PRISM+ is expanding its footprint with the inauguration of its sixth physical outlet at Aeon Mall Bukit Tinggi. The store located at L2-S18 is set to open its doors on December 16, 2023.
In conjunction with the opening and the festive season, PRISM+ is having an exclusive celebration for the grand opening. Starting from 10 am on Saturday, December 16, the first 50 customers at the new outlet will have the opportunity to enjoy substantial discounts on handpicked products. The exclusive grand opening offers are tailored to elevate your tech experience:
Q55-QE 4K Android TV: Grab it at an exclusive price of RM1,499 and receive a complimentary Logitech K400 Wireless Keyboard (Worth RM129).
Q65-QE 4K Android TV: Available at an exclusive rate of RM1,999.
X340 PRO 165Hz 34” Ultrawide Gaming Monitor: Secure it at an exclusive price of RM1,499 and receive a free Elevate X1 stand (worth RM299).
F240N 165Hz 24” Flat Gaming Monitor: Yours for an exclusive price of RM599.
X270 180Hz 27’’ Curved Gaming Monitor: Available at an exclusive rate of RM699, with a free Arc Lite Monitor Arm (worth RM699).
These exclusive discounts are part of PRISM+’s festive sales extravaganza, offering early shoppers the chance to acquire cutting-edge electronics at remarkable prices. The product range spans Android TVs and gaming monitors, catering to the entertainment and gaming needs of discerning consumers.
The Christmas sales event not only signifies the opening of PRISM+’s sixth physical store; but also extends a warm invitation to tech enthusiasts and holiday shoppers to explore the latest in consumer electronics. With a limited number of early-bird offers up for grabs, PRISM+ aims to generate buzz and excitement surrounding its new outlet.
Whether you’re eyeing a 4K Android TV, an ultrawide gaming monitor, or a flat gaming monitor, PRISM+ at Aeon Mall Bukit Tinggi promises an immersive shopping experience on December 16th. Don’t miss the chance to be among the first 50 customers and capitalize on these exclusive discounts, adding a tech-savvy and budget-friendly touch to your holiday season.
PRISM+ will be dropping a couple of great deals this September as the Shopee 9.9 Super Shopping Day Sale rolls around once again! Expect attractive deals and a chance to get bonus freebies that come with some of their acclaimed gaming monitors and popular 4K Android TVs. The sale will only take place between 9 September and 11 September 2023, with limited-time flash deals of up to -75% throughout the promotional period.
Here are some of the standout deals which are slated to go live on 9 September 2023:
One of the standout flash sale offers is the 55-inch Q55-QE 4K Android TV, originally priced at RM3,599, which will go for an incredible RM1,499. The pot will be further sweetened with the inclusion of a complimentary 22-inch W220v Productivity Flat Monitor valued at RM399 with every purchase of the Q55-QE.
For those who think size matters, the 65-inch Q65-QE 4K Android TV, typically priced at RM5,399, will also be up for grabs at just RM2,289 during the flash sale. As an added bonus, buyers will receive a free PRISM+ Flow Soundbar valued at RM749 along with their purchase.
As for the gamers, the 34-inch X340 PRO 165Hz Ultrawide Curved Gaming Monitor, originally tagged at RM4,999, will be going for a mere RM1,369. Every purchase of the X340 PRO will also come with a complimentary Logitech G304 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse valued at RM149. For those looking for an absolute steal, the 31.5-inch X315 PRO Curved Gaming Monitor, typically priced at RM2,899, will be available at a jaw-dropping RM999 during the sale.
Make sure you don’t miss out on these great deals and the opportunity to deck out your living or gaming room by visiting the Official PRISM+ Shopee Store on the big day.
Samsung launched their updated ultimate gaming monitor back in CES 2023 in January. To be fair, CES 2023 saw Samsung showcasing several versions of their ultimate gaming monitor, the Odyssey G9. One of them was the Odyssey Neo G9 that packs dual UHD resolution on a 57-inch curved panel. While it does sound nice, only NVIDIA’s most powerful GeForce RTX 4090 seems to fit the bill for that display. You might even struggle getting the most out of the monitor even with NVIDIA’s most extreme GPU. The Odyssey Neo G9 is a little unrealistic then. But what about the other monitor Samsung introduced? What about the Odyssey OLED G9?
The Odyssey OLED G9 is not necessarily a new recipe from Samsung. Samsung already made the Odyssey G9 in the prior years. It is an out-of-this-world, hardware-pushing, borderline overkill of a gaming monitor that offers 49 inches of ultra-wide experience in dual QHD resolution at a curve. That also means you do not need to lean to one side of the display to see what is happening at the edge, simply turn your head and you are there. It was, in its day, the ultimate gaming monitor for the ultimate gamers. You want one, until. CES 2023 arrives, and Samsung says they can make this recipe even better.
