VR is at a distance of about 8 feet. This is similar to the optimal viewing distance required to view a 60” TV. Again, we recommend taking 15 minute breaks every hour when using PS VR, just like when viewing other display devices.

If you want to wear glasses while using PSVR, the headset is designed to allow people to wear them, and you can telescope the lens to get the right fit. For nearsighted people who want to use PSVR without glasses, they said it depends on the prescription of your glasses. If you require glasses while driving or seeing your TV, “you will most likely need to wear your glasses to see PS VR images clearly. However, some very wide or unusually shaped glasses may not fit.”

Moving to nausea while using VR, Sony says user testing “indicates that the vast majority of gamers have no trouble adjusting to PlayStation VR gameplay.” Although the initial discomfort fades as you acclimate to VR gameplay in many cases, Sony recommends you stop playing if you experience any discomfort.

Other health and safety points in the FAQ show that walking is not advised while wearing PSVR (they recommend sitting for the most comfortable and safest experience), the headset is designed to fit a wide range of head sizes (but you should test one out to make sure it fits you), and the recommended play space is about 9.8 feet by 6.2 feet, sitting about five feet in front of the PlayStation Camera/TV.

In the FAQ, as well as every product page for a PlayStation VR game, the age to use the headset is listed as 12 and up.

Have you tried PSVR yet? What did you think of the experience?

[Source: PS Blog]

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