BenQ launches complete range of 4K gaming projectors

Spun off from parent company Acer back in 2000, BenQ is most widely known for its gaming monitors and Zowie eSports products. For the holiday season however, BenQ is completing the launch of a range of projectors aimed squarely at console gamers who want to convert entire walls within their homes into immersive gaming environments – with prices ranging from £1,490 for the up-coming X300G and £1,499 for the X500i through to £2,099 for the X3100i. At those prices, these units aren’t cheap, but the ability to create a 150” 4K gaming experience in your own home might prove attractive for hardcore PlayStation and Xbox lovers.

A quick look around the main retail sites will show you that 4K TVs larger than 75” are rare, so projector systems are the practical solution for really large scale gaming. The demonstration KitGuru saw in London, was given in a reasonable well lit room, and the images were clear and bright. Dropping the ambient lighting to ‘cinema-levels of darkness' really made the projected images come alive.

All 3 of these X-series projectors have been calibrated for cinematic colour accuracy. They also offer HDR Pro with dynamic contrast and tone mapping. The projectors actively work to pull extra detail in darker gaming scenes. The X500i and X300G cover 84% DCI-P3, while the X3100i delivers 100%. They all offer 500,000:1 contrast ratios. They also have some additional features, like the ability to overlay accurate crosshairs. You'd have to decide for yourself if that counts as ‘gamer assistance' or ‘outright cheating'.

Input lag is a fraction over 4ms, which BenQ claims that humans interpret as ‘zero delay’ when gaming. The projectors also detect which of your devices is being connected and then automatically adjusts to your previous game mode configurations for a personalised experience. If you are unsure as to which settings might be best for a particular game/console combination, BenQ provides a library of ready-made profiles. You can also share your set up preferences with other gamers, if you choose.

In terms of audio, their internal electronics support uncompressed 7.1 channel and Dolby Atmos – with the two higher projectors having an SPDIF connector. The improvements in speaker and projector specifications between the 3 models is highlighted clearly in their respective weights – from 3Kg and 3.6Kg, right up to 6.8Kg for the X3100i.

These new projectors all use the latest 4K LED technology, with the X500i and 300G able to throw a full 4K image up on a screen that’s less that 2 metres away. To get the full 150” image needs a distance of at least 2.3m for those two projectors and at least 3.8m for the X3100i. This kind of LED technology also promises a longer lifespan without replacements – as much as 30,000 hours – which would be two 2.5 hour films a day for more than 16 years.

BenQ has identified four kinds of gamer and created profiles for its new projectors that provide hardware support for each of the following categories. Note that first 3 modes are available on all of the projectors, but the RCG mode is only available on the top end X3100i:-

• RPG Mode
  Emphasis on cinematic realism with projected images and a solid bass emphasis with the built in speaker system
• SPG Mode
  For those who love playing sports games, this profile pushes the surround sound aspects of the game’s audio
• FPS Mode
  Here the focus is on crystal sharp visuals and audio – to help you assess and deal with threats quickly
• RCG Mode
  Fast motion sports, like driving games, will benefit from RCH Mode, with the audio tuned to engine and road noises

Netflix has been built in for those times when you just want to chill with a show and popcorn.

KitGuru says: You can find out more about gaming with BenQ 4K projectors over here.

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