Source: Samsung
It is a simple recipe; just add OLED into the mix. The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 is now born. While it is new in Malaysia, the product has seen the light of day in other regions, including South Korea and the United States. No matter though, that was a month ago and now it is officially arriving in Malaysia.
For starters, if you missed our CES 2023 coverage on Samsung’s ultimate gaming monitor, it offers 49 inches still at 1800R curvature. It still allows you to just swivel your head to see everything clearly and easily from a single spot. You still get the 32:9 dual QHD resolution from the older regular Odyssey G9. It even comes standard with 240Hz refresh rate for ultra-smooth frame rates when possible, and 0.3ms gray-to-gray response time for ultra-fast and responsive gaming. It still comes with AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro for tear-free gaming and visual experience for even more immersion when you game. There is also a new CoreSync and Core Lighting+ that cleverly lights up in RGB and according to what you see on your display to add even more immersion to your games and movies. If you do not want a bulky speaker set-up to take up space on your desk, there are even two 5W speakers to work with.
The biggest change to it, and its party piece, is the OLED panel that this one comes with. It now offers a true HDR experience with DisplayHDR TrueBlack 400 standard. That also means that you are not just getting vivid colours, but an inky black that is more accurately represented than before. You can even start to appreciate the incredibly vivid and bright colours that the Odyssey OLED G9 can now offer thanks to the typical OLED colour reproduction.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
It is not just games that will pop on the display. You can now opt for the Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SC) to come with TizenOS built right into the monitor to directly reach OTT services like Netflix or Prime Video. Since the display real estate is expansive enough, you can even opt to work with multiple views (Multi View) for the ultimate multitasking experience. It is modernized too, to take on the future world. It offers HDMI 2.1, Micro HDMI 2.1 and Display Port 1.4 inputs with Auto Source Switch+ so that you can work with multiple devices quickly. They redesigned the stands too, sturdier than ever while still allowing you to easily adjust its height and tilt.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 is now available for MYR 9,499 (G93SC) onward. For MYR 500 on top of that (MYR 9,999), you can get the Odyssey OLED G9 with smart TV functionalities. You can head over to the nearest Samsung authorised dealer or Samsung official stores to get your hands on one of these gaming monitors. You can even head to their online stores to make a purchase. If you do get your monitor between now to 31st of August 2023 though, you get to buy your Odyssey OLED G9 for MYR 8,074 and MYR 8,499 respectively. For more information on Samsung’s latest Odyssey OLED G9, you can visit their website.
Acer announced their Orion X last week alongside a few new gaming laptops. The Orion X is a gaming desktop tower that weighs 9kg though. That also means that unlike a gaming laptop, if you buy a Predator Orion X, you only get the tower without any other peripherals. For you to start gaming with the Orion X, you still need a keyboard, a mouse, and probably speakers or headphones. The most important thing to get with a gaming desktop is a big ol’ gaming monitor, and Acer has announced some of them too.
Acer Nitro XZ452CU V
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
This is a little bit of a curious thing for us. We have always known Acer’s Nitro brand as the sort of entry-level gaming brand for gamers looking for the best value in gaming gear without spending a fortune. They do not need the best of the best, just something they can work with the money they are willing to spend.
This one feel more premium than it should though. It does not offer Full HD resolution. Instead, it offers a rather premium QHD resolution. It is not just QHD 1440p either, it is a 44.5-inch ultrawide 1440p resolution display. You get 5,120 by 1,440 resolution at 32:9 aspect ratio for more real estate on your monitor. That means you get to see more in your game world. You are not getting some cheap display panel that runs slower than snail too. You are getting 165Hz from this monitor with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for a fast, smooth gameplay that is free of screen tearing. Then there are the colours this thing offers. You get 90% in DCI-P3 of colour gamut coverage, meaning it offers a rather accurate and rich projection in terms of colours. It offers VESA certified DisplayHDR 400 rating meaning it offers up to 400 nits in brightness. That is not exactly bright, but in your gaming den, it still looks good. To keep your eyes from falling off, there is BlueLightShield Pro, Flickerless, Low-Dimming, and ComfyView technologies from Acer. It also has a KVM USB hub with a USB Type-C input for display, data, and even device charging all at the same time. It even has an RJ45 port if you want to hide your network cable.
All of these means you are getting a premium gaming experience. It is an Acer Nitro gaming device; therefore, we are expecting a rather small price tag as well. We think that the Nitro XZ452CU V could be the best valued premium gaming monitor you can buy when it is available. If you are looking for something more premium though, you can get your hands on something else, a Predator.
