Best Console Monitors | December 2020
To move even more a situation that has been slowly emerging for a decade already, there they thought PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X, the so-called mid gen. These two consoles have some peculiar features, especially the Microsoft platform, which supports features such as FreeSync, 120Hz and 2K resolution (1440p), video output commonly used on PCs. The latter is also supported by PS4 Pro, but it is not listed among the available outputs: it is activated by selecting the "automatic" option, as long as it is the native resolution of your screen.
in this way? Is it a satisfying or fluctuating experience? The answer is not at all easy, as it depends on many factors, including the screen, the console and the viewing distance.
Monitors and consoles, is it worth it?
We said at the beginning that the situation has changed a lot in recent years and that, to date, think about connecting your consoles to a monitor no longer a crazy idea. Yet it is undeniable: at least from a strictly visual point of view, TVs are still the ideal choice, also thanks to the dancer video output used by consoles, especially mid gen ones (Xbox One X and PS4 Pro). In fact, there are many titles that adopt particular resolutions, which remain very high, mind you, but rarely natively reach the maximum output of your screen. A situation that, if you had a TV with a massive diagonal, you would not notice so much, since the distance you are forced to keep would not allow you to notice the problems. Fortunately, however, there are monitors of considerable size, even if, as far as we are concerned, it is not preferable to exaggerate too much. In any case, even with a 32 ", things are starting to get interesting, especially if the latter also supports HDR 10 and FreeSync technology, which avoids tearing and stuttering. Panels like the ones we are going to recommend, therefore, are just fine for consoles, but in some cases, especially when the game's maximum output struggles to exceed 1440p (this happens with mid gen; an example for traditional PS4 and Xbox One are 900p), don't expect razor-sharp composition.HDR and refresh rate
Let's start from this premise: monitors and HDR, at least for the moment, don't work. so much agree. There are various panels that can support this technology, of course, but in the vast majority of cases they do not exceed 400 Nits (maximum brightness of the monitor). To work at its best, this technology needs many more Nits, the ideal would be 1000, but panels of this type easily exceed 1500 euros as an entry cost, and at that point why not buy a TV? It is very complicated, useless to go around it, this technology still seems too premature, at least with respect to monitors. However, it would be completely wrong to argue that the HDR yield of a 400 Nits panel is completely to be thrown away. Clearly it is not comparable in the least, but the changes, especially if you come from 8 BIT panels, are very evident, therefore satisfactory. For example, the BenQ Ew3270U model demonstrates this, as we will tell you in the dedicated paragraph.What about the refresh rate? First of all, if you don't have a video card capable of exceeding 60 FPS, it will be completely useless to invest in a 120Hz or even 144Hz panel. Before jumping into a monitor of this type, make sure your GPU is also adequate and, in the worst case, consider whether to change it.
Best monitors for consoles
That said, let's get to know the best console monitors to make the most of our living room platforms. We will recommend some dedicated to this generation and others with the next in mind, that is PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.The best for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Samsung's C24FG73 model , curved QLED monitor, is a perfect solution for a variety of audiences. Its list price is around 370 euros and for a maximum output of 1920x1080p it might seem high. In fact, if your intent is to play in Full HD and maybe you only own PlayStation 4 and Xbox One S, you won't need anything else: the features of this screen are more than sufficient and almost all of them are appreciable.Let's start with the design which, as we mentioned, has a slight curvature of the screen in order to make your sessions even more immersive. The only negative note is the presence of one of the most bulky pedestals ever, so if you have little space, evaluate well. For the rest, on an aesthetic level it can really be appreciated, being very minimal, but pleasing to the eye. Connectivity is excellent: there are two completely identical HDMI outputs, a DisplayPort, headphone jack and, of course, the power supply.
However, its real strengths lie in the quality of the panel, really able to break away clearly from many of his colleagues, especially considering the price at which it is proposed. There are also a number of features completely dedicated to players, such as various image profiles dedicated to various genres, from FPS to RTS. How not to mention the FreeSync, the 120Hz also reached via HDMI - with a maximum of 144Hz when connected via DisplayPort - and its optimal contrasts and brightness peaks. It is in fact a QLED model, a middle ground between the OLEDs offered by various brands, LG and Panasonic above all. So do not expect blacks completely off but, in all honesty, in the gaming field it is not such an important feature, except perhaps in rare cases such as horror or stealth games.
We recommend this screen especially to PC owners (preferably equipped with AMD GPUs), but also to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One users. The image quality will remain the same on all three platforms, but it will be with the PC that you will make the most of it; the base consoles unfortunately do not support many of the features it possesses, limiting themselves to 1920x1080p at 60Hz. The speech instead changes for Xbox One X, which natively supports every single feature mentioned. If you are not interested in 4K HDR screens, it could be a very good alternative.
