I’m no VR expert but according to my reading and watching poorly adjusted IPD can be a key factor in eye strain - sore eyes or headache.
See potential eye strain symptoms here:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eyestrain/symptoms-causes/syc-20372397

Don’t know but I get the same thing, and intense pressure behind my eyes and on the top of my skull.

I've found if I don't have all the straps adjusted right I get a headache from the face pressure.

Never had that problem again after getting an aftermarket Halo style strap.

Since it's just a headache, less likely to be motion sickness and more likely IPD or fit. If the headaches feels around the eyes or the temples, more likely IPD. If it's around the upper or lower sinuses (cheeks or forehead), could be wearing the headset too tight.

This would be my recommendation too. When I first got my rift and went through the initial setup process and it asked to set my IPD I slid the dial back and forth a few times and said "sure whatever". If I played longer then 10-15 mins the next day I would have a brain splitting migraine.

I ended up reading about IPD in desperation trying to fix it. Called my eye doctor and they were able to give my exact number. My "sure whatever" number was not close.

Never had another migraine even on much longer sessions.

Start with short sessions. 5-15 minutes max. Build up a tollerance. And stay away from rollercoaster / heavy movement games for a bit. I also found that when I started, it was easier to acclimate my body with teleport movement type games vs. real time movement.

Just remember you have to train your body slowly. Your eyes are getting movement input, but your body isnt and that will really mess up your equalibrium.

apologies in advance for highjacking this comment. I'm new to vr and when I open the steamvr app it says plug in headset. I have it plugged in via a generic quest link cable, but it's not finding the headeset. Any help would be great, as I'm a noob. Thanks in advance.

Mhmm also stick to the first few programs oculus gave you. Those should ease you into it until you can go for harsher games

I rarely get headaches from VR TBH.. I do get them from playing on TV/monitor tho.

do you need glasses? is IPD way off for you?

stay hydrated, and remember to blink.

motion sickness is different than headaches tho so I'm assuming you're not talking about that.

Hey, to be short, the base strap on the vr is a bit shit. That’s probably the cause of the headaches.

To explain it, the weight of the vr strains the back of your head because you have to tighten the back so the vr doesn’t fall off, stupid design imo.

If you’re up to it, buy a strap like the ones from bobovr since they help with the weight distribution.

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Try and avoid games with artificial movement. Play stuff where you can stand in one place, or use teleportation. Use artificial movement in small doses and always stop if you begin to feel sick—dont try and power through it.

Brain Elasticity

IMO, you need to do it multiple days in a row. Do 25 minutes a day for 3-7 days. You will likely see an improvement after the 3rd day. Your brain recalibrates when you sleep. If you space out the days too much, it's not going to help as much.

Also...

Try some other games that may cause less motion sickness while you are building up your tolerance.

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Some games shouldn't cause any sickness. Vegas Infinite, for example, is poker in VR where you sit at a table with 7 other people. There's plenty of interactivity available, and as you are sitting and stationary, you shouldn't get motion sickness. The game is free, so its worth trying out. I but as you are stationary and sitting, it's not going to build up your tolerance either. It also has MR mode where you can remove the background so that the poker table is in your house.

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And on that note, you should check out some of the MR titles. MR (mixed reality) should have no motion sickness.

I had this problem but it went away after playing for 3 days. My body probably got used to it

Use snap turning. Turning left to right is always what makes me sick.

In the Meta store app they rate the games with comfort level. Stick to the green "comfortable" level.

Super common at first, but it gets better with time. Try keeping sessions short (10-15 min) and gradually increasing. A well-ventilated space, stable focus points, and starting with less intense games can help. Glasses might be a factor—VR lens inserts could make things more comfortable. Some people also swear by ginger or acupressure bands. The good news? Most people adapt over time.

The headband is on too tight. To mitigate this issue get either the globular cluster or the Devaso headband attachment. It works wonders.

you were just getting your VR legs, I try to play for at least a half hour every single day consecutively. After some time, I can play until the controllers die.

Others have said it, but Globular cluster stopped headaches instantly for me.

Much comfier, no headaches, sweet spot a lot easier to find too means it was an amazing purchase for me

Turn your brightness down to around 30%

Water, breaks often, and pre-pop 200mg of ibuprofen if you plan on having a long sesh. Oh and loosen the headband. Globular cluster helped me a lot.

I found that I got headaches because I wasn't wearing the headset in a comfortable way, mainly it was on too tight and too high on my face

Candidates:

a) Improper IPD adjustment, check what your optician says about the distance between your pupils and adjust the headset’s IPD.

b) Undiagnosed nearsightedness. Look at something far away. If you have trouble focusing then you might be near sighted. Headsets have a fixed focal adjustment of about 2m depending on the headset. Again, go see an optician.

c) Bad strap adjustment. If you strap is too tight it can be like a vice on your head which might cause headaches.

d) Not good at being in VR, or not used to it. Some people just have low tolerance for VR like some people get sick on boats.

e) Undiagnosed blood clot. It’s not the VR but you have a blood clotting disease that is going to kill you if you can’t decipher the clues left by the mad scientist that lead to the cure but is really just a piece of paper telling you to relax because it was never a real danger they just wanted to send you on a life affirming journey.

Happy gaming!

Which headset and what are the specs of your PC?

An underpowered video card can give one headaches and nausea if the framerates are unevenly delivered. You need to rule that possibility out before you look for other causes.