Predator X34 V
Source: Acer
As its name suggests, it is a smaller display at 34-inch compared to the 44.5-inch from the newly launched Nitro. It is still an ultra-wide panel, but just a little shorter than the Nitro. But it is a much nicer panel you get over the Nitro too.
Instead of a regular IPS, or run-of-the-mill VA panel, you get a brilliant looking OLED panel. The OLED panel offers 3,440 and 1,440 pixels to you at VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 400, thanks to the OLED technology. It also offers 99% coverage in DCI-P3 colour gamut for the most vivid colours and image you can get currently.
It is a Predator gaming monitor; you can expect it to be fast. The 1800R curved panel offers 175Hz in refresh rate and Grey-to-Grey response time is brought down to 0.1ms for the most responsive and smoothest gaming experience you can get from a monitor. It comes with AMD’s FreeSynch Premium and Variable Refresh Rate technology for not only a tear-free gaming experience, but a reduced power consumption to save on your electricity bill (not a lot, but savings are still savings). It also offers Acer’s suite of eye protection technology like BlueLightShield Pro, Flickerless, Low-Dimming, ComfyView, and EyeSafe 2.0.
Price and Availability
The Predator X34 V and Nitro XZ452CU V will both be available in the North American markets in the fourth quarter of 2023. We are expecting that Malaysia would get the new monitors just a little later than the North American markets. The larger Nitro XZ452CU V, to no one’s surprise, will start at US$ 999.99 (MYR 4,438*), cheaper than the Predator X34 V. The Predator X34 V starts at US$ 300 more than the Nitro at US$ 1,299.99 (MYR 5,769*). There are no official prices for Malaysia just yet. More on Acer’s new Nitro XZ452CU V and Predator X34 V can be found on their website.
*approximately based on the exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.44 as of 24/04/2023 on xe.com
Gaming is not cheap, that is a known fact. To own a decent smartphone that games well will cost you at least MYR 1,500 onward and up to MYR 7,000. Modern gaming consoles will set you back around MYR 2,500 these days too. Then you have gaming PCs; a decent gaming PC that can run games nicely at Full HD resolution will still set you back MYR 2,500 onward if you do not mind working with older hardware. You have not even factored in the price of games today.
You want to spend the bulk of your money on the hardware. You can save money on the games you play if you are patient. You can save up on peripherals too. Still, you want to make sure you get a decent gaming display, because they might make or break your gaming experience.
For gaming, you need a low response time, preferably anything below 5ms. You also want a fast refresh rate so that you can take advantage of the processing power of newer gaming set ups; you want at least 75Hz. But you also want excellent colours for that immersive quality; you want an IPS panel on the display at least. The reality is that displays that fit all the bill will usually set you back North of MYR 1,000.
What if we tell you that you do not need to spend that much for a gaming display that offers you everything we listed above? For MYR 549, you can get an Acer Nitro VG270 E gaming display.
It fits the bill for a basic gaming monitor. You get 1ms response time and it offers 100Hz refresh rate, fast enough. You also get an IPS panel pushing more than 16 million colours to you.
At that price though, what are you giving up? What is the caveat? Is this worth your hard-earned money? We dive in and find out.
Design
The Acer Nitro VG270 E looks like those generic displays you can find in the stores. It is slightly thicker than most displays of its size but not unreasonably thick. The thickness is necessary for some cooling solutions, we think.
It also features ultra-thin bezels. There is also a 75 x 75 VESA mounting out the back. That means you can ditch the small monitor stand that comes with the display. Oh yes, the tiny monitor stand that it comes with can be assembled and disassembled without tools. The small stand has some red and gloss black highlights that indicates “gaming”.
There are no RGB modules or attachments here. It does not come with an RGB outlet too. It is a basic gaming monitor after all, a cost-efficient one at that. Even the stand it comes with is a standard monitor stand without height adjustments, and limited tilt adjustment. There is a hole that we think could be used for some cable management on the stand, but only if you do not mind sticking the base out the back of your desk.
There is a large Acer logo on the top left right of the monitor’s backplate just above the cooling vents. There is another Acer logo on the bottom lip of the display up front to let you know that it is not a Predator product. Out the back, in the middle of the backplate framed by the VESA mounting points is a kind of logo in the shape of a ‘V’. We presume that it is a sort of ‘V’ for VG0 series or something like that. That logo gets covered if you use a VESA mounting, yes.
Hardware
As mentioned, you get an IPS panel for this display. The IPS panel only offers Full HD resolution. Full HD is quite enough for most games and means you do not need top-of-the-line hardware to get it running.
TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Acer Eyecare (blue light filter)
Miscellaneous
1x HDMI 1.4 1x DP 1.2 AMD Freesync VESA compatible
Features
At MYR 549, you may want to also adjust your expectations with the monitor. If you read through the spec sheet too, the monitor is pretty bare. Still, that does not mean that there are no good qualities to the Acer VG270 E.
