The risk of nausea or motion sickness has been a persistent worry for hardware makers and software makers alike as the next wave of virtual reality devices moves from developer testing toward consumer release. With today's launch of the Gear VR Innovator Edition (which straddles the line between early adopter consumer device and development kit ), Samsung is going to great lengths to warn purchasers about the potential ill-effects of using its new virtual reality solution.

Before purchasing the Innovator Edition from Samsung's website, users have to certify they've read a nearly 1,000-word set of "Gear VR Product Use Warnings" that goes well past the usual legal EULA boilerplate for modern technology. Users should take a break of at least 10 to 15 minutes after every half-hour of use, Samsung warns, "even if you do not think you need it." In addition, children under the age of 13 shouldn't use the unit at all, and older children should be monitored by adults and play only for limited amounts of time to avoid adverse symptoms.

What kinds of symptoms? Well, Samsung suggests you stop using Gear VR immediately if you experience "seizures, loss of awareness, eye strain, eye or muscle twitching, involuntary movements, altered, blurred, or double vision or other visual abnormalities, dizziness, disorientation, impaired balance, impaired hand-eye coordination, excessive sweating, increased salivation, nausea, light-headedness, discomfort or pain in the head or eyes, drowsiness, fatigue, or any symptoms similar to motion sickness."

Not only that, but "prolonged use of the Gear VR and input devices (e.g. controllers) can make your muscles, joints, or skin hurt" or lead to "tingling, numbness, burning, or stiffness."

The risk doesn't stop after you're done using Gear VR either. Samsung's warning compares some of these symptoms to those experienced after getting off a cruise ship, in that they "can persist and become more apparent hours after use." Users could see "excessive drowsiness and decreased ability to multi-task" after using the Gear VR and shouldn't drive, operate heavy machinery, or undertake "visually or physically demanding activities that have potentially serious consequences" until those symptoms go away.

Because the Gear VR requires "an unimpaired sense of motion and balance," it shouldn't be used "when you are tired, need sleep, are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, are hung-over, have digestive problems, are under emotional stress or anxiety, or when suffering from cold, flu, headaches, migraines, or earaches, as this can increase your susceptibility to adverse symptoms." The Gear VR should always be used while sitting, far away from "other people, objects, stairs, balconies, windows, furniture" that can be bumped. It should also never be used when in a moving vehicle, which Samsung warns could increase the adverse symptoms.

On top of all that, there are warnings that just seem like common sense: "Do not handle sharp or otherwise dangerous objects while using the Gear VR. Never wear the Gear VR in situations that require attention, such as walking, bicycling, or driving."

Aside from affecting your person, using the Gear VR can also affect the performance of the Galaxy Note 4 strapped inside in the short-term. When used for a long time in the Gear VR, the phone "may become hotter than normal," leading to "degraded" application performance or outright termination, Samsung says. While this "does not affect the Samsung Galaxy Note 4's lifespan or performance," it could affect battery runtime and cause slow loading or video playback right after extended use of Gear VR.

It's likely that some lawyer at Samsung and/or Oculus required this sort of language on the Gear VR order page to avoid the potential of a nasty lawsuit if and when someone gets violently ill after their first trip into virtual reality. Still, the specificity and urgency of the warnings have us a little worried about how we'll fare when using the device for longer than a brief conference hands-on. We'll share our impressions after more time with the device this week. In the meantime, we'll content ourselves by playing with this Happy Fun Ball.