You’ve probably noticed I haven’t updated the site much recently. Wondered why? Well read on and find out.
Straight to the point
Let me start this review backwards. I going to spoil the ending for you – sorry about that.
I now use Game Eyez EVERYTIME I play games and they have rejuvenated my gaming experience!
No, really, I’m not just spouting marketing spiel. These gaming glasses really make playing enjoyable for me again. I can play as long as I want to not as long as my tired eyes allow me.
These glasses rock. If you can afford them, care for your optical health (Oooo, that sounds good!) and want to play for a long time with no eye strain then seriously consider purchasing these glasses.
Back to the beginning
I haven’t updated the site much recently because I have actually been playing games! SHOCKED! You should be. I spend less time playing games than most people. Why? Because over the last few years my gaming sessions have been getting shorter and shorter. I assumed it was becasue I was getting older. I went to the optician 2 years ago and they sold me some glasses with 0.5 and 0.25 strength lenses. So, not exactly fishbowls but enough for me to notice when playing. I only use them when I use the computer and sometimes when I am tired, although it’s more for reassurance than any actual benefit!
When I heard about these glasses I couldn’t wait to try them.
The Package Arrives
The doorbell rang and there stood the postwoman waiting with my glasses. Two seconds after signing the slip and closing the door I am ripping open the package and holding the case.
Getting slightly concerned that the weight of the said case seemed too light, I slowly unzip it. Instead I am relieved to find a pair of minimally designed gaming glasses. Often when we hold something we equate weight with quality but not always. At first I was a little disappointed that they weighed almost nothing but after wearing them for many, many hours I am glad that the designers made this a priority.
Shock to the System
Okay, I have to admit that the first time I wore them I was really freaked out. Everything has a yellow tinge. Again, I have to admit that I didn’t like it. I thought that I would never be able to become accustomed to them. I kept thinking about those old shops that have the yellow plastic in the window to stop the sun fading everything. I have this impression of old and decrepit. Funny how we associate things with our childhood.
Anyway, it didn’t take long for me to actually forget I was wearing them. I don’t know if it’s supposed to happen but I think my brain compensates and adjusts what I see to what I think I should be seeing. After a little while I don’t notice any colour shift, although it may still be there.
The website will give you all the scientific background and technical explanation, so I I won’t waste you time with it here. Let me tell you what they actually do!
Back to Gaming
As I mentioned in my brief introduction I have started to play more. I can do this becasue wearing the glasses prevents my eyes from getting tired and spoiling the game. I have an decent monitor and graphics card, so I can’t blame them for any trouble I had, it can only be my eyes.
After playing for an hour I used to stop and rub my eyes and take a break. Now I can play for almost as long as I want to. Admittedly it’s shorter than I used to play but that’s just my attention span and other non-gaming tasks, not my tired eyes.
I don’t know if I play better when wearing them but being a bad player to start with I never expected to suddenly become an expert player!
The Cost
Let’s talk cost. $165 is not exactly small change but when you consider your optical health (Hey, I can use it as much as I want!) and the amount your gaming costs it falls into perspective.
Serious gamers would do well to re-evaluate their long term needs – new graphics cards or optical health. I don’t have any scientific basis for claiming that using Game Eyez will help maintain your sight, but I certainly feel better for using them.
The Negatives
Of course there are some. Every product has them. Firstly they are not cheap but not expensive either, not when you consider the long term benefits. The case could be higher quality but I don’t know how important that will be for most people. They may NEVER transport them. I know I certainly haven’t taking off my desk yet.
First impressions. I had a friend visit my house who knows nothing about gaming and on picking them up asked what they were. I replied “What do you think they are?”. He replied they were cheap cycling glasses. That’s not to say they feel or look cheap but becasue they are so light and minimalist it’s hard to realize it’s all in the lenses.
Non Gaming?
I don’t use them for non-gaming but that’s just a habit I have fallen into rather than a conscious decision. Looking a yellow background when using a text editor is still a little strange for me.