AUX Out? Nope. Speakers then? Nope. No Problem
One of the sacrifices comes in the form of your audio. The monitor does not feature built-in speakers. There is no audio passthrough as well to get your audio out from the monitor. That means that you do not get an AUX output port on the monitor.
That is not such a bad thing though. You might as well spend the extra money you saved on the monitor on better quality headphones or Bluetooth speakers. An external speaker or headphones will always produce better sound than most built-in speakers even on modern displays.
HDMI in, DP in
HDMI input should always be expected on modern displays. It is not an HDMI 2.1 port, but it does not matter. HDMI 2.1 ports are usualy required for resolutions above 4K or even to drive higher framerates on 4K displays. In this case, you are only getting Full HD resolution at 100Hz. An HDMI 1.4 port is way more than enough to handle the demands of the display panel.
What could be more significant is the fact that the Nitro VG270 E packs a DisplayPort 1.2 (DP1.2) inlet. Most modern GPUs come with one HDMI port and multiple DP out ports. That is because DP chords allow for a higher data transmission between two hardware. On this display, it is really made just so that newer GPUs with less HDMI ports can take advantage of the Nitro monitor.
AMD FreeSync
AMD’s FreeSync is like NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology in preventing screen tearing in high fps situations. While NVIDIA’s G-SYNC technology has some exclusive technologies behind it, you may not notice too much difference in its final implementation. You are still getting a sort of tear-free gaming experience with AMD’s FreeSync.
For us, we tested the display with F1 2022 to really push the frame rates of the display. We hardly notice any tearing on the display with V-Sync off. At the same time, screen-tearing on Full HD is mostly an issue of the past. Most hardware made in the last five years or so can easily handle gaming at Full HD resolution at 144Hz without too much of a tearing issue.
Look at Those Colours on This IPS Panel
A 27-inch IPS panel at this price point is quite unheard of. In fact, we thought it would be impossible to fit an IPS display on displays at less than MYR 800 price point. Acer has proved us wrong this time with the VG270 E.
This means that the VG270 E offers a much better experience compared to any displays in its price range. IPS panel also means that you get a fast, smooth display with excellent contrasts and colour depth. It is not the most premium IPS display, since you can only push about 300nits out of it. When you game though, the 300 nits brightness should not matter much. The sRGB colour calibrated display offers vivid and rich colours on your images.
This feature alone makes the display feel more expensive than it is. At the same time, when you look at the display, you know that your money is spent in all the right places. You really are better off spending the money you saved on much better audio gear.
Performance
Like we said, your MYR 549 is spent on features that matter. The bulk of it goes to the panel itself. Better panel means you get better gaming and display experience.
100Hz + 1ms – Fast Enough
To be fair, the sweet spot for refresh rates on gaming displays these days is in the region of 144Hz. You see high-end eSports displays too going at up to 360Hz. 240Hz displays are also becoming more popular these days.
In most cases, 100Hz is more than enough for casual gamers. You still get a smooth gaming experience if your hardware can drive it. If you are playing AAA titles you might not even be getting anything beyond 90fps unless you push the graphics settings down.
There are faster responding displays too. You can get a Predator gaming monitor that responds at 0.1ms (grey-to-grey), if you really want. 1ms is still plenty fast enough for even competitive titles like Counterstrike: Global Offensive (CS: GO), F1 2022, and even Assetto Corsa. There is a small caveat here, you only get 1ms response time if you activate the display’s Visual Response Boost. For that, you want to access the monitor’s OSD settings and put the display in extreme overdrive. It makes the display dimmer, but the display is not that bright in the first place at 300nits.
Gaming with IPS at Full HD
Gaming in Full HD at 27-inch is not as bad as it sounds. We tested the monitor with games like F1 2022, Hot Wheels Unleashed, and Red Dead Redemption. Only Hot Wheels Unleashed hit 100 fps in our test with a 2022 Predator Helios 300 packing an Intel Core i7-12700H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060. F1 2022 averages about 35-40fps while Red Dead Redemption was nicely running at 60fps. All in all, all the titles play well with the monitor and are within the monitor’s capabilities. All the games look excellent on the display, the images look sharp and immersive enough to work with. Most of them are also running High to Ultra graphics settings, which is good news to those who has budget set-ups with entry-level GPUs.
The colours reproduction from the Nitro monitor is better than we expected. F1 2022 looks vibrant and alive with the IPS panel. Hot Wheels Unleached looks colourful and rich even when you get racy. Red Dead Redemption, at 60fps, Red Dead Redemption feels immersive and beautiful.
