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Checking Out "The FPS," The Latest Pair Of Gaming Glasses From Gunnar & Razer

Published Sun, 19 Mar 2017 10:45:51 -0500

I've been a fan of Gunnar for a while now. The company has become one of the most recognizable names in gaming eyewear with their designs, which have become a standard for some eSports players and professional reviewers. Last year I was able to get my hands on a pair called The Enigma, which the company paired with Game Grumps for a special promotion to highlight the new design. This time around the company is pairing with Razer to release a brand new pair of classes called The FPS, and we got our hands on a pair to review.

The two companies have worked before in the past to produce pairs specifically designed for gamers who spend long amounts of time in front of a TV or monitor. Over the years they've released models like The RPG and The Cereberus, both of which saw success in the gaming market. The difference between those two and The FPS right off the bat is that the new pair feels like an everyday kind of eyewear. The previous models looked and felt like they were more of an "in-the-moment" kind of eyewear that you immediately took off after you were finished playing. The FPS looks and feels like a design you'd wear beyond the game and even beyond regular computer use.

The temples are thin and lightweight with the tips being a part of the design and not a removable aspect. While that may not be ideal for some, it works here as there's a balance in the weight between the ears and the nose, so it doesn't feel like it's totally resting on either side. The nose pieces aren't the most ideal, in fact, they feel kind of stiff—but they're easily adjustable so that you can take away some of the strain they may cause, or push them in a better spot that won't hurt the nose. The frames themselves are the heaviest part, but even they don't seem like that much of an issue as they give enough room to look around without getting in the way.

The color of the lenses we received was amber, which is probably the best color for reading but can throw some gamers off when dealing with games that have color definition as part of the criteria. The shade actually boosts the light in the area, so you don't need to sit as close to a monitor as you normally would while taking off some of the strain. The one drawback I had with the amber is that it reflected the light and highlighted my eyes a little too well. Occasionally I would be playing a game, keeping my eye on a target or a space to the side, and would catch something moving only to see nothing there. Turns out I was catching the reflection of my own eyes in the glasses as highlighted by the light of the monitor. Occasionally spooky.

Overall, these are a fine pair of glasses. Aside from the nosepiece, which is adjustable, there really wasn't anything about this pair that caused me great amounts of pain or discomfort, even after four hours of Zelda temple hunting. But based off their design, these are primarily going to be for adults, as when I tried adjusting them to a teenage kid's head (thanks for trying, Blake), they just wouldn't fit. If you're looking for something for long-term gaming that doesn't weigh your head down, this is your pair.

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