Virtual reality headsets nowadays provide more realistic and immersive experiences than ever before. However, if the lenses on your VR headset start fogging up, the opportunity to enjoy high-quality virtual reality goes down the drain. And this isn’t an issue you can simply ignore. It forces you to take the VR headset off, clean it, sit down and cool off so it doesn’t start fogging up again, all that really annoying/immersion breaking stuff.
Why is this happening? Is there anything you can do to prevent your VR headset from fogging up?
Let’s break it down!
Why is my VR headset fogging up?
Just as your VR headset lenses are fogging up, any glass surface fogs up as a result of moisture in the air condensing on it. This effect mostly takes place in situations when the warm, moist air comes in contact with the cooler air – it condenses. You’ve probably noticed this very effect, albeit on a bigger scale, when first starting a car on a cold winter morning.
In your very case, the high body temperature rapidly warms the air engulfed between your face and the VR headset, which causes the fogging up, as the moisture is condensed on the significantly colder lenses.
The very design of many VR headsets provides the perfect conditions for fogging up to occur, considering that the air mostly remains enclosed. This is especially annoying if you’ve stored away your VR headset for some time, as it may take a while for the headset lenses to warm up, and catch up to the temperature of your body.
What should I do to prevent my VR headset from fogging up?
Acting beforehand is probably the best way to prevent the VR lenses from fogging up. As you can probably already conclude, the idea is to keep the temperature of your VR headset closer to that of your body. Clearly, there are other solutions too, which don’t involve taking precautions, but can eliminate lens fog as effectively.
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Warm your VR headset up before using it
For the most headsets, just turning them on before use will do the trick. It may take a while, so maybe go and grab a drink and wait for 10-15 minutes. If you want to get into the action more quickly, put the headset over your head for a couple of minutes. This will help it the cold lenses acclimate faster and reach the temperature closer to that of your body.
Some users report that turning on a hair dryer and blowing hot air onto the headset did the trick as well. Creativity goes a long way, you may even come up with some DIY quick fixes. Just make sure to let us know!
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Store the VR headset in a warm place
Now, this can be problematic, especially if you own a PC, tethered headset. This depends entirely on how your living space is organized.
Obviously, you want to avoid extreme temperatures.
It comes down to how you store the VR headset, so while keeping it in a nice cozy place may not completely prevent a VR headset from fogging up, it will significantly decrease the temperature difference, enabling your headset to pick up heat more quickly.
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Anti-fog sprays and wipes
These are the solutions which skiers may be familiar with. Now, the effectiveness of sprays and wipes often vary depending on the brands and situations. I myself prefer being patient rather than frustrated, so before immersing into VR sessions I warm the headset up and have the wipes just in case.