We chose these games instead of the usual CS:GO and DOTA 2 because we also wanted to show that even budget set-ups can run AAA games at Ultra or High graphics smoothly. It is one of the biggest benefits of choosing Full HD resolution over 2K. Of course, Full HD resolution only works up to a certain size, anything bigger than 27-inch might warrant 2K resolution to fully enjoy.
If you prefer console gaming owning a PlayStation 4 or the PlayStation 4 Pro is more than enough with the Nitro monitor. You will be able to enjoy all your games at Full HD at up to 60fps in this case without a fuss.
For the Movie Buffs
Thanks to the richness and accuracy of the IPS panel, videos look great too. Netflix and Amazon Prime app will natively support the Full HD resolution and stream at Full HD. Full HD videos require less data to stream. That also means that you get a smoother stream even at lower internet speeds. Drive to Survive on Netflix still looks detailed, immersive, and rich on the Nitro display.
There is a small trade off with the price tag though. The Nitro VG270 E does not with speakers. While your PC might recognize the HDMI device and try to push audio through the monitor, you might want to get into your audio settings and push the audio back through your laptop’s speakers, your external speakers, or even headphones.
For Your Work
We must stress that the display is not meant for colour grading. Even with the IPS panel, the Nitro is not calibrated enough for colour grading work. You can spend your own money and time to get it closer to sRGB standards though. Still, 27-inch is great for video workflows. While you may not be able to get colour grading works done, there is still plenty of real estate to scrub through your videos and work with other tools on your video editing app.
We work with a lot of Microsoft Word documents since we do a lot of write ups. In that sense, the monitor can offer some good eye protection, since you might be staring at the display a lot. The display itself offers a hardware coded blue-light filter that you can access from the OSD settings. In some sense, it is a better blue-light filter than what Windows can offer you natively, but that also means that your display turns more yellow. It works though, we feel like we can effectively look at the display for hours without feeling strained.
The Nitro VG270 E – That All-in-One, All-You-Want Monitor at a Budget
It does not have 144Hz refresh rate. It does not even come in the ideal 2K QHD resolution at that. It does not even have built-in speakers. There is no audio processor or passthrough as well on the monitor, you only get three old format ports on the monitor – a power inlet, HDMI 1.4 inlet, and a DisplayPort 1.2 inlet.
100Hz is better than 60Hz and 75Hz and is enough for competitive gaming. At Full HD, you require less power from your hardware. That also means you can save even more money on your gaming set-up. The money you saved buying this monitor can also be better spent for a better audio solution for more immersive gaming or even entertainment purposes. You do not need DP 1.4 or HDMI 2.0 as well, you are only projecting at Full HD and up to 100Hz. A DP cable is also included with the purchase, so your modern GPUs still can work with the monitor.
At its price point of MYR 549, you get everything you need. You get an IPS panel too at that. In that sense, there is almost no competition to the gaming monitor that is the Nitro VG270 E at this price point.
It is not a perfect gaming monitor. For that, you want to look at Acer’s own Predator gaming monitor line-up. If you have even more money to spend, you also might look at what other brands like ASUS ROG, Samsung, and even LG is offering in that space. At the same time, if budget is not an issue and you have a set-up with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 at the very least, this should not even land in your radar. It will still make a rather nifty and cheap secondary monitor for your chats and other windows.
For a budget set-up, with a mid-range gaming PC set-up with something like an older NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, and Intel’s 8th Generation Processors, this is a perfect set-up. Even for more modern set-up with at least the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series GPU and Intel’s 19th Generation processor, this is right up your field in terms of modern gaming. Like we said, the money you saved on your monitor can be spent on a decent headphones. You can buy something like a Sony WH-CH720N headphones that we are reviewing for your set-up, for example. Trust us, you are going to be more than happy with this kind of set-up.
Buying a gaming PC set-up is an exciting thing. You tend to get excited though. You tend to spend the bulk of your money on the tower for your gaming PC, which is not wrong. You do want to spend most of your budget getting a PC set-up that will last you the next few years and fit within your budget. The problem is when you spend nearly all your money there, you do not have much left to spend on other things that will make your gaming set-up work.
In those cases, your budget only allows you to buy a cheap monitor that is not designed for gaming, a regular mouse, and a regular keyboard. Here is the thing though, if you have MYR 400 set aside for your monitor, you still can get a gaming monitor. For MYR 379, you can get an Acer Nitro QG0 series gaming monitor.
The Acer Nitro QG0 series is not just any regular poor quality gaming monitor for the masses. It is designed with budget in mind, yes; it is also built with enjoyment and gamers in mind. Of course, you want to tamper your expectations a little bit.
You have two sizes to choose from – 27-inch and 24-inch. You do not get an IPS panel at this price, you instead get VA panels on the monitors. Still, that is not exactly a bad thing.
