SteelSeries Desmo
I’ve been a big fan of GUNNAR Optiks glasses and SteelSeries has a pretty good in the Scopes. A few months ago, SteelSeries came out with their second GUNNAR glasses called the Desmo, which consists of a different design but the same great lenses.
The Desmo is a much larger pair of glasses when compared to the Scopes. Let’s talk a little bit about dimensions first. They feature nice flat temples with a length of 122MM. The design of the temples allow for you to wear large headphones and not interfere with them. The metal temples are covered with an orange plastic sleeve that helps with the comfort of wearing the Desmo.
Each curved lens is 56mm wide and 35mm high. That translates to a very large area that minimizes any distractions caused by a part of the glasses. To aid in this as well, the Desmo feature an almost rimless design. There are four attachment points on each lens: two for the temple and two for the bridge The “rimless” design isn’t new, as I used to have a pair of Gargoyles back in they day that was like this, but it’s something that I do like.
The bridge area features a solid black piece and small nose pads. The nose pads, while small, are comfortable and I didn’t mind them being a little smaller than my other glasses. As mentioned earlier, only four small screws keep the bridge and the two lenses held together.
The lens feature a yellow tint and when you look through them, there’s a minor magnification effect. I won’t go into the benefits of the lenses as I’ve extolled the benefits and easier viewing of the GUNNAR lenses. Suffice to say, wearing a pair of GUNNAR glasses has eased my eye strain tremendously and that’s very important to me since I spend so much time in front of a monitor. It’s still advisable to take breaks, but I can concentrate longer on the screen if need be. I did have wear them consistently for a week or two to start feeling the benefits though and there’s a chance you won’t feel better after using a pair of GUNNARs for a while, but in my experience my eyes have really benefited from wearing a pair.
Now what’s nice about the Desmo for gamers is that the pair is made for that demographic with the flat temples and large lenses. The feel very light on the face yet they seem to have a solid hold when being worn. They definitely don’t feel like they are going to fall off the face.
The style is a hit or miss though with people. I’ve shown them to a large group of friends and the feelings on if they look good are all over the place. Suffice to say, the style wasn’t one that elicited a consistent response. They almost look like racquetball goggles, based on their size and shape. For me, I think the style is OK, and I do like the large lenses minimizing any distractions when wearing them.
At $99.99, they are priced in the mid-range of GUNNAR glasses. They are priced the same as the Scope, but are a radically different design. While the design can be a hit or miss, the benefits of wearing a pair are real for a lot of people, including me. Those that need a prescription pair can get one, at an increased cost. If you want a good solid pair of GUNNARs, the Desmo is a good choice. You’ll be able to concentrate on the screen and have very minimal eye wear parts obstructing your vision.
The Desmo is a much larger pair of glasses when compared to the Scopes. Let’s talk a little bit about dimensions first. They feature nice flat temples with a length of 122MM. The design of the temples allow for you to wear large headphones and not interfere with them. The metal temples are covered with an orange plastic sleeve that helps with the comfort of wearing the Desmo.
Each curved lens is 56mm wide and 35mm high. That translates to a very large area that minimizes any distractions caused by a part of the glasses. To aid in this as well, the Desmo feature an almost rimless design. There are four attachment points on each lens: two for the temple and two for the bridge The “rimless” design isn’t new, as I used to have a pair of Gargoyles back in they day that was like this, but it’s something that I do like.
The bridge area features a solid black piece and small nose pads. The nose pads, while small, are comfortable and I didn’t mind them being a little smaller than my other glasses. As mentioned earlier, only four small screws keep the bridge and the two lenses held together.
The lens feature a yellow tint and when you look through them, there’s a minor magnification effect. I won’t go into the benefits of the lenses as I’ve extolled the benefits and easier viewing of the GUNNAR lenses. Suffice to say, wearing a pair of GUNNAR glasses has eased my eye strain tremendously and that’s very important to me since I spend so much time in front of a monitor. It’s still advisable to take breaks, but I can concentrate longer on the screen if need be. I did have wear them consistently for a week or two to start feeling the benefits though and there’s a chance you won’t feel better after using a pair of GUNNARs for a while, but in my experience my eyes have really benefited from wearing a pair.
Now what’s nice about the Desmo for gamers is that the pair is made for that demographic with the flat temples and large lenses. The feel very light on the face yet they seem to have a solid hold when being worn. They definitely don’t feel like they are going to fall off the face.
The style is a hit or miss though with people. I’ve shown them to a large group of friends and the feelings on if they look good are all over the place. Suffice to say, the style wasn’t one that elicited a consistent response. They almost look like racquetball goggles, based on their size and shape. For me, I think the style is OK, and I do like the large lenses minimizing any distractions when wearing them.
At $99.99, they are priced in the mid-range of GUNNAR glasses. They are priced the same as the Scope, but are a radically different design. While the design can be a hit or miss, the benefits of wearing a pair are real for a lot of people, including me. Those that need a prescription pair can get one, at an increased cost. If you want a good solid pair of GUNNARs, the Desmo is a good choice. You’ll be able to concentrate on the screen and have very minimal eye wear parts obstructing your vision.
As for reducing eye strain, the Desmo does its job well. Style is a little radical and might not appeal to all. They aren't priced too bad and a prescription option is availabe.
Rating: 8.5 Very Good
* The product in this article was sent to us by the developer/company.
About Author
I've been reviewing products since 1997 and started out at Gaming Nexus. As one of the original writers, I was tapped to do action games and hardware. Nowadays, I work with a great group of folks on here to bring to you news and reviews on all things PC and consoles.
As for what I enjoy, I love action and survival games. I'm more of a PC gamer now than I used to be, but still enjoy the occasional console fair. Lately, I've been really playing a ton of retro games after building an arcade cabinet for myself and the kids. There's some old games I love to revisit and the cabinet really does a great job at bringing back that nostalgic feeling of going to the arcade.
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