I do use them sometimes when watching my new 32″ LCD TV screen (A present!). Again it seems a little strange but after 5 minutes I forget I have them on. I don’t watch TV for more than an hour continuously so I don’t know whether they make a difference or not.
Another reason I only wear them for gaming is because it makes me feel more focused. To non-competitive readers that may sound strange, but it’s not. Professional sportsman and woman go through a particular routine before preforming. This preparation helps remove distraction and focus the mind on the task at hand. There are many techniques for this touching a wall before entering an arena, saying a few choices words, application of equipment etc. For me putting the glasses on separates gaming from real life. Stupid? Maybe but it works for me.
Conclusion (Again)
The Game Eyez glasses have really made a difference to my gaming. I highly recommend to all gamers who either take their gaming seriously and for player who spend more than a couple of hours playing games.
Whilst they are not cheap they will probably make more difference than a new graphics card. I can’t guarantee they will make as much a difference to you as they did to me but reading this may help you.
Official website: Game Eyez
Your Comments and reviews
I am particularly interested to hearing you experiences with these glasses, both positive and negative, so please uses the comment form to share them.
Post Review Notes
Just a few post review notes below.
Image Quality
Apologies for the low image quality of the photographs presented. I did them myself with the only camera I own; a 7 year-old Fuji. Couple that with being a terrible photographer and what you see it probably the best I was ever going to get. I took many, many photographs and those were the best, so that tells you something!
Journalistic Integrity
I want to be clear about something. Everything I have written I truly believe and I stand by my words. I haven’t been paid to write this review and I will be adding some advertising banners for the game Eyez through choice and for zero revenue.
Hardware Reviews
If you are a manufacturer or distributor of a product that you believe will interest my readers then please contact me. I am interested in reviewing more hardware, especially mice, mouse mats, and other smaller accessories.
Just be prepared for a straightforward and honest review. If I don’t like your product I will tell my readers!
PlanetPhillip (2296)
andyb (1013)
Mel (801)
Goddess Alyria (424)
Stef (391)
Jasper (322)
AI (311)
piledriver (311)
Kasperg (278)
Grey Acumen (253)
17 February 2008 at 8:34 pm
Excellent and informative review. Thanks.
17 February 2008 at 10:07 pm
If it wasn’t for the price tag I would consider buying these. I don’t have problems with my eyes now at 23, but the amount I stare at a screen I’m bound to ruin them some day soon so I think these would help preserve them.
18 February 2008 at 4:57 pm
Yes, very interesting and once I get over the expense of house moving I will purchase a pair. Old gamers need all the help they can get.
18 February 2008 at 8:57 pm
It’s quite interesting that whenever you post an entry that is fifty words plus it’s, most of the time, for polls, speculative projects, blog upgrades, product placements or fundraisers. What ever happened to the original focus of SP FPS reviews? And ones that you didn’t squeeze from visitors.
It’s your site so you’re, of course, free to do whatever you want. But, it seems you’re still struggling to keep or obtain an audience with gimmicks like polls and competitions when what would be best, in my opinion, is to provide the content users visit the page to read about. Rather than be over indulged with design that make the accessibility and usability of the site absent. Your greatest success would be to actually have an interesting game review once and awhile and down the road you might not be lacking those page hits or returning users.
More coverage on games, less on the other stuff please.
19 February 2008 at 12:06 am
They look good, but are very expensive, for my pocket at least. Is there any good, cheaper alternatives?
19 February 2008 at 3:29 am
Well…very interesting…of course the glasses are expensive…but your eyes too…!
Funny this…:
http://www.fb-111a.net/goggles.html …:-D…!