Across the three monitors they just introduced for 2023, the QG0 series monitors all offer 95% in sRGB colour gamut. While you do not get the vivid colour quality from IPS or OLED panels, you still get rather saturated and somewhat accurate colours from the monitor. In that case, games and movies will still look acceptably good on whichever Ntiro QG0 monitors you choose.
They are all fast panels too. The 27-inchQG270S3 and 24-inch QG240YS3 offer 1ms in response time. The QG240YH3 is a little slower at 4ms, but it is no slouch either at that speed. They also offer 180Hz and 100Hz refresh rates respectively, faster than the more premium Nitro VG270 E monitor. All the Nitro QG0 monitors comes with HDR10 certification too. All of them also comes with AMD’s FreeSync feature allowing for tear-free gaming.
While all of them only offer an old-school Full HD resolution, they include a DisplayPort on top of an HDMI port to fit more modern gaming set-ups. They also have an audio pass through feature via an Audio-Out 3.5mm jack. If you need something to fit your old system, the QG240YH3 comes with a VGA port rather than a DisplayPort.
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
The Acer Nitro QG0 series is now available in Malaysia. You can get your hands on one from Acer stores, authorised partners, their online store, and even their online retaile partners like Shopee and Lazada. The VG240YH3 24-inch 100Hz monitor starts at MYR 379. If you prefer higher refresh rates, the 24-inch QG240YS3 will retail fro MYR 499, and the 27-inch QG270S3 will be priced at MYR 589. For more information on the new Acer Nitro monitors, you can head over to their website.
Acer’s Predator Gaming has become one of the industry’s mainstays when it comes to the gaming scene. It comes as no surprise that Acer has opted to expand and streamline their lineup this year at their biannual Next@Acer event. Together with new naming schemes, the lineup is also updating the specifications and power in their gaming arsenal.
A Streamlined Predator Helios Lineup
The all-new Predator Helios lineup is not only coming with updated specifications. Acer has streamlined its naming dropping the 300, 500 and 700 series monikers. Instead, they’ve opted to use the screen sizes to denote each model of the laptop in the Helios lineup.
This year’s Predator Helios lineup consists of the Predator Helios 16 and Predator Helios 18 – for now. The two laptops bring the latest and greatest processors and GPUs from Intel and NVIDIA respectively. Together with configurations supporting up to the Core i9 or i7 HX processors and the RTX4080 Laptop GPU, the laptops are built for gaming. They also support up to up to 32 GB DDR5-4800 MHz RAM and up to 2 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD storage.
Mini LED Makes its Helios Debut
Both laptops are also the first in the Predator Gaming lineup to sport Mini LED panels. These panels bring deeper blacks and higher contrast than previous Helios laptops. The 1,000,000:1 contrast and the 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut promise better colour reproduction and more immersive gaming. This paired with NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace architecture, DLSS and NVIDIA’s Reflex create one of the best systems to experience cutting-edge AAA games. Both versions come with a 16:10 aspect ratio. However, the Helios 16 comes with options for a WQXGA (2560×1600) display with 165Hz or 240Hz refresh rates or a Mini LED panel with a 250Hz refresh rate. The Helios 18 on the other hand comes with an additional WUXGA (1920×1200) with a 165Hz refresh rate.
The cutting-edge specifications also come with an enhanced cooling system. The new laptops come with dual custom-engineered 5th Generation AeroBlade 3D metal fans and rectangular vector heat pipes for better heat absorption and dissipation. This is paired with liquid metal thermal grease for even better cooling.
The new Helios 16 and Helios 18 also come with a newly redesigned chassis. The redesign brings together clean edges and a slimmer silhouette. The displays are also surrounded by thinner bezels for a more immersive experience. Of course, it’s completed with a mini LED backlit keyboard with 1.8mm key travel and anti-ghosting N-key rollover. The laptops also come with a complete set of ports on the back and the latest wireless connectivity including WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. They also have support for Thunderbolt and Intel Killer Ethernet.
New Predator Gaming Monitors
Together with the new laptops, Acer also announced two new Predator Gaming Monitors. The new Predator X45 and Predator X27U feature OLED displays with 98.5% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut and support for HDR10. Both also have support for AMD FreeSync Premium technology and sport 240Hz refresh rates and 0.01ms pixel response times.
The Predator X45 comes with a 45-inch UWQHD display with a resolution of 3440×1440 pixels. The curved monitor sports an 800R curvature giving a more immersive gaming experience. It also has a metal stand with a sleek, sturdy metal base. The Predator X27U on the other hand is a 27-inch flat panel with a WQHD resolution of 2560×1440 pixels.
