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- 28 Sep 2017
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Somethings, like refresh rate and Razer's new haptic feedback, are the kind of thing you just have to experience to understand. It's the only way to distinguish a gimmick from something that's gonna change the way you game - same with Gunnar glasses.
Now I'm not saying they're gonna blow your mind, like your first time hitting that sweet, PC Master-race mind blowing 144Hz gaming experience. - Moment of silence to press 'F' for console peasants -
but somethings aren't always about adding to the gaming experience, rather making sure that you can enjoy it in total comfort from your noblechair, to your wrist rest, to that can of Redbull that keeps 2AM at bay. After all, back and eye strain are total mood killers, even for the most dedicated gamers.
So we decided to take one for the team and give Gunnar a go in the office, as on average I personally spend 9 hours in front of my PC at work, as well as gaming in the evenings. I have to have my monitors on the minimum brightness settings and even then there's some days where I can't bare to look at the screen - and unlike University, apparently procrastination in the closest bar doesn't count as "work" anymore. Who knew?
First Impressions - Intercept Onyx.
As someone who's lucky enough to have 20/20 vision, other than sunglasses, all day eye wear is something that's pretty new to me. That's not to mean I don't know the difference between dawning a pair of Oakleys in the summer sun to the £10 pair of aviators from Primark we all know and love.
I picked out the Intercept Onyx as my Gunnar of choice as they're sleek, stylish and unlike the more military inspired designs they don't look like they belong at the shooting range. Although there's a pair for every style, from low key metal frames to the Razer inspired.
Oh and each pair also comes the choice for tinted or clear lenses. I have the tinted frames personally and would recommend them for everyday use, but clear frames offer a compromise for creatives who need minimal impact on their ability to colour correct in post-production. They still have a very gradual tint, so you'll find yourself lifting them up to double tap, but the difference is very minimal with clear frames.
Hands on for that look and feel.
The build quality is premium you can feel that from the texture and balanced weight distribution when picking up the frames, in the same way the over-engineered metal hinges give a reassuringly good resistance to being pried open. The frame itself it made of thick, matt-black plastic, with some low-key metallic Gunnar branding down the side. This makes them super lightweight, although if you prefer the feel of a full metal frame, there is the option with other models.
Included in the box is also a micro-fibre cleaning cloth and cover, perfect for taking between the office and home.
The frames themselves are firm, two fingers gripped each side wont flex the front half of arms even with considerable force. The end of the arm however can comfortably bend from the very gradual curve to a 45 degree flex, without any feeling of an impending snap. Wearing them gives a tight grip, not so much to be uncomfortable, but enough that if I could actually perform a handstand they'd probably come along for the ride.
Two weeks in and they've not caused any noticeable discomfort, there was a slight tightness to them in the first few days, but as I've never worn glasses before I put it down to teething pains - similar to the first week of wearing braces except retaining the ability to pronounce the word sausages without everyone cracking a smile.
Zoom in on the details.
First thing you'll notice when you put on your Gunnar glasses is the slight adjustment in colour on the screen, I'd compare it as similar to white vs warm lighting in your home, it noticeably reduces the screen glare from large areas of bright white present in the background. There's also a slight magnification to the lenses, around 1.25x I'd guess, which Gunnar states increases focus on content at hand.
Now, personally the magnification doesn't make a huge difference to me, however I found that for some reason it's a lot easier to read list text on a white background, to the point at which taking off the glasses makes it blurr a little. I thought maybe my vision wasn't quite making the mark anymore, but reading text IRL seems unaffected, so I guess it's the tint making the light softer, that in turn makes it easier to focus.
Snapchat style filters on your favourite FPS?
So the big question that comes with a tint - how is this gonna affect my picture quality? Personally, for gaming titles, ultimately it's not. The colour adjustment is minimal, the slight zoom is actually quite handy and when your engrossed in a decent FPS the last thing you're gonna worry about is local decor being slightly different shade of white as you're redecorating the place the poor scrub who's unwilling make a 6 pint paint donation via your now empty AK-47 clip.
From a purely professional standpoint they have reduced my eye strain, which is gonna make you more productive post-lunch time when you're grinding out the last few hours of the day at work. I don't buy glasses to make myself more productive though, that's a work problem. However on the flip side if I'm leaving work and my eyes aren't burning, that's a win when the first thing I wanna do when returning home is grind my way through the rest of another 100 hour Civ V conquest.
Thoughts?
I really like the Gunnar frames, I think they're a pretty neat piece of kit, two weeks in and they're not gathering dust which speaks volumes. I don't use them everyday, some times I don't feel the need, especially on a Monday when I've spent the weekend out and about doing real people things. On a Wednesday afternoon however, when 99% of the last 48 hours have been spent in front of a screen of some variety, they're a much welcome relief to an otherwise glaring work screen.
Can you use third party apps to do the same thing? Sure, we all know they exists - which is great, but just like with all things, virtual application is no replacement for a real thing. More over though, I'd say that the glasses are just more convenient, if I wanna drop them, it's two seconds. If I wanna cross platform between my PC, my phone and my iPad it's done. Gunnar just works and it works well at what it does - plus with a few different styles it's not like you can't mix and match to what suits you.
Really it's a question of how much you value your comfort. Similar to the IKEA take on gaming chairs you can always find a cheaper alternative, but when it comes to offering a premium solution, Gunnar does offer a pretty great product and for £49.99 it isn't really that expensive when you consider just how long a conventional pair of glasses will last you.