19 February 2008 at 11:17 am
“Ooh, I seem to have developed ‘gaming eyezz’, mother!” Smells like another pseudo-solution to some new invented ‘problem’. I once played CSS: Zombie Survival for five hours solid – and my head almost exploded like that guy in “Scanners”. And you know what made it better? Simply unplugging my fat nerdy gamer fanboy a$$ from the damn Machine and getting some decent shuteye. Whatever next, Phil? “I played HL2 for too long and got bad piles – but now thanks to ‘Gaming Buttz’ my problems are over!”
IMHO – stick to the reviews, son. (Either that and go all out and place large, lurid blipverts for other dubious products all over your cool website..)
19 February 2008 at 12:54 pm
Fristly, I don’t appreciate being referred to as son.
Secondly, you are entitled to your opinion and whilst it clearly isn’t the same as mine I respect your right to express it.
However, your tone and examples almost caused be to simply delete the entire comment.
If I spent 12 hours of non-stop gaming and then complained of tired eyes I wouldn’t really have any complaints. I’m talking about playing for less than an hour.
If a product helps me play for as long as I want then that is a good product. Whether you personally think people should be playing games for so long is beside the point.
Did you buy an uncomfortable chair for your gaming simply to ensure you don’t play for too long? Probably not, if you have the choice of a comfortable chair when playing games then I don’t see how that is any different from having glasses that make playing comfortable.
The same goes for all accessories and equipment.
You comment does raise valid points about how long certain members of society spend playing games and not enough time doing physical activity but I don’t believe that it relates directly to this product.
If you refer back to Poll Question 24 you will see that most players who voted play for between 1 and 3 hours. I don’t believe that is excessive (Although that depends on many factors).
Previous to me using these glasses I couldn’t play for much more than an hour.
Are you suggesting that after every hour I need to get my fat posterior out of my chair and do some physical exercise when you have not idea of my schedule or fitness level?
I am ranting now, partly becasue I am angry and partly becasue you are right.
Players shouldn’t play for too long and they should balance gaming with real physical activity but that doesn’t mean gaming should has to hurt.
19 February 2008 at 8:40 pm
Chill, oh mightly Phil!Sry dude I was only (lightly) pulling your electronic leg. My intention isn’t to tr0ll. Not only do we all enjoy your site and come here whenever possible, but we respect your viewpoint and admire the consummate style and easy-going professionalism with which you transmit these views to an eager online public.
I stand (lens) corrected; not only are these cyberpunk devices in fact the finest invention for potentially Cartman-sized gamers since Cheez Whiz, but I fully intend to purchase said ophthalmic solution at the nearest available opportunity..
“What I claim is to live to the full the contradiction of my time, which may well make sarcasm the pre-condition of truth.”
- Roland Barthes
20 February 2008 at 10:40 am
I’m wearing glasses for more than 20 years but, especially with racing games, i can’t play more than one hour do you think Phillip that this kind of glasses could be used with any correction? In other words is it just a glasses treatment that is featable for any glasses or is it limited?
20 February 2008 at 12:18 pm
I concur with Stef : I am already wearing corrective glasses (or spectacles for those of the english persuasion). They do help against screen fatigue and I need them for clearsightedness. Do you think an adaptable yellow screen (as exists for range target practice) would help? I obviously can’t stack two pairs.
Besides, I must say I was quite nonplussed by some nasty comments. You do a great job here and it’s evident you’re not playing Mr Salesman. Keep going.
21 February 2008 at 7:41 pm
Would adjusting the colour temperature of the monitor be a better, more cost-effective idea?
Most monitors are by default set to something ridiculous like 8000K, whereas 6500K is considered ’standard’ for the basic sRGB colour space. The higher number looks ‘brighter’, but it’s also much bluer – and more conducive to eyestrain. The lower, yellower temperature may look weird at first, but your eyes will very quickly adapt. Switching back will be painful.
Microsoft Windows is pretty crap at proper colour calibration in general, but I’ve calibrated the screens on both my Macs and things look *lovely*. No expensive plastic glasses needed…
08 April 2009 at 12:29 am
Looks like they shut down game-eyez.