The YouTuber and hardware analyst pondered why the Playstation VR 2 gave him a bad feeling after utilizing virtual reality on numerous devices for many years. Lynch hypothesized that the high display persistence of the PSVR 2 was to blame for this, and he supported his hypothesis with a high-speed camera and a week-long experiment.
A VR display’s illumination duration during a single frame is persistent. The persistence should be as brief as possible to prevent motion blur from being seen by the eye.
Low persistence technology allows VR displays to produce a clear image even when the user moves their head without needing to alter the refresh rate of the VR display. This method was one of the most significant developments in the VR industry when it was created more than ten years ago.
Lynch analyzed the level of persistence in the displays of different VR headsets, including the Playstation VR 2, HTC Vive & Pro, Meta Quest 2 & Pro, and Valve Index.
Even at the lowest equipment brightness levels, he discovered that the PSVR 2’s display exhibited greater persistence than the others. Lynch speculates that this might be the source of some of his sickness.
Lynch states in his YouTube video that each pixel emits the same amount of light when turned on. However, fewer ‘0ff’ timings provide the impression that the scene is brighter at the expense of motion clarity.
Regarding persistence, it’s unclear whether Sony wants to resolve the current problem. I inquired as to Lynch’s opinion. The greatest thing they could do to make up for that, he said, boosts light emission while the panels are “on,” but he has a feeling they won’t do that since it might shorten their lifespan. As a result, they won’t consider the trade-off. Users have the choice to squat down for better motion clarity.
