I’ve never owned a pair of gaming glasses before, since I wear a prescription they were always a novelty and the ones I would try on I’d shove overtop my prescriptions just to get a glimpse of the blue light filtering.
So when Gunnar offered to send us a pair of their new Assassin’s Creed: Mirage gaming glasses with prescription lenses, it was finally time to actually try them.
For those who don’t know, blue light is a type of light commonly emitted by screens like your cell phone or computer monitor. Prolonged exposure to blue light allegedly causes sleep problems, eye strain, and general discomfort.
The Frame
The frames include an Assassin’s Creed: Mirage motive with the logo on the edge near the actual lenses. They’re black with a sleek orange pattern, fitting the warm colors of the game.
The frames are sturdy, but feel rigid. I obviously didn’t stress test them too hard but I feel like usual wear and tear shouldn’t be a problem, just remember to fold them up nicely.
They’re little different than your typical frames for prescription glasses, just don’t behave like an animal and they’ll hold up great. They are “Made in China”, since we know that’s relevant to some readers.
The frames fit a bit snug, but I’m a giant and have a big head. For 99% of consumers they’ll fit incredibly well. The snugness might actually be a feature, as the glasses don’t slide down too much during extended use which leaves my hand free for more APM.
The large frames are a little bulky and nerdy, but that’s my style anyways and if you’re wearing video game blue light glasses why pretend to be anything but a little nerdy? Also the larger frames makes for a more comfortable field of view, without the frames intruding too far into my periphery.
The Lenses
The glasses I was given have what looks like the amber lenses, which is pretty typical for blue light filtering glasses. Outside of gaming, you can wear them outside and pretend you’re in a Breaking Bad flashback, which is kind of a plus in my book.
I actually do feel a difference wearing this, I’m wearing them now while writing this review and our website backend is Light Mode. But I’m not squinting or even thinking about the brightness, if anything I can see more clearly and my eyes are open more widely than usual.
I used to think blue light glasses were kind of a gimmick, but this is the kind of comfort I never knew I needed.
The amber filter can feel strange when looking at things with white backgrounds, snow levels, light mode webpages, but it’s something anyone could easily get used to.
Additional Goodies
The glasses came with a magnetic box to keep them in, as well as a cloth carrying bag. Both the box and bag has the Assassin’s Creed: Mirage logo and the box even has a velvet interior with a patterned pad to rest the glasses on.
I assume the bag is for carrying on the road, but frankly I’d use both since the box is pretty low profile and should be easy to store. On the other hand the box might have some presentation or collector’s value for fans who are really into Assassin’s Creed.
Verdict
The Intercept, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage Edition gaming glasses are a great pair for fans of the series and even if you’re not a fan, Gunnar’s blue light filtering glasses feel like they do a great job of reducing eye strain.
The amber filter might be off-putting to some, but Gunnar offers a clear variant that blocks 35% of blue light (amber lenses block 65%). You can purchase your own set of Assassin’s Creed: Mirage glasses here.
If you’re not a fan of the franchise but still interested in blue light filtering glasses, Gunnar has other frames for sale here.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is now available worldwide across Windows PC (via the Epic Games Store, the Ubisoft Store, and Amazon Luna), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
Intercept, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage Edition gaming glasses were provided to Niche Gamer for review purposes. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here.
