Cybersickness is the term for nausea, dizziness, and related discomfort that some people experience in virtual reality. It is a form of virtual-reality sickness associated with sensory conflict during immersive use.
The problem often occurs when a headset shows movement that does not match signals from the inner ear or the body. For example, a virtual vehicle may accelerate visually while the user remains physically still. The brain receives conflicting information from vision, balance, and proprioception, which can produce symptoms such as sweating, headache, eye strain, and nausea.
Cybersickness is closely related to motion sickness, but the causes are not identical. Developers reduce it with stable frame rates, low display latency, comfortable locomotion options, and a stationary reference point. Individual susceptibility varies, and symptoms usually improve when the headset is removed.