If you do feel like it's worth the roll, or you fancy a look through the different styles, you can check out the range here: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/peripherals/eyewear/gunnar-optiks
If you do wear prescription lenses though and need them tailored to your needs, you can get more details over at Gunnar's website: https://gunnar.com/prescription/
Now I'm not saying they're gonna blow your mind, like your first time hitting that sweet, PC Master-race mind blowing 144Hz gaming experience. - Moment of silence to press 'F' for console peasants -
but somethings aren't always about adding to the gaming experience, rather making sure that you can enjoy it in total comfort from your noblechair, to your wrist rest, to that can of Redbull that keeps 2AM at bay. After all, back and eye strain are total mood killers, even for the most dedicated gamers.
So we decided to take one for the team and give Gunnar a go in the office, as on average I personally spend 9 hours in front of my PC at work, as well as gaming in the evenings. I have to have my monitors on the minimum brightness settings and even then there's some days where I can't bare to look at the screen - and unlike University, apparently procrastination in the closest bar doesn't count as "work" anymore. Who knew?
First Impressions - Intercept Onyx.
As someone who's lucky enough to have 20/20 vision, other than sunglasses, all day eye wear is something that's pretty new to me. That's not to mean I don't know the difference between dawning a pair of Oakleys in the summer sun to the £10 pair of aviators from Primark we all know and love.
I picked out the Intercept Onyx as my Gunnar of choice as they're sleek, stylish and unlike the more military inspired designs they don't look like they belong at the shooting range. Although there's a pair for every style, from low key metal frames to the Razer inspired.
Oh and each pair also comes the choice for tinted or clear lenses. I have the tinted frames personally and would recommend them for everyday use, but clear frames offer a compromise for creatives who need minimal impact on their ability to colour correct in post-production. They still have a very gradual tint, so you'll find yourself lifting them up to double tap, but the difference is very minimal with clear frames.
Hands on for that look and feel.
The build quality is premium you can feel that from the texture and balanced weight distribution when picking up the frames, in the same way the over-engineered metal hinges give a reassuringly good resistance to being pried open. The frame itself it made of thick, matt-black plastic, with some low-key metallic Gunnar branding down the side. This makes them super lightweight, although if you prefer the feel of a full metal frame, there is the option with other models.
Included in the box is also a micro-fibre cleaning cloth and cover, perfect for taking between the office and home.
The frames themselves are firm, two fingers gripped each side wont flex the front half of arms even with considerable force. The end of the arm however can comfortably bend from the very gradual curve to a 45 degree flex, without any feeling of an impending snap. Wearing them gives a tight grip, not so much to be uncomfortable, but enough that if I could actually perform a handstand they'd probably come along for the ride.
Two weeks in and they've not caused any noticeable discomfort, there was a slight tightness to them in the first few days, but as I've never worn glasses before I put it down to teething pains - similar to the first week of wearing braces except retaining the ability to pronounce the word sausages without everyone cracking a smile.
Zoom in on the details.
First thing you'll notice when you put on your Gunnar glasses is the slight adjustment in colour on the screen, I'd compare it as similar to white vs warm lighting in your home, it noticeably reduces the screen glare from large areas of bright white present in the background. There's also a slight magnification to the lenses, around 1.25x I'd guess, which Gunnar states increases focus on content at hand.
Now, personally the magnification doesn't make a huge difference to me, however I found that for some reason it's a lot easier to read list text on a white background, to the point at which taking off the glasses makes it blurr a little. I thought maybe my vision wasn't quite making the mark anymore, but reading text IRL seems unaffected, so I guess it's the tint making the light softer, that in turn makes it easier to focus.
Snapchat style filters on your favourite FPS?
So the big question that comes with a tint - how is this gonna affect my picture quality? Personally, for gaming titles, ultimately it's not. The colour adjustment is minimal, the slight zoom is actually quite handy and when your engrossed in a decent FPS the last thing you're gonna worry about is local decor being slightly different shade of white as you're redecorating the place the poor scrub who's unwilling make a 6 pint paint donation via your now empty AK-47 clip.
From a purely professional standpoint they have reduced my eye strain, which is gonna make you more productive post-lunch time when you're grinding out the last few hours of the day at work. I don't buy glasses to make myself more productive though, that's a work problem. However on the flip side if I'm leaving work and my eyes aren't burning, that's a win when the first thing I wanna do when returning home is grind my way through the rest of another 100 hour Civ V conquest.
Thoughts?
I really like the Gunnar frames, I think they're a pretty neat piece of kit, two weeks in and they're not gathering dust which speaks volumes. I don't use them everyday, some times I don't feel the need, especially on a Monday when I've spent the weekend out and about doing real people things. On a Wednesday afternoon however, when 99% of the last 48 hours have been spent in front of a screen of some variety, they're a much welcome relief to an otherwise glaring work screen.
Can you use third party apps to do the same thing? Sure, we all know they exists - which is great, but just like with all things, virtual application is no replacement for a real thing. More over though, I'd say that the glasses are just more convenient, if I wanna drop them, it's two seconds. If I wanna cross platform between my PC, my phone and my iPad it's done. Gunnar just works and it works well at what it does - plus with a few different styles it's not like you can't mix and match to what suits you.
Really it's a question of how much you value your comfort. Similar to the IKEA take on gaming chairs you can always find a cheaper alternative, but when it comes to offering a premium solution, Gunnar does offer a pretty great product and for £49.99 it isn't really that expensive when you consider just how long a conventional pair of glasses will last you.
If you do feel like it's worth the roll, or you fancy a look through the different styles, you can check out the range here: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/peripherals/eyewear/gunnar-optiks
If you do wear prescription lenses though and need them tailored to your needs, you can get more details over at Gunnar's website: https://gunnar.com/prescription/