Both of the monitors come with come outfitted with DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 ports. They also sport KVM switches which allow you to switch between desktop and laptop while maintaining the same keyboard and mouse setup. They also sport a USB Hub with USB Type-C for all the gadgets.
Pricing & Availability
Item
North America
EMEA
China
Predator Helios 16
USD$1,649.99 (MYR7,236.42) starting in March 2023
EUR2,399 (MYR11,082.19) starting in February 2023
RMB17,999 (MYR11,475.34) starting in February 2023
Predator Helios 18
USD$1,699 (MYR7,455.84) starting in April 2023
EUR2,499 (MYR11,544.15) starting in March 2023
RMB20,999 (MYR13,388.00) starting in February 2023
OnePlus continues its foray into the gaming space with the announcement of two new gaming monitors.
OnePlus forays into gaming tech with two new monitors; The X27 and E24. Image source: SoyaCincau
A worthy gaming monitor entry; OnePlus X27
The two OnePlus gaming monitors announced are the high end X27 and the more budget friendly E24. The X27 is the premium offering, with a 27-inch 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution IPS panel with 165Hz refresh rate. Claims have been made for 1ms response time and support for VESA’s DisplayHDR 400, standard offerings of current gaming monitors. Rounding out the specs are support for AMD Freesync, 10-bit colour and coverage for 95% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. The design of the X27 is more similar to modern productivity monitors with slim bezels. You won’t find any bold design decisions with the “gamer” aesthetic of funky back panel designs or color accents here.
There is, however, a good array of ports along the back panel. These include a high power 65W USB-C port that can charge your devices, even power your laptop. There is also an HDMI 2.1 port, a DisplayPort 1.4, two USB-A 3.0 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It comes with a stand that is height adjustable with pivot, tilt and swivel functions. It can be mounted with a VESA 75mm mount. While looking pedestrian, the OnePlus X27 packs some decent specifications for a gaming monitor.
Gaming on a budget with the OnePlus E24
The E24 is more budget friendly but expect more modest specifications. Image source: SoyaCincau
The budget variant of OnePlus gaming monitors, the E24, packs understandably lesser specs than the X27. The 24-inch IPS panel supports a 1920 x 1080 FHD resolution and lower refresh rate of 75Hz. It does not carry neither AMD Freesync support nor VESA’s DisplayHDR 400 or colour coverage of the X27. The stand is only tilt adjustable and there are lesser ports; a 18W Power Delivery (PD) USB-C port, a HDMI 1.4 port, a VGA port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. With these harware concessions, will the price point be able to justify it?
At the moment, the OnePlus X27 is only available in India, retailing at INR 28000 (approx. RM1500) while there is no price or availability details on the E24. With many concessions in hardware, we do expect a significantly reduced price. With OnePlus already announcing a mechanical keyboard in the making, can we expect more gaming tech from OnePlus? Only time will tell
Gaming monitors need to be fast. In the early days of fast gaming monitors, OLED technology is quite unheard of. The reason is because OLED panels can only go so fast in terms of refresh rate. While OLED monitors offer colour accuracy and vibrance like no other, they are rather dimwitted in terms of refresh rate until a few years ago. Now though, OLED panels are some of the most sought after in gaming. Pretty soon you are going to be able to get you hands on one with 240Hz in refresh rate, faster than anything that came before it.
The monitors in question are LG’s latest 27-inch and 45-inch models introduced for CES 2023. You get the new 27GR95QE and 45GR95QE gaming monitors. While both have their similarities, they are built to serve different segments.
Both gaming monitors offer 240Hz in terms of refresh rate. Both monitors also offer 0.3ms in GTG response time, faster than almost anything that you can find in the market currently. Both are also NVIDIA G-Sync and FreeSync Premium compatible, making them rather versatile for whatever GPU you might have in your PC. At the same time, they both offer a DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage of 98.5%, something even content creators can highly appreciate. Both are capable of producing images at HDR10 standards with a contrast ratio of 1,500,000:1 for a higher level of detail than any gaming monitor you can find in their classes. Of course, they both sport the latest HDMI 2.1 standard alongside a DisplayPort 1.4 port.
Source: LG
Their difference lies in the shape and size of the panels. The 27-inch monitor is a flat screened 16:9 monitor that most gamers can appreciate. 27-inch is a rather standard size for gaming monitors and 16:9 is currently the most popular aspect ratio for most gamers. It is also the current standard size and aspect ratio in esports, which also means this would be suitable for most esports titles like Dota 2, or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). At the same time, its QHD (2,560 x 1,440) resolution is widely accepted as the most optimal resolution for displays at its size and for gaming purposes. Most GPUs today are also optimized for gaming at this resolution which also means that this might be the more popular option for the most serious gamers anyway.
