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Gunnar Optiks: Day 6 and Aftermath
Posted by James Pikover ago.
Day 6, which was Monday, as well as days 7 and 8 were spent mainly away from a computer, amazingly. The few times I went on any PC I did use the Gunnars, but it felt similar to day 5, where they were just uncomfortable on the nose.
Now, after a few days of not wearing them or being on a computer, I found that it was bothersome to not wear them for 15 minutes. A fully white screen of checking emails and having IM chats open to make up for lost time decimated my eyes fairly quickly, and they screamed for protection.
Lo and behold, I put the Gunnar's on and all that went away in a matter of minutes. Sure, while wearing glasses my eyes get dry because I tend to leave them open for longer periods of time, but hey, at least they're not melting into my head.
The few days off proved a valuable point: the Gunnars are unnecessary for short periods, and even difficult for non-glasses wearers, but if you want any contrast or real imagery from that monitor, these are the best solution on the market.
So far, every single PR person and journalist I've spoken to not of Gunnar's office has said they were either interested in using them due to their long hours in front of a computer, or that their company has already begun handing them out. And it makes sense why.
Comments ()Posted by James Pikover ago.
It's now day 6, and day 4 and 5 have been pivotal. Day 4 was the first day when I realized why I never wore glasses in the first place: they are damned uncomfortable. It might just be me, but when I was originally told to wear glasses back so many years ago, I hated it. They irritated my ears and nose, and were always a hassle.
And yes I asked for contacts, but who gives a 10 year old contacts? Back all those years ago, nobody. Not like some punks nowadays.
Anyways, I digress. Day 4 was the first day where the irritation hit the bridge of my nose, and I debated whether or not I wanted to wear the glasses to protect my eyes, or not wear them to not have those damn imprints destroying my sinuses from the outside.
You should know, of course, that while many people wearing glasses regularly suffer from sinus problems because of their glasses (according to one optometrist), their noses aren't exactly a big problem after awhile.
Which, of course, got me thinking. Who would want to buy glasses made specifically for people who spend ungodly hours at their computers and don't already wear glasses? Getting used to these are hard enough. Do they come with a subscription?
Once again, I digress. Day 4 was spent away from the computer until late at night, when hours of Crysis Warhead (review incoming shortly) and Stalker Clear Sky (also coming shortly) were played. For the four hours I spent on both games, I had no problem with my eyes whatsoever.
It was later on, when I decided to hit a few tunes with Rock Band 2, that I didn't have the glasses on and was...let's just say "meh".
Day 5 was spent similarly, with far too much time on those two games than is recommended. While my eyes were fine, my nose was really becoming irritated.
Even now, on Day 6, I've only worn them for 20 minutes and my nose is bothering me more than it should. I can easily feel the strain on my eyes with the brightness and contrast of the monitor at 50%, and when I put my glasses on it fades away.
Perhaps there's no way to please me, but I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place on thise one.
Gunnar Optiks Day 3: A Harder Day Than Most
Posted by James Pikover ago.
They say third time's a charm. The third day with the Gunnars was the most difficult, mainly because I was set on using them every moment of my computerdom.
For those who don't know, I spend time on the road far too often, within LA. It's either here or there, all the time, so my laptop is my connection to the interwebz when I'm not at my trusty desktop.
So other than the fact that the Gunnar's aren't exactly made to be travel material and for laptop use, they looked pretty funky. Nobody came up and questioned it, but hey, it's LA.
On the laptop, they weren't very fun, especially outside. Having sit outside for about two hours, I found them to be very distracting. The Gunnars are made so you can focus on a screen easily. Not a small screen, not a standard 4:3 screen...a close up, widescreen, or possibly a set of two or three monitors. But when a 14.1" laptop is a few feet away and its sunny outside...yeah, doesn't work too well.
Anyways, more on Saturday's long day of gaming coming next time!
Gunnar Optiks: Day 2 (and more of 1)
Posted by James Pikover ago.
Before I get into day 2 of my Gunnar Optiks testing, a brief addition for day 1, which I didn't close out properly because the day didn't officially end when I wrote it up.
Normally, once I leave my home office and either go exercise or go to bed or whatever, I take a short walk for some fresh air. You know, after a long session of just sitting still, moving nothing but my fingers and eyes. As soon as I stepped outside, I noticed my eyes weren't tired, stressed or bothering me. I had slightly clearer vision as well.
