8K is definitely the future. PC Gaming, along with the ever-increasing quality of video production has finally pushed the limitation of PCs to the next level. Last year, at CES 2017, we finally got our first glance at the first 8K monitor by Dell. Dell assured that soon after the event, the monitor would be available to the public and it did. At this very moment, Dell is the only OEM to possess such a monitor available in the market for consumers. With the price of 4K panels, whether that’s TVs or monitors, taking their prices down the hill, 4K has become more than an attractive option for many consumers.
After we interviewed Asus about the state of 8K last year, we finally had the chance to ask the same questions from the folks over at Viewsonic. We discusses the possibility of 8K panels becoming the next big thing, as well as the impact gaming consoles have made to their monitor sales over the past year or so.
Q.With the recent slew of HDR gaming, there is a silent absence of HDR monitors for the PC market unlike the console market that rely on TVs. We’ve seen the current generation of GPUs sporting HDR as being supported. What’s Viewsonic’s plans?
HDR’s main benefit is to enhance the contrast of images, so definitely is good for gamers. Currently, we already have 2 models XG3220 (4K free sync) and XG3240 (QHD, 144Hz) support HDR-10 decode. We are one of the few in gaming that launched HDR models for gamer, and we chose HDR-10 with 4K and QHD 144Hz panels for the best value for gamers. Some brands use local dimming to achieve HDR with poor ROI for end-users. As VESA established the standard for VESA HDR400, 600 and 1000, and panel has some innovative improvement on HDR panels, ViewSonic already has plan to provide the best value of next generation of HDR models for gamers.
Q. There’s barely any monitors that come with the color accuracy of an IPS monitor while maintaining a high refresh rate. Does Viewsonic have anything planned in store.
Yes, IPS with 144Hz is the ideal spec for gamers. ViewSonic had XG2703-GS in QHD 144Hz with IPS tech. The problem is panel readiness (limited choose) and IPS response time . This is on our watch list for a long time. ViewSonic has launched 240Hz and 144Hz products, and so whenever the more IPS 144 Hz panels are ready, we are ready, too. IPS 144Hz panels start showing up in more panel makers’ roadmap. In fact, we have a plan go beyond IPS 144hz for best color AND response time for gaming. Our technology will provide a breakthrough, ideal IPS monitors for gamers: good color, fast response time (yes, with IPS, matching TN response time) and high frequency. We have excellent color management monitors and we can do so for our gaming monitor, too. Stay tune.
Q. What do you guys feel about FreeSync and GSync displays?
– ViewSonic have both Gsync and FreeSync monitors. We will continue to upgrade to any advance generations of both technologies.
– We have direct working relationship with Nvidia and AMD. Both FreeSync 2 and 2nd Generation of Gsync are in our plan.
– We have both because we are committed to provide choices, not chance, to our gaming customers.
Q. Do you guys have an 8K display down the roadmap for upcoming years just like Dell? If not, when could we expect the market shift towards 8k?
– ViewSonic was one of the 2 brands to introduce 4K monitors in the market back 4 years ago. ViewSonic is committed to investing in future display technology, including gaming monitors. We also show cased 8K monitors in CES this year.
– Gaming monitors will follow the same roadmap direction. The key is availability of 8K games, and the associated graphic card. This is one of the major tracking item in our gaming monitor roadmap.
– As immersive gaming is the fastest growing segment in gaming, we have been putting significant attention to larger screen sizes. Our approach is a little bit different from (and better than) others, but yes, large format gaming display is under cooking.
Q. Since PC gamers have been evolving with the introduction of HDR and 144Hz monitor for quite a while now. Ever since Microsoft and Sony have announced their push to 4K, have you felt any form of boost in the demand for such displays?
– It has taken more than 3 years for 4K mainstream monitors to gain traction, so gaming monitors will face the same issue: cost, bandwidth, graphic cards and content availability.
– Front of screen performance (mainly resolution and color) is always the key area for display technology innovation. So 4K gaming definitely will take off, with our estimation, in the next 12 – 18 months. As a committed gaming display player, we have several 4K (and QHD) gaming monitors in plan.
