Wednesday, January 4th 2017
Acer Announces Three More Predator Monitors; G-Sync, 200 Hz+
At CES 2017, Acer announced three new Predator displays that boast very high refresh rates of 200Hz or higher, while also featuring G-Sync support so as to improve your gaming experience.
The Acer Predator XB252Q and Predator XB272 displays are nearly identical: 1920x1080 resolution with a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz, G-Sync, and a low 1ms response time. As you might have already guessed, in order to achieve refresh rates this high, Acer opted to use TN panel technology, which makes the displays able to represent 100% of the sRGB color spectrum (which only amounts to 72% of the NTSC color gamut, but this is par of the course for TN-based panels). The only difference between both displays is that the Predator 252Q measures 24.5 inches and the Predator XB272 comes in at 27 inches. Acer equipped both displays with two 2W DTS speakers and a 4x USB 3.0 hub, and both the displays feature tilt, swivel, height, and pivot adjustments.
The third new Predator display Acer introduced is the Predator Z301CT, and this is the most interesting one. For the first part, Acer equipped the Z301CT with Tobii eye tracking hardware to allow you to control your system with eye movements. Second, its panel sees an upgrade to a VA -based solution, which should give better image quality alongside the improved 178º viewing angle, though it does carry a slightly lower 200Hz refresh rate and a higher 4 ms response time. It does come in at a larger 30 inches, with a widescreen (21:9) resolution of 2560x1080 (which I personally favor over conventional resolutions, but that's just me). It also has a curvature of 1800R which supposedly gives you an immersed feeling while gaming, though I can't really speak for that. Acer have also upped the speaker output to 3 W. Like the other two displays, the Z301CT supports G-Sync and has a hub with 4x USB 3.0 ports. Unlike the other two displays Acer showed, however, the Predator Z301CT only allows for tilt, swivel and height adjustments. The Predator Z301CT21:9 curved gaming monitor with eye-tracking functionality was selected as "Best of Innovation"
In regards to pricing, the 252Q comes in at $549.99, the XB272 makes do with a $679.99 price-tag, and the Z301CT comes in at $899.99
The Acer Predator XB252Q and Predator XB272 displays are nearly identical: 1920x1080 resolution with a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz, G-Sync, and a low 1ms response time. As you might have already guessed, in order to achieve refresh rates this high, Acer opted to use TN panel technology, which makes the displays able to represent 100% of the sRGB color spectrum (which only amounts to 72% of the NTSC color gamut, but this is par of the course for TN-based panels). The only difference between both displays is that the Predator 252Q measures 24.5 inches and the Predator XB272 comes in at 27 inches. Acer equipped both displays with two 2W DTS speakers and a 4x USB 3.0 hub, and both the displays feature tilt, swivel, height, and pivot adjustments.
In regards to pricing, the 252Q comes in at $549.99, the XB272 makes do with a $679.99 price-tag, and the Z301CT comes in at $899.99
21 Comments on Acer Announces Three More Predator Monitors; G-Sync, 200 Hz+
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Does it make that much of a difference? I've honestly never used a curved monitor or TV, so I don't know how it feels. You seem to have an opinion on the matter, though :p
Also, super high refresh 1080p is nice for gamers who want to spend some more money on high end monitor, but don't want to break the bank for absolutely necessary pair of GTX 1080 to comfortably play games. Besides, to really enjoy 240Hz, you kinda need 1080p to even reach those framerates...
The issue I have with it is, I have used 29:1 screens since their inception and always place the monitor on the desk so it fills my vision horizontally, it doesn't matter if it's 29" or 34" it will be placed at a distance to occupy the same visual space. Having a curved screen just messes with this and adds nothing, I had a 34" curved screen and couldn't stand it, it just looked wrong. Maybe if you sit so close it sticks out of your peripheral and you need to turn your head it's useful, but I don't like doing that.
If you e.g. compare two popular gaming monitors Asus PG278Q(TN) vs. Asus PG279Q(IPS), you'll see both have the same color space ("standard gamut"), the same gradation (8-bit native), and the same color fidelity. This is because PG278Q and similar models uses a premium quality TN panel which have color quality on par with other normal good IPS panels. Anyone wanting better colors would have to go for the premium IPS panels for graphical artists with wide gamut, 10-bit gradation, and hardware LUT calibration.
TN remains the best choice for gaming, not only because of response time, but also because of IPS' inability to display details in dark regions, and the dark bluish "cloudy" effect.
Timing for overpriced "chip that nobody needs that adds lag" could not have been better.