Most importantly, I didn't feel tired to the point where I wanted to just close my eyes. They were beaming, and I was ready to stare into whatever abyss lay in wait. It was a very comforting feeling.
Day 2 wasn't super eventful, mainly because I'd been running around half the day and away from the computer the other half. This, of course, is when I realized a slight problem with the glasses: taking them off and putting them back on. While on day 1 I remembered to put them on every time I sat down, I had some long sessions, so it wasn't a problem. On day 2, I was jumping between five different things and it became a hassle to deal with the glasses.
I ended up forgetting to put them on a few times, leaving them in random places around the office because I didn't want to wear them on my head while away from the PC, and for 10-15 minute bursts of computer use, it's not worth it to wear the Gunnars.
Which, of course, not what they're made for. They're made to be used over long periods of time. The longest I sat in front of a single screen was my TV, working on my gaming rig, installing hardware and drivers for an hour while flipping back and forth between Goldeneye and Law and Order.
That reminds me, are these also made for use with TV's and other light-projecting screens? I don't think people with cellphones or iPhones especially will have any use for the Gunnars, but I wondered whether I should use them while watching TV.
It should be noted that using the glasses while just looking out at the world, as in outside, is not pleasant. I don't know what it is just yet, but when I do I'll let you know.
Finally, I ended day 2's testing with some time on STALKER: Clear Sky (yes, review incoming) and was somewhat disappointed. The colors are dulled out pretty significantly because of the Gunnars, which was expected. They give everything a tungsten haze, which suffice to say is not good for anything that isn't Gears of War or is just muddled with different shades of brown.
Check back later for Day 3!
Posted by James Pikover ago.
Here's a new idea: write about something while testing it, because it takes time to use. While it's certainly not new, considering the product in question, it feels like a worthy cause.
Gunnar Optiks, a company based out of San Diego, makes glasses specifically for use on the computer, or other light-emiting screens, such as cellphones, TV's, etc. Stuff that normally people stare at for long periods of time and irritates the eyes. After speaking with them about the glasses, they sent over a pair for me to test out.
I was warned that it would take some time to adjust, anywhere from a day to a week. That adjusting to the glasses would be like getting used to wearing normal lenses for bad vision, something I've experienced in the past and found very uncomfortable.
Considering my spree of 5-8 hours in front of a bright and not-so-beautiful monitor or laptop as of late, I figured I should get started right away. And now I'm extremely fatigued.
It arrived at roughly 11am this morning, when I wasn't there to receive it. I started wearing them at about 1:30 for half an hour and was immediately thrown off by the difference. The difference isn't great, but you feel it immediately.
Nathan May over at Gunnar said that this would happen, that everyone says they feel the difference right away, but that the real benefits come after your eyes truly adjust. And I'm going through the growing pains now.
From about 3-7 I was on my computer, blogging and typing away, wearing the glasses all the while (yes, I got up intermittently). I had to take a break about 45 minutes in because my eyes became extremely dry and irritated, and I literally sat outside and just stared into the clear sky for 15 minutes, blinking aplenty. When I felt better, I went back in and didn't get up again for more than a few minutes.
At about 8, I noticed my left eye was irritated, just under my eye by the bone. I'm not entirely certain that the strain my eyes had caused this, but it is possible.
What I've really noticed is how the glasses cut alot of the brightness out of the monitor, which I find especially great. Normally, I set my monitor for the lowest contrast and brightness because after 20 minutes of even half brightness, my eyes are watering. With the Gunnar's, I've had it at 50-50 for brightness-contrast. And no problems.
However, it has made it very difficult to concentrate today, and I feel the beginnings of a headache coming on, as well as slightly blurry vision. Most likely from the added strain Nathan said I would feel, nothing that a good night's rest (when does that ever happen) wouldn't fix.
In any case, day 1 looks good. Tomorrow, I'll use them for the full day to see how well they perform both inside and out.
DJ Hero To...Make Us Want to be DJ's
Posted by James Pikover ago.
Guitar Hero didn't really work. Not in terms of what Harmonix set out to do, anyways. Most people play the game and are psyched...to play more of the same, not to go out and buy a real guitar and learn how to play it. Having spoken to many real (and some professional) guitarists, they can't play Guitar Hero well at all, even on easy. Sad, no?
Rock Band could turn out to be a different story entirely. With drums, it's much closer to the real thing, can be upgraded to have 7 pieces (instead of the average 4) and real drummers play it and play it well.