»Click here to buy the C24FG73 monitor
The best entry level for PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X
Recommending a monitor that makes the most of PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X is a really tough task. Some models hover around prohibitive price ranges, resulting in useless choices for most users. Fortunately, BenQ EW3270U, 4K HDR screen and FreeSync, turns out to be the best meeting point with the public, the model with the most advantageous quality / price ratio.Let's start as always with the aesthetics that, even in this case boasts a minimal profile, without sacrificing its elegance. Note the rather slim stand, which saves you a lot of space on your desk. As for connectivity we find two HDMI 2.0 ports capable of exploiting 4K HDR at 60Hz, DisplayPort, USB-C, headphone jack and power supply.
But how does it behave with Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro ? Very well. The panel - once connected - immediately recognizes the consoles and their features, working to the maximum from the first moment.
Small note regarding the display of HDR content: once this feature is activated, the panel does not will allow you to change any parameters, except for a few small changes. In this regard, some users have complained about a warm color temperature display with the HDR option and cold with HDR Cinema. There is actually a way to remedy the problem, although it is not very clear and requires a little tweaking: basically you will have to set the image profile to "SRGB;" Once you have done this, once you start HDR content you will notice an optimal color temperature, much closer to what you would get by setting "warm 1" on the most common TVs.
The only real waiver - it only concerns Xbox One X - remains HDR Dolby Vision. Absence more than justified given that we are talking about a feature dedicated to multimedia content and present mostly on TVs.
At around 500 euros, therefore, you will take home a model capable of exploiting every single drop of your consoles and, why not, you will almost catch up with the next PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, as long as you are not interested in reaching 120Hz when playing 4K and HDR content, in this case a greater bandwidth is required and the presence of a HDMI 2.1 port.
»Click here to buy BenQ EW3270U monitor
The best for PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X
With the previous model, BenQ EW3270U, it is only possible to smell the potential of an HDR panel, this is because the screen has a peak of brightness that is not very high. One way to make the most of all the features listed above with the addition of a good HDR rendering, is to buy the Asus CG32UQ monitor which, with its 600 Nits, puts the best examples of HDR offered by your consoles under the knife.We always talk about a VA panel, so the delay in response is reduced to the bone. As for the dimensions, however, exactly like the BenQ, the display is a 32-inch, now quite standard size for monitors. Finally, a feature certainly much appreciated by gamers, this model also supports FreeSync, which allows you to completely eliminate the problems related to tearing, so as not to have hitches during your games (even on NVIDIA cards).
»Click here to buy Asus CG32UQ
Best for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (4k)
You want to be ready for the next gen and in place for the next 5 years (at least) ? Well, the right purchase for you is ROG Swift PG43UQ, a premium model to say the least.In addition to being fully compatible with the upcoming Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, even exceeding the 4K 120Hz limit pushing up to 144Hz, it also has an above average color and contrast rendering. In fact, this panel uses HDR 1000 which, combined with the remarkable contrast and brightness it achieves, gives life to truly satisfying images. Being a model designed for gaming, it also has a rather low response time (5ms), absolutely lower than the vast majority of screens available on the market.
As for the design, it is impossible not to notice its overwhelming look . The screen is very special and resembles a gaming peripheral from the first contact. Connectivity is also superior to normal, thanks to the HDMI, DisplayPort and USB 3.0 ports.
In short, the price is very high (about 2000 euros), it's true, but know that you will take home a screen of quality and above all you will not change it for many years.
»Click here to buy the ROG Swift PG43UQ monitor
The best for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S (2K)
When you think of new consoles, 4K and HDR screens immediately come to mind. In fact, these new consoles perform great even on panels with 1440p resolution, as long as they support a small feature: the screen, while being designed to work at 2560x1440p resolution, must accept 4K video signals to be subsequently scaled to the native resolution of the screen. . We tell you this for two reasons: first, because PlayStation 5 doesn't natively support 2K panels; second, because Xbox Series X accepts yes, this resolution, but excludes HDR from the equation; this happens because the console is designed to take advantage of HDR technology directly in 4K. We specify that, if you are not interested in taking advantage of this technology, you can do without this warning and choose normal 2K screens.However, we want to make your consoles work to their maximum, for this reason we recommend that you take consider BenQ EX2780Q, a model that allows you to take advantage of every drop of new hardware: starting from a response of 5ms, refresh rate of 144Hz (consoles work maximum at 120Hz), arriving at the aforementioned HDR, you will not have any sacrifice. 27 inches of pure pleasure.
»Click Here To Buy BenQ EX2780Q
