Why Is My VR Headset Blurry [Reasons & Fixes]

If you're asking "why is my VR headset blurry?" there are only two things to look at:

  • Is your vision corrected?
  • Screen door effect
  • Inproper IPD setting
  • Hardware limitation
  • Poor quality 360 video
foveated rendering nvidia

If you are using a low-resolution VR headset prior to Oculus Quest 2 or Oculus Rift S, that's usually the 1st reason why the image inside the headset looks blurry. 4K, 8K may look great on a 24" monitor, but not enough when in VR.

The human eye with 20/20 vision can see as much as 576 megapixels according to discovery.com. About 12K resolution is what we need, and there are new headsets with that capability coming to the market!

Browse these new headsets here

VR screen door effect SDE

If you have poor vision, that is going to matter inside the VR goggles even though current-generation VR headsets can't simulate vision depth like in real life until foveated rendering or other advanced VR technology is introduced to the market.

For users wearing bifocals in VR headset, it's unnecessary to wear them because current headsets technology doesn't simulate depth of field, so it can be frustrating to see something blurry when scanning up or down.

360 video boats

If you are watching poor quality 360 VR video, then there is nothing you can do about it until VR film technology improves in the near future.

Learn about why 360 VR videos are low quality here

Fixes For Poor Vision VR Users

eye exam

If you're experiencing screen door effect in VR when using a  gives you the viewing experience as if you're pushed up against the mesh of a screen door, and the common solution in the industry is to use Fresnel lens with steps to cut the weight of the lens down, and only the center portion provides the best visual clarity if Interpupillary distance is correctly set.

fresnel lens center

However, there are things you can do to make the image a little bit better by getting a VR prescription lens that fits directly into your headset lens.

The users can custom order them for each eye based on the eye doctor's exam result. 

No modification to the headset is required.

reloptix magnetic vr lens adapter

We recommend VR Wave or Reloptix as they are the two most popular options, and you can check out our VR prescription guide here for other products

Things In VR To Improve Graphics Clarity

Better Headsets

pimax 5k

As time goes on, better VR headsets and better VR experiences are developed for users to experience the highest immersion quality, and graphics clarity is a major priority.

So far based on consumer feedback, the Pimax 8K, Varjo Aero, Varjo XR are the top quality headsets that offer super high definition display panels that have never been seen before. 

This will significantly improves what the users can do in VR and realizes the possibility for future VR development.

Automatic IPD Adjustment

Almost all newer headsets coming to 2022 and beyond will feature automatic IPD adjustment, which means the headset will automatically measure the distance between your eyes and adjust the lens perfectly to align with the eye pupil for the best clarity.

Even Faster Computing Capability

As graphics card, CPU and other performance driven computer components continue to improve, higher resolution images without lag or FPS drop in VR will make VR experiences even better.

Faster Internet

fiber optic cable for faster internet

When VR comes more mainstream, your internet speed will matter a lot more so it can stream as high as 12K resolution VR content to your computer or headset. May need about 200 - 300 Mbps internet connection

With that demand, fiber optic internet is most likely to be the choice for many users in the future to build the next generation internet Web 3.0

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