Why Is VR So Blurry Or The Picture Is Distorted And How To Fix It?
Your VR is blurry or you have distorted picture issues? Don’t worry, in this article, we will tell you why this happens, and what can you do to fix it.
Your VR is blurry because you’ve only used very low-end VR headsets (Google Cardboard or similar), that have poor lens quality, or you ran into an eyebox problem.
Virtual Reality can move us to new places where we feel truly present. That is not possible in conventional films and games. So, the best VR experience comes through the highest quality video. Unfortunately, today’s VR often looks disappointing with soft images, distractive imagery, and sometimes even blurry. But why is that?
There is a lot of technical things that we won’t be going into in this article, but in short, technology is not jet advanced enough so it can’t create a great, and immersive VR experience for everyone. Not only should technology be great on its end – with headsets, and devices that play that VR experience – but it must also take into account every human being that will use it. And we can’t forget that we are all very different.
While some people will see the same games, on the same devices, and with the same headset normally, others will see it blurry, distorted, and will have problems because of it like dizziness and others. So, to know how to fix your problems, you first have to know what is causing it. Let us explain.
Why Is VR So Blurry
Poor Lens Quality
Low-end headsets like Google Cardboard use very small, low-quality lenses. This can often make VR scenes look blurry. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for.
Below is an example of Google Cardboard
And here we have Oculus Rift (high end VR headset):
Except for the obvious outside difference in quality, Oculus Rift also has much bigger and not rounded lenses. It has a much more complicated optical design than Google Cardboard and gives much better VR performance.
| Manufacturer | Lens diameter (mm) | Focal length (mm) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Cardboard | 25 | 45 |
| Oculus Rift | 41 | 45 |
The solution to Poor Lens Quality
Go with a better headset! Yes, you will have to pay much more, but if this is making your blur problem, then this is also your only solution.
Eyebox Problems
Even higher-end VR lenses, such as Oculus Rift or HTV Vive, have a spot that provides the best viewing experience. It is called the Eyebox.
The optical system of a VR headset is a series of tradeoffs to deliver the best combination of price and performance (size, weight, eyebox size, image quality, etc). It is very hard to design lenses that are lightweight, relatively inexpensive, provide a good field of view and a large eyebox.
The solution to the Eyebox Problems
Ensure the Scope (the part of the VR Headset where the lenses are) is properly positioned to get an in-focus image. It’s normal for the far edges of the screen to be slightly blurry, while the center has to remain clear so you don’t get blurry or distorted images.
Also, you have to ensure the Scope is properly set for your specific eye distance. Keep in mind if you have customized eye-to-eye distance for yourself. If someone else uses your VR Headset, they may need to re-calibrate this setting, otherwise, they will get blurry or distorted images.
If you wear glasses, this can also complicate things. Getting the headset positioned correctly while wearing glasses is often even more challenging.
Low-Quality VR Games
Even though we are big fans of VR games, some of them are just low quality. If you stumble upon such a VR game, then nothing that we explained above will help you. They are simply bad, and you can’t do anything about it, then change them and don’t play them anymore.
Increase TAA Sharpening (PC)
Many people have recommended disabling TAA sharpening, you can of course try that as well, but we have found that increasing TAA sharpening can solve your blur problems in some games.
Soma games give you that option inside it, while for others you have to do it outside (Windows). There shouldn’t be any performance issues because of this.
Other things
- Factory protectors are pre-installed on some VR headsets. Remove them
- Ensure that lenses are not scratched and keep them clean for clear visibility
- Ensure that VR is correctly placed on your face
- Try the focus adjustment until the screen looks clear
- If you have bad sight, it is recommended to wear contact lenses when using VR
Why Is VR Picture Distorted
Sometimes, when you are using a VR headset, your picture can be distorted. There could be many reasons why it is so, and we are here bringing you one simple solution to the mix.
Try changing the resolution
Many times, when using VR Headset, the resolution sticks to whatever it was set to before and when using Auto it sometimes selects 480p. That will distort the image. The solution to this problem is to change the resolution to 1080p.
Conclusion – Why Is VR So Blurry Or The Picture Is Distorted
As you see from above, it is not easy to determine only one reason why your VR image is blurry, or your picture is distorted. There are many different technologies and manufactures currently involved in the VR world, so the reason for the blurry pictures can be different for every brand, as well as solutions.
We have given you some of the most common solutions for the blurry picture, some we personally tried and those worked for us, while other solutions we found all around the web and tried to cover them in this article.
Every day the technology moves forward, and we have no doubt the same will happen with VR. It will get better and better, blurriness will be solved, as well as distortion, and also prices will get much cheaper ower time.
VR’s future is looking good, and if we will again have a quarantine in which the whole world is trapped in their homes, we will need a good VR so we can leave our house through virtual reality.