Zen242 There is a strange effect that appears to create mild depth perception that is off and hard to focus on.
Yes, this is the key, IMO.
Nearly every single device (or possibly all devices) which have caused strain for me are united by displaying some variant of the "false sense of 3D depth perception" effect.
(This is in regards to traditional screens that are "supposed" to physically be 2D, but appear to us as if they're trying to trick the eyes into perceiving 3D depth in photos — even if the same photo on printed paper would look entirely flat. This is addition to e.g. larger UI elements appearing blurry and hard to focus on, as if they feel like they're "floating" in front of the screen.
This isn't meant to include "actual" stereoscopic 3D screens like VR, etc — which surprisingly have actually been rather OK for me in the past)
This is a big reason why I think our most impairing issues might primarily be caused by something else entirely, compared to the typical assumptions of PWM/dithering.
Those def can make a difference too, but I feel like it's not the primary issue…
The fact I own a few older devices that DO have PWM, but have little-to-no "false 3D effect", and those devices ARE comfortable for me is what makes me doubt flickering is the only thing behind our issues (even though I totally agree that more screens should be flicker-free)
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The really strange part is that I've also found that this problem with the false 3D effect has probably been around A LOT LONGER than we think. This means it will require some digging to figure out exactly when it was "invented" and what causes it.
I've actually found a few instances of the same issue going all the way back to 2001.
The main difference is that in the past, it only occurred on certain panels, and a good amount of devices were unaffected. Whereas today, the effect is both more intense, and used SO frequently on nearly -every- single new panel and GPU.
Case in point: Old Nintendo systems
Some are perfect for me with no issues, legitimately some of the most comfortable screens I've ever used in my life.
But, others actually DO give me strain and I perceive a false 3D effect that is very reminiscent of the same issues I have with modern devices.
NO strain: My 2002 Game Boy Advance SP (AGS-101 with backlit screen), and my 2004 Nintendo DS [TOP screen]
DOES cause strain/disorientation: 2001 Game Boy Advance (even though it is a RLCD!) and my 2004 Nintendo DS [BOTTOM screen]
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The 2001 GBA is the absolute worst, everything looks like it's hovering above the screen at different depths, and I have to refocus constantly. The fact it's an RLCD does nothing to improve this, even in direct sunlight. The LCD on the one I tried looks like the original, I don't think it's a replacement. IMO this rules out backlights as my main problem. I am shocked a 2001 device can cause this many issues for me.
Meanwhile, playing the same games on my 2002 backlit GBA SP is absolutely PERFECT. The screen is flat as paper — many times it even looks more flat to me than E-ink! It is my go-to "good screen" to compare other LCDs to.
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My 2004 DS is the most fascinating example because both screens are supposed to have the same specs and resolution.
But even though the top screen looks crystal clear and very flat to me… the bottom screen appears hazy/blurry and I perceive a sense of depth, in addition to some red color fringing and white sharpening-like halos — which I don't see on the comfy top screen. (This was easy to compare on games where the same character moves between both screens.)
The top and bottom screens on mine are definitely from different manufacturers as the color gamut is much more inaccurate and washed out on the bottom (strainy) screen.
The good thing is since both the good and bad screen are on the same DS, it means the DS's variant of the issue happens at the panel level. Apparently the 2004 DS LCDs are from two suppliers (Sharp/Hitachi), but I'm not sure which one is behind the problematic panel in mine. I don't want to take mine apart as it's still in great condition.
(I didn't notice this when I first got the DS, but that's only because all the old DS games I had back then coincendentally only used the top screen for gameplay. So I never actually looked at the bottom screen for any extended time until recently)