What about all those kids who've dreamed about being DJ's? Should we leave them out in the cold? No, says Activision, who recently bought out FreeStyleGames and now is working on DJ Hero. Meaning they're going to make a DJ Hero controller...
Yes, let the thought sink in. Activision and FreeStyleGames is going to have to make a controller that simulates mixing. Now this, I've got to see.
Rock Band Instruments: What's Quieter?
Posted by James Pikover ago.
It's not every day that a new game brings about new hardware. Rock Band and Guitar Hero are the only real exceptions, because they do so well that new hardware isn't just required, its wanted and craved. But how much better is the hardware? Based on what we've seen at E3 and our playtest of Rock Band 2 for our preview, we can safely say that they work great.
But how much quieter are they, really? For anyone who hasn't broken their drumset playing too hard already (yes, the can shattered on the inside), the drums can be pretty loud, but so can the guitars. Sure, the Stratocasters are nothing in comparison to the noise-inducing Guitar Hero Les Pauls, but they still help deafen us still playing guitars.
Joystiq goes through all the scientific data to find out just what the difference is between the second generation of Rock Band 2 hardware, and their findings are mostly what we expected, but also somewhat surprising. Hit the jump to take a look at their easy-to-understand charts and diagrams that will make you feel even warmer and fuzzier inside because you pre-ordered the full kit.
Posted by James Pikover ago.
Hey all, time for a personal note. The last few weeks, there hasn't been much hardware news coming out of us, specifically yours truly. Techmologimacal difficulties were partly the cause, with all 3 of my machines breaking down on me in a 30 minute period. One still isn't fixed, and that would be the best one (our test machine, 2.4GHz Q6600 Quad Core, 3GB RAM @800MHz, 8800GTS 512MB [to be upgraded to a 9600GT 512MB if the machine doens't need to be replaced entirely], and not much else.
Because of these difficulties, we've been lacking a bit in hardware reviews. The few reviews we have had, such as the Nyko 360 Charge Base and Razer Lachesis Keyboard, weren't bad off. The Charge Base doesn't need a PC, and we sat on the Lachesis review for far too long.
Don't worry though, we're running at nearly full capacity now, so you'll have your news and more hardware reviews coming down the chute, including a few surprises, starting today. Stay tuned.
Microsoft Announces x8 Wireless Gaming Mouse
Posted by James Pikover ago.
Just a few short weeks before the release of the SideWinder x5, Microsoft announces the x8, a wireless gaming mouse that doubles the DPI of the previously announced mouse. Other than being wireless, it comes with a whopping 4000 DPI, features 30 hours of play per charge, has three different changeable settings, seven programmable buttons, 3 sets of different mouse feet, and an easy to use play-and-charge kit.
It runs on a 2.4GHz frequency, similar to the Xbox 360's controllers, so we can assume it will be just as stable, though the mouse sends much more data than a controller could ever hope to do. We'll be interested to see if it makes a decent wireless gaming mouse. There aren't enough of those.
Microsoft Announces Sidewinder X5 Keyboard and X6 Mouse
Posted by James Pikover ago.
Microsoft, known well for many a product, has just released information about the new Sidewinder X5 Keyboard and X6 Mouse. Here's the skinny:
"The SideWinder X6 Keyboard is the first gaming keyboard created by Microsoft from the ground up, and the only gaming keyboard on the market with a switchable key pad for powerful versatility. The X6 Keyboard’s key pad does double duty, with connectors on either side of the keyboard that allow gamers to attach it on the right or left side. Mode switching lets gamers manually toggle the keyboard from standard mode to either of two gaming modes, where the Windows Key is deactivated and the key pad becomes a fully-programmable Macro pad. The X6 Keyboard also includes two-color adjustable backlighting, controlled by a dial right on the keyboard to offer fine tuning of the gaming experience and it will be available for an estimated retail price of $79.95."
"The SideWinder X5 Mouse is the perfect choice for mainstream gamers looking for a competitive edge. This fast, durable, nine-button gaming mouse is designed for gamers with vertical side buttons, five customizable buttons, and a Quick-Launch button that offers one-touch access to the Windows Vista Games Explorer. The 2,000 DPI laser tracking engine allows gamers to choose from six DPI settings and instantly switch between high, medium and low sensitivity with one click – in-game, any time. The comfortable shape designed for gaming offers superb handling and control, while the wide rubber scroll wheel offers better response with detent clicking action. All these top features will be available for an estimated retail price of $59.95."
'nuff said. And yes, that keyboard and mouse do look awesome. Drool away.
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