PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Gaming as a spectator sport is getting big; in fact, bigger than some physical sports. Statistics show that the number of frequent esports viewers reached 143 million in 2017. This is projected to increase to 286 million in 2020, with another 303 million occasional viewers on top. It comes as no surprise that in this continuously growing market, esports teams have equally developed into professional businesses providing only the best conditions for the rosters they field.
The competitive nature of any sport means that the teams competing are training with the best possible equipment without breaking game rules. For esports, this means not only a powerful PC setup but also high-quality peripherals. These include fast, precise input devices but also equally fast, lag-free, sharp, and accurate monitors. Especially in FPS games, a small mistake in a fraction of a millisecond could mean the death of one’s character in-game, which could translate into losing a tournament.
Manufacturers are also taking note and acting on the immense growth of esports. For example, display specialist AOC – which has already supported many gaming tournaments and events from ESL to the UK Esports Awards – has become one of the main partners of one of the world’s premier esports clubs, G2 Esports.
It is not only the input devices and twitch reflexes that bring the winning cup to the competing teams, but teamwork, situational awareness, and fast and correct visual (and auditory) feedback are also important. These are greatly impacted by the player’s equipment such as a clear sounding headset with good aural separation or a fast, responsive, low input-lag and high refresh rate monitor with stutter-free and tear-free technologies such as AMD’s FreeSync and NVIDIA’s G-SYNC.
One of the fields where impeccable display performance is crucial is competitive gaming. Carlos ‘ocelote’ Rodriguez, founder and CEO of G2 Esports, asserts: “The involvement of professional players in developing the best gaming displays is essential and we are more than happy to lend our worldwide stars to assist AOC in achieving perfection. We’ve just received our premium AGON series AG251FZ displays and we are certain that these monitors, with their lightning-fast refresh rate, will be a crucial part of our optimal training environment.”
It was a fine meme back in the day, but any PC gamer who played on a “real gaming monitor” would say that the fact “the human eye can’t perceive over 60 (or even 30) frames per second” is simply not true. In especially fast-moving plays where tracking multiple objects at once is a must, less time spent by a monitor displaying a new frame means more up-to-date information can be processed, which results in more accurate predictions by our brains.
Nowadays, responsive, high-refresh rate monitors are one of the better examples of definite improvements, yet some would still call them subjective. For a gamer, getting the best graphics card wouldn’t immediately translate into the best visual experience in the game. In the end it doesn’t matter if the GPU can push 300 fps or more in a game, if the monitor is only capable of a 60 Hz refresh rate and has sluggish pixel responsiveness – which will result in perceivable and annoying artifacts such as blur, tearing or stuttering and more input lag if V-Sync is enabled to get rid of tearing.
Gamers who didn’t think of buying a new monitor beforehand now just can’t help but up their hardware. In 2018, we have a great range of gaming monitors on the market with budget options from affordable to premium displays.
As a good option for gaming monitors, AOC recently announced its new G1 series curved monitors, which support 144 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time) and Low Input Lag mode. Equipped with VA (Vertical Alignment) panels, these monitors can push high framerates, support AMD’s FreeSync and at the same time deliver accurate colours, high contrast and wide viewing angles. They’re visually appealing as well, boasting an immersive curvature (with a 1500 mm or 1800 mm radius), a futuristic-looking ergonomic stand and almost invisible bezels.
Remember when FPS players had to mark the centre of the screen to have a non-removable cross-hair to aim at? Well, on the G1 Series it’s a toggle-able option called “dial point”, just one of AOC’s gaming-specific features. These monitors are one of the most complete packages for gaming at a decent price of £179, £219 and £259 for 24”, 27” and 32” sizes respectively.
AOC’s real treasure lies in its premium gaming monitors, the AGON line-up. These high-end displays range from 24” to 35” and boast 144 Hz refresh rate models as well as competitive 240 Hz refresh rate variants for fast-paced FPS titles. Equipped with either G-SYNC or AMD FreeSync, 1 ms response time, and an ultralow input lag, the AGON line targets gamers who are looking for a long-term solution not only for gaming, but also for comfort. Their robust yet elegant design means they can handle the toughest conditions in competitive play, and are filled with smart features, a USB 3.0 hub, headset holder, and a height adjustable stand.
For those who prefer an even more affordable option, AOC has updated its mainstream gaming offering with the refreshed G90 line-up in January this year. These start from just £159 for the 24” G2590VXQ.
If you want to have the best visual experience in gaming and are on the road to becoming a member of the competitive esports scene, there is no better time to check out a new display. You won’t believe how much of a difference it will make.
For more information visit https://eu.aoc.com/en/gaming/
This article is partner content from AOC.
