If you’re like me, motion blur in games makes you feel sick—or it can just be downright annoying. We’re seeing motion blur appearing more and more in games, and Final Fantasy 16 is no different.
Some Final Fantasy 16 players are finding themselves becoming nauseous or experiencing headaches due to the game’s motion blur feature, so much so that developer Square Enix has had to address the issue. But what is motion blur, and can you turn it off in Final Fantasy 16?
What is motion blur in Final Fantasy 16?
Motion blur in games is typically obvious when you move your in-game camera quickly. Instead of the camera showing clear visuals, they appear as a blur to indicate you’re moving swiftly—and to make gameplay feel more realistic by simulating how humans perceive motion. It’s also meant to help smooth out the graphics of games that render at a lower frame rate.
Motion blur has appeared in a number of games, including The Last of Us Part 2 (I had to turn it off because it actually made me sick) and Mirror’s Edge, and is generally a controversial feature among gamers. Its use in first-person shooters, in particular, tends to cause aggravation as these games require quick reaction time, and motion blur means it can be hard to turn around and shoot an enemy behind you when the screen is blurry. For others, the blur can cause nausea as your brain can’t quite process all the fast-paced movement.
In Final Fantasy 16, it is once again a controversial feature as it means that moving your camera quickly results in blurred visuals. Motion blur in the new Final Fantasy is particularly noticeable in the first hour of the game, especially as a particular scene combines it with a lot of camera shake that can make you feel like you’ve been spun around 20 times, causing headaches and nausea.
Related: All FF16 hunt locations and how to beat them
Can you turn off motion blur in Final Fantasy 16?
Fortunately for players, Square Enix added the possibility of turning off motion blur to Final Fantasy 16 in a post-launch update, after taking into consideration players’ feedback on the issue.
Update 1.03, which released on July 6, added a setting in the menu’s System tab to adjust the strength of motion blur. Players can either lower it, as it’s set at the maximal value of five by default, or completely turn it off by setting it to zero. It can be truly game-changing for players who’re unable to get used to strong motion blur.
Should you play Final Fantasy 16 with motion blur on or off?
It’s really be up to your personal preference whether you want to have the feature on or off in Final Fantasy 16. If you’re finding yourself getting headaches or feeling nauseous when playing the game, then I advise turning the feature off or reducing it as much as you’re comfortable with.
If you’re not bothered by motion blur, however, then you may as well keep it on unless you’re finding it’s affecting combat.
How to reduce motion blur sickness in Final Fantasy 16
You can now turn off or adjust motion blur in Final Fantasy 16, but if you find you’re still getting motion sickness there are some things you can also try to reduce it.
Turning the game performance mode to “Frame Rate” (aka performance mode) in the game’s system settings should make motion sickness a bit more bearable. You can change this by pressing the “Options” button on your DualSense controller, going to “System” and then under “Graphic Settings” change the “Game Performance” to “Frame Rate.” You can also change this setting at the very start of the game.
In Frame Rate mode, Final Fantasy 16 targets 60fps and has a native resolution of 1080p, scaled up to 1440p. The game’s visuals may not be as high quality, but honestly, it still looks visually stunning. It may not fix the problem entirely, and you may notice camera movement to be a bit slower, but it should help a bit.
Aside from this, make sure you’re taking regular breaks from your screen (if you can go outside for a bit, even better) and drink lots of water.
