Editors’ Picks: Digital Discoveries

Tuan Nguyen, editor-in-chief, and Zak Storey, reviews editor, peer into the future

OCULUS RIFT LENS INSERTS

One of the most annoying things about VR goggles is using them with glasses. This is why I stopped using my Rift and Vive headsets after just two weeks of play time. If you wear contact lenses, though, you’re fine.

But now there’s a solution for us glass-wearing folks: VR Lens Lab, a company in Europe that produces prescription lens inserts. The company takes your glasses prescription and creates custom lenses that fit over the lenses in the Rift and Vive. They clip to your VR headset and deliver crisp, clear vision. VR Lens Lab can even provide you with lenses if you have astigmatism.

I customized my lenses for the Rift, as that’s the headset I use most often. You can customize your lenses to be plain-Jane lenses, or with options such as high-index, premium lenses, and something the company calls Blueguard Coating—which reduces strain from blue light. Damage came in at a very reasonable $100.

I went from virtually zero use to using the Rift every day. If you wear glasses, and love VR, you need these. VR Lens Lab currently only makes lenses for the Rift and Vive, so if you intend on using, say, a Samsung Gear VR, you’re out of luck. $100, http://vr-lens-lab.com

CORSAIR & 0DB FAN TECHNOLOGIES

I am obsessed with noise, or the lack of it. I started 2016 with a fully liquid-cooled machine, propped up by the magnificent power of the Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 2,000rpm fans, and a Corsair AX1200i. However, after a fitting failure, I decided to scrap it in favor of an AIO alternative and an aftermarket GTX 1070.

However, it still wasn’t quiet enough, so I purchased the Corsair ML120 Pros for my new build. On top of that, I installed a massive Corsair HX1000i PSU, as I knew it took advantage of 0dB fan tech until it reached 50 percent load. The difference is astronomical. Running the three ML120s off the NZXT Kraken X62 means they run whisper silent, and are easily configurable in the CAM software suite. I have them running at around 40 percent load, and can barely even hear them. The two GPUs also feature 0dB fan tech, and as I lack any spinning platter hard drives, noise is almost non-existent. At least, until I start typing.

Is this the end of my noise pursuits? Likely not. While the Corsair ML120 Pros are the things my dreams are made of, keeping the din of the GTX 1080s down while gaming is impossible. The solution may well be another go at hardline liquid-cooling. $25-760, www.corsair.com