As the technology age has progressed and most people have found themselves staring at screens for most – or all – of their waking hours, consumers have wrestled with the problems of clarity, glare, eye strain, and fatigue. This, in particular, has been a problem for gamers, who tend to need a clear vision and pain-free eyes to play at their best. Thus the invention of “gaming glasses” began, and many different companies have thrown their hat into the ring. I received two pairs of glasses from NoScope Tech to try out, and as a skeptic, I was pleasantly surprised.
For years, I’ve seen the ads for various gaming glasses: “HD Vision! Crystal clear gaming!” I couldn’t figure out what exactly the glasses would do to help you see a screen better. Turns out they function by filtering out most of the blue light from your devices, which is the main culprit of eye strain and eye fatigue. Studies in the last few years have shown that the blue light emitted by device screens has caused insomnia and poor sleeping patterns; this is due to your body interpreting the blue light as daylight, and tricking itself into feeling awake. That is the first thing you’ll notice about the glasses: they make everything almost oppressively yellow, and the blues are noticeably muted – but not unpleasantly so.
Product: “Gemini” / “Golem” gaming glasses
Manufacturer: NoScope
Price: $29.99 for Gemini / $24.99 for Golem
Two pairs of glasses were provided by NoScope for this review.
NoScope Tech sent me both the “Gemini” Professional Gaming glasses and the “Golem” Gaming glasses. They function identically, but the Golem was designed for people who already wear prescription glasses. It fits directly onto your face over your glasses, so you don’t need to worry about prescription gaming glasses or not seeing without your glasses. The Gemini glasses are a standard pair of glasses, and they’re quite sleek. Unfortunately, I’m a fairly big guy – I stand at 6 feet and 5 inches, and I have a large head to match the height. The Gemini glasses were far too small for me – the sides started to bend and it was uncomfortable to wear. This, of course, is not the fault of the glasses, and when I asked my brother to try them, he enjoyed them a great deal. He even forgot they were on after a few games of Heroes of the Storm.
I wear contacts and not glasses, but because of the size issue, I wore the Golem pair. They fit beautifully! They’re far bulkier, but I still thought they looked pretty slick. The fit was comfortable and relaxed, and the scope of view was fantastic – they even have small ports on the side so the blue light can’t sneak through by your ears.
I played several hours of a few games over the course of a week and tried to see what effects I would notice. I’m a big fan of Hearthstone, so it probably saw the most use of the glasses. It took me a while to get used to the slightly muted colors, but you stop noticing after a while. I definitely noticed the most difference playing Hearthstone on my tablet before bed – my eyes didn’t feel worn out when I was done, and I didn’t have the sharp adjustment to total darkness that I usually do when the lights go out. Heroes of the Storm saw the second most of the glasses, as I play with my brother very often. I also reviewed Invisible Inc. this week and used them for that, as well as a couple of rounds of Nazi Zombies from the oldie-but-goodie Call of Duty: World at War.
Competitive eSports players are always wearing some form of gaming glasses, and I see no reason it shouldn’t be a NoScope. They’re stylish, far cheaper than competing brands, and work exactly as advertised. I can’t imagine the eye strain and fatigue they have to go through with all the tournaments, and any way to reduce it has to be a huge plus to them.
My main takeaway from the glasses was the reduced eye strain. Once you’re used to the color shift, there’s a notable lack of fatigue in watching and playing games, which I found very surprising. I never realized before how much straining we tend to do while gaming, especially when it’s a fast-moving game or something very intensive. The build of the glasses is sturdy but light – I forgot I was wearing them after a while, which is the highest compliment I can pay them. They came with a great little sleeve to store them in, so not having to worry about losing them or damaging them on the desk is an added perk. I didn’t notice any clarity or improved performance due to these, however.
NoScope Tech has created a great pair of gaming glasses – as long as your goal is to reduce eye strain and be comfortable while you do it. The slightly muted colors and yellow-shift in vision take a while to get used to, but it’s a worthwhile trade-off if you suffer from strain or fatigue.
You can check out these and the rest of NoScope’s offerings on their store page.