It could be eye strain or the headstrap itself. Make sure you are using the proper ipd and you have a comfortable headstrap.

I also encounter this same issue, as no matter how much I played with the strap and changed the focals on the front, I would always get a migraine after using the VR headset of my Oculus Quest 2 also after about 30 minutes. So I have gone ahead and purchased the Busqueda Elite Strap which is purported to offer enhanced side straps and supposed to offer better weight distribution which takes pressure off your face for a massive improvement in comfort.
I've read articles and seen YouTube videos where it seems like getting some kind of headstrap replacement like this may help with this issue. I am still waiting for it and I will update with my experience after using it.

Most games have settings meant to help alleviate it but those telling you that you'll get used to it are right.

Took me a while but now I can spend hours in VR without issue.

If you're new to VR, I advise you to just take it slow, and don't try to power though it either.
Move slowly in the world, avoid anything vehicle related (trust me, something like jetskis will make even experienced players motion sick).
Stop playing as soon as you feel ill. Don't try to power through it. That'll just make it worse.
A small fan blowing on you as you play can help.
You will get used to it.

Highly recommend a fan. Also, try not to play on an empty stomach. In general you need to build up to long play sessions. When I started I could go a little more than a hour before I had to stop, now I can clock 8 hours with no issues. You might also try ginger pills, those have been proven to work for motion sickness.

You definitely get used to it, but there is certain things that will still give me bad motion sickness, like jumping from heights, sitting on other avatars, any roller coaster/jetski/etc like idejtauren mentioned, and flashy worlds (neuron is SO cool but it kills me). also "drunk/drug" effects send me over the edge.

just about everything else gets super easy though!

It's usually because your character is moving in the game while you're not moving in real life - like when you're moving it with a joystick, or driving a car or plane. That creates a disconnect between what your eyes see and what your inner ear (vestibular system) feels. Try enabling comfort settings like a vignette effect or teleportation. There should be a tutorial about those when you enter the default home world.

I had the same issue, I'm guessing you wear glasses like me (if you don't you likely need an eye test).

My solution was custom Prescription Lenses for my quest, just get your prescription details from your optician (they can also confirm your IPD exactly if you ask) and then order a set online.

I got mine here but there are many companies that make them:
https://www.zennioptical.com/vr-prescription-lenses-meta-quest-3

Eye strain because you need corrective lenses or neck/head pain from a poorly fitted headstrap are both possibilities.

It’s probably vergance/accommodation conflict and there’s really nothing you can do except take frequent breaks.

Tension headache ? Try an upgraded strap

There is also a chance that your headache might actually be caused my the muscles in your neck. Especially with the default strap, the Quest is not terribly well balanced, and wearing it for extended time can be exhausting because of the extra effort it takes to keep your head straight.

Games that have smooth locomotion induce motion sickness in a lot of people. VRChat is not the most optimized thing, and hardly ever runs at max frames especially in rooms with a lot of detailed custom avatars. People do get used to it, but I would try some games with a higher comfort level. Or if teleport is an option (I don’t really play VR chat, i know it is in AltSpace) try using that only next time and see if you still get as sick. Also stay hydrated that always helps ��

I think that is the problem, you need to play more often. play shorter amount and play more regular.

eating ginger before playing could help too, in the beginning, until you got your got your vr legs.

YES. When I first got my headset I had extreme motion sickness. I had to take breaks about every hour give or take. I did fight through it and continue playing a lot and often. I now have absolutely none. I have snap turning off, and I can go on rides in vr perfectly fine!

#1. Make sure you have your IPD measured correctly, do not guess b/c you will invariably guess wrong. That + high refresh rate laminates about 60-80% of headaches. (as noted above) #2. Eat more ginger (also as noted above)

The motion sickness/nausea should subside eventually. If I haven't played VR in a while, then I can get a little bit of a queasy feeling when I first play it again. So if you only play a few times a month it could take a while to "get used" to the motion sickness part. Like /u/Gleipn3r said ginger really does help. I like those ginger chews candies.

As for getting headaches after playing, in my experience and from talking to others, that's almost always caused by physical factors. Things to check:

1. The fit of the headset. Make sure you don't have it too tight, pressing unevenly on your head, etc. You should have it just tight enough that it's not moving all over the place, but it's OK if it moves a tiny bit when shaking your head for example.

2. IPD adjustment. This one's really important, if you don't have the IPD set correctly you will be straining to focus your eyes the whole time which can lead to headaches.

3. Headset screen brightness. I am somewhat sensitive to bright light and I found that the default brightness was WAY brighter than it needed to be. I turn on Night Mode in SteamVR, but also used OVR advanced settings to turn the brightness down another 10-15%. (Note I've only used the Vive and Vive Pro which are some of the brightest headsets due to being OLED, so this may not be as big an issue on other headsets).

4. Applies only to Vive: Do you have the Gear VR lens mod installed? While this increases clarity, many people (myself included) have found it greatly increased eye strain. I reversed mine and went back to the original fresnel lenses since I couldn't handle it. My eyes just felt weird and uncomfortable every time I played, even though everything was technically clearer. (After some experimenting, it seemed like the Gear VR lenses made me have to focus my eyes "farther away" then what I was looking at. With the fresnel lenses I don't have that issue at all. I'm slightly nearsighted which maybe contributed to that, though not enough to need glasses in VR.)

I used to get really bad headaches after playing a couple hours, but after fixing the above things I now pretty much never get headaches anymore, even after really long sessions (like 5-6 hours).