If you want to take things a little further and get even more immersed in your games, you want the 45-inch behemoth that is the 45GR95QE. It is a curved display monitor with an 800R curvature (0.8m radius) That also means that it is more curved than almost anything that you might get in the market. Its shorter optimum distance also means you get to be closer to the action for an even more immersive experience than ever before. It packs WQHD (3,440 x 1440) resolution too to ensure that you still get all the details you need in the ultra-wide monitor.
Source: LG
Source: LG
Source: LG
Source: LG
LG’s UltraGear 27-inch and 45-inch OLED gaming monitors will be showcased in CES 2023 happening on the 5th of January 2023 all the way to the 8th of January 2023. There is no specific information regarding the market availability of the monitors currently. That also means we currently do not have any pricing information too. We are keeping our ears close to the ground for any updates though, so do watch this space. More information on LG’s range of UltraGear gaming monitors can be found on their website.
The world of large format gaming displays is not necessarily a crowded space. There is a good reason for that. When you buy a large format display like a TV, you want something that can at least project up to 4K in resolution. Anything lower than 4K with displays less than 40 inches can look rather weird and pixelated (the days of 1080p Full HD TVs are far behind us).
At the same time, while 4K TVs are abundant today, 4K gaming is not something that is easily accessible today. Well, when we say not easily accessible, we are mostly talking about PC gaming more than console gaming. Sure, the PlayStation 5 and latest Xbox Series X can easily play games at 4K resolution and boasts up to 120fps for displays that does 120Hz. But at the same time, not every game can run at that framerate at 4K resolution too.
In the world of PC gaming, 4K gaming is not unheard of, it is just rather rare. The most common high-end gaming set up in the world of PC gaming sports displays that tops out at 1440p at 165Hz these days. That is also because in the world where your display is no more than an arm’s length in front of you, you never really need anything that is more than 30 inches big and more than 1440p to look good. At the same time, the amount of money you want to spend on hardware that can run games at 4K resolution at up to 120fps always is ridiculous.
Source: Samsung
That does not mean that there is no such market though. For those with enough money to get something like an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 and Intel’s latest 12th Generation Core i9 processor combinations, Samsung has something that will wet their beaks and make full use of their hardware. They have this, the Odyssey Ark.
The argument behind the Samsung Odyssey Ark is plenty simple. The idea is to make the best gaming display money can buy. They came up with a 55-inch behemoth that is curved at 1000R.
The 55-inch curved display sports Samsung’s highly acclaimed Quantum Matrix technology with Mini LEDs. With up to 14-bit processing, 16,384 black levels, your blacks look deep, and your images looks ultra-realistic. At 55-inch, you are going to be fully immersed in the game world too. At 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio with HDR10+, finding things in the darker areas of your map is a breeze.
It is not just a beautiful looking 4K display too. It is a super-fast display; it is a gaming display after all. It sports up to 165Hz in refresh rate. Its Grey-to-Grey response time is as low as 1ms for the fastest response you can get out of your display. It even supports AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro for not just a tear free gaming experience, but also a super responsive one.
Source: Samsung
You might want to forget going for a VESA mount for this monitor. The stand it comes with is plenty enough to handle the weight of a 55-inch gaming monitor. It is also a tiltable base so that you can use it in what Samsung calls the “cockpit mode”. You flip the display vertically and it really wraps around your head.
A display this size also requires big sounds. Because it takes up so much space on your desk, you might want to not get a sound bar, or a speaker set up. This one offers you four speakers with Dolby Atmos certification. They call it the Sound Dome Technology with object tracking capabilities for the most immersive experience available.
Of course, it comes with its own Samsung TV style remote, because it is that big. It also comes with something called an Ark Dial. It is a smart remote thing that allows you quick and easy access over the TVs more prominent and more frequently accessed functions. At the same time, like the latest Samsung TVs, it comes with a One Connect Box for a much easier access to all its four HDMI 2.1 ports, LAN port, and USB ports.
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
Source: Samsung
The Samsung Odyssey is nothing short of breathtaking. It only comes in black, but it also has RGB strips on the top and bottom of the back plate. It does not matter though what colour the display comes in, the 55-inch curved Mini LED panel stands out like a sore thumb anyway. The Odyssey Ark is now available for pre-order in the United States of America (U.S.A.) and select regions. Malaysia? Not yet, but we can expect it to come pretty soon, since the 49-inch ultra-wide behemoth has already landed. In the U.S.A. it will set you back US$ 3,500 though, about MYR 15,631*, or the price of a very high-end, very big TV from the likes of Samsung. More information the Samsung Odyssey Ark can be found on their website.
*Approximately based on conversion rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.47 as of 16/08/2022 on xe.com
