Dual-mode gaming appears to be the next big thing in the video game monitor industry, as Asus has just announced the imminent arrival of its Asus ROG PG32UCDP OLED display, which can switch between frame rates of 240Hz or 480Hz at the push of a button.
Asus said the new monitor will deliver 240Hz graphics at 4K resolution, with the option to ramp things up to a blazing-fast 480Hz at 1080p.
According to the company, the Asus ROG PG32UCDP is a 32-inch WRGB OLED monitor with a native 4K resolution panel and native 240Hz refresh rate. But its built-in Dynamic Frequency and Resolution technology (FDR) allows it to sacrifice graphic fidelity and run at regular HD resolution with a much higher 480Hz refresh rate when the situation calls for it.
It’s said that gamers often prefer faster refresh rates over graphics quality in competitive esports games, especially in first-person shooters where speed is of the essence.
It’s for this reason that LG Electronics is also offering dual-mode gaming with its recently announced 32GS95UE UltraGear OLED gaming monitor. The idea is that gamers can enjoy the best graphics when playing noncompetitively, before sacrificing the visuals somewhat when things get competitive. Interestingly, both companies are marketing their dual-mode displays as the “world’s first”, but it remains to be seen which one will actually launch first.
We can expect to hear more about the new Asus and LG monitors during CES 2024, which kicks off on January 9, 2024.
In other news, HP is also upping the stakes for gamers with its new OMEN Transcend 32 monitor, although there was no mention of dual-mode gaming. Instead, the HP OMEN Transcend 32 offers an OLED panel that can hit a peak brightness of 1,000 nits. It delivers 4K resolution at 240Hz, supports Dolby Vision and AMD FreeSync, and also KVM functionality via switchable USB ports.
Windows Report, which first unveiled the new monitor, said that HP explained burn-in is mitigated through the use of its proprietary OMEN Tempest Monitor Cooling tech.
We don’t have many other details, but the pre-announcements suggest that 2024 is going to be a good year for gamers who’re looking to invest in a souped-up display.
