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Super Ultrawide displays have been around since 2016, targeting an iMax-like cinema experience within a viewer’s home. ASUS is now attempting to bring the larger 32:9 monitors over to the gaming market by launching the 49-inch, curved Republic of Gamers Strix XG49VQ, complete with high-dynamic range, a high refresh rate and FreeSync 2.
As it stands, 16:9 widescreen remains the dominant aspect ratio among gamers, while 21:9 ultrawide slowly but surely gains a foothold. The larger 32:9 displays have remained a rarity as their larger resolutions often result in low refresh rates, and therefore low frame rates. The ROG Strix XG49VQ is certainly an exception, as ASUS boasts 144Hz refresh rate across its 1800R curved screen and FreeSync 2 HDR for Radeon graphics card owners.
ASUS has purposefully opted against a 1440p resolution as the 3840 x 1080 stretched Full HD resolution is significantly easier to run on most current hardware without opting for a multi-GPU setup. The screen is built with colour in mind, sporting High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, DCI-P3 90% professional colour gamut coverage, 10-bit colour depth and DisplayHDR 400 to better balance low-latency gameplay, brightness and contrast.
Unlike some competitors out there, the company promises to live up to HDR standard with its proprietary backlight technology “custom-created and configured by ROG engineers. This incorporates additional LEDs and a proprietary light-guide film to increase luminosity by over 10% ensures for a typical brightness of 450 cd/m2.”
ASUS Smart HDR technology offers a selection of preset modes that automatically configure the display for the best possible HDR output, depending on different scenarios such as cinema, gaming and FreeSync 2 HDR. This is bundled with ASUS Shadow Boost technology for clarification in dark areas of a game’s world, ASUS GamePlus hotkey technology for quick access to in-game enhancements, a built-in crosshair-overlay option, an on-screen timer, an FPS counter and an Ultra-Low Blue Light Filter – all of which can be controlled via the ASUS DisplayWidget.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG49VQ is set to launch this month for £999 here in the UK.
KitGuru Says: I can imagine the screen real-estate is perfect for work but I would question the video game support given that ultrawide still struggles at times. Still, I can imagine just how much 21:9 would benefit immersion. Do you like the look of the ROG Strix XG49VQ?
