Try it, you just might like it. Words of wisdom passed down by generations of parents trying to get a child to sit and eat a steaming plate of tuna casserole. That child had doubts just as much as I had doubts when I was told that a pair of yellow tinted (might as well be rose coloured, if you follow me) glasses were going to impress me and become a regular piece of equipment I use when I game. Well, it turned out Mom and Dad were right, I love tuna casserole, and so was my Editor-in-Chief, I absolutely love these Gunnar Gaming Glasses that I got to review over the past week.
For those of you who may not be in the know, Gunnar Advanced Gaming Eyewear (Editor’s Note: yep, that is their formal name) provides computer and gaming glasses specifically designed to make your digital screen viewing experience easier on your eyes. I tested the Vayper Onyx model. These glasses are said to help enhance contrast and colours, reduce your eye fatigue for long viewing sessions, and basically protect your eyes from harmful lighting. Pretty bold claims for a problem most people don’t even know they have right?
In all honesty if it weren’t for my opportunity to take on this review I don’t think I ever would have found myself out searching for the solution to all my eye fatigue woes. In fact, I’ve never realized that my eyes were all that strained to begin with; however, once I put in a few hours with these Gunnar’s, I came to realize that perhaps my eyes were being abused worse than I thought. The very first thing I noticed when using these glasses was how much they improved the contrast of what I was viewing. If you game on an HDTV you know what I’m talking about when I tell you about the ‘glow’ you can get when there’s a really bright colour up beside a dark colour. The brightness seeps over its edges and bleeds into the other colours. The difference when wearing the glasses was drastic. Lines were more defined and textures popped so much more than they ever had before all without drowning out the colour I was meant to see. I really noticed how much of a difference the lenses made when I was playing the recently released Bioshock Infinite. In the game you’re able to view Kinetoscopes, which are in black and white in colour and simulate one of those really old peep show style viewing machines. When I viewed them without the glasses I found it almost overly bright and blurry, but with the glasses on it was a whole other story as I noticed more definition and glare was non-existent.
Admittedly my days of marathon gaming sessions are far, far behind me so the idea of eye fatigue seemed like it didn’t apply, but I immediately noticed that even after short play sessions my eyes felt more relaxed. I found myself focusing much easier on what I was viewing. I used them when reading on the iPad and while on the laptop as well. In all these situations the difference between with and without the glasses was noticeable and much better with the frames on. Originally when I’d pulled the Gunnar’s out of the box I was worried that the yellow tinted lenses would throw off colours and drown out the whites, but even reading black over white I couldn’t really notice the yellow at all. I even compared the opening Xbox 360 title screen many times, glasses on and glasses off, and the bright white screen did not look yellow like I thought it would and there was no discernable difference.
One of the claims of the glasses is that their curved lens design helps keep ambient air flows from hitting your eyes thus keeping the old ‘viewfinders’ more comfortable while preventing them from drying out. I can’t say that this was an effect I noticed much, but adversely I can’t say my eyes felt any worse either. In all honesty I’m more inclined to believe the claim after using these glasses.
Although the Vaypers looked pretty good you’ll never feel like a style guru wearing these things and clearly it’s a question of function over form for the most part. The frames themselves look great, but the yellow lenses are what can make you look a bit goofy. That being said, you may not be likely to wear them around all day either. The frames are extremely lightweight and comfortable. I had them on with a gaming headset and had no discomfort whatsoever with the over the ear cups pressing on the frame’s arms, so that was appreciated. There are a number of different styles available so with a little research I imagine you’d find a pair that’s right for you.
Another big plus for those of you reading this that require prescription eyewear is the fact that Gunnar Optics can provide you with prescription lenses as well. It should be noted that they use very high quality product, in the form of Carl Zeiss lenses, to boot. Carl Zeiss is a well-respected and established leader in the vision and lens industry so you can rest easy knowing that your peepers will be well taken care of.
I think the hardest thing here is to try and sell someone on a product that they don’t know they need in the first place. I was in that boat myself and in one short week I’ve found that I can’t game without them. I’ve never flipped a pair of glasses up and down my face more than I have while testing out these Gunnar’s but I can safely say that I’m enjoying the extra details I can pick up with the glasses on. I’m certainly noticing that my eyes feel more rested at the end of a play session as well. If you spend any amount of time in front a screen whether it be for gaming or drudging through your work day behind a computer screen you’d certainly benefit from their use. Starting at about $80 the price might seem steep, but if you’re willing to take the risk and just try them I really think you’ll be pleased with the results. In all likelihood they’ll become an integral part of your viewing experience as they have mine.
As the old saying goes: “Try them, you just might like them.”
