6 reasons a super ultrawide monitor is the best for gaming

In the world of PC hardware, hyperbole comes easy. It’s fairly common to see a graphics card, CPU, or monitor being hailed as the next big thing. While the numbers might support such claims, the actual experience isn’t often different from what gamers are already used to. Super ultrawide monitors, however, might be one of the few exceptions to this rule — gaming on one of these beasts is legitimately a singular experience.

Compared to a regular 16:9 or even a 21:9 ultrawide monitor, a super ultrawide monitor boasts a 32:9 aspect ratio and a 44.5″ or 49″ screen size. The first-hand experience of using a super ultrawide monitor is as impressive as those numbers would make it seem, and my colleague Joao described it well in his review of the LG UltraWide 49WQ95C. Put simply, if you’re itching for a “game-changing” upgrade to your gaming experience, a super ultrawide monitor is unparalleled.

6

Better than dual monitors

Seamless gaming without bezels

Some of you might already have a makeshift ultrawide setup of your own with two monitors placed side by side. While that can work fine, depending on the model, a super ultrawide is superior in every way. It’s basically two 16:9 monitors fused together to create one massive monstrosity, retaining all the benefits of a dual-monitor setup and none of the downsides.

The biggest upside is that you no longer need to put up with the annoying bezels of two separate monitors. A super ultrawide can even act as a dual-monitor setup for when you want to play a game on one half of the screen and keep an eye on your chats or streaming window on the other. The uninterrupted view is not only excellent for gaming, but also for productivity. You can connect multiple inputs to the monitor, displaying each source on its separate 1440p, 27-inch-sized half.

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5

Unparalleled immersion

Gaming on a 49-inch panel is incomparable

When it comes to gaming experiences, you can’t speak of a regular or ultrawide monitor in the same line as a super ultrawide screen. The gigantic proportions of a beefy 49-inch panel completely warps your idea of what a gaming monitor can look like. You’ll need a large desk to accommodate it, but the benefits it brings are just too good. The dual QHD resolution and wraparound curved panel immerse you in the scene like no other display.

If you love single-player action-adventure titles, space sims, exploration games, or open-world epics, you’ll have a blast on a super ultrawide monitor. The bigger and more immersive your display, the more chances of you stopping frequently to take in the scene, and admire the artistry of some of the best-looking games on PC. Some older games will require you to use workarounds to avoid black bars in cutscenes, but that’s a small price to pay for the heightened immersion.

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4

The competitive advantage is real

One hell of a tactical advantage

Super ultrawide monitors aren’t perfect only for single-player cinematic experiences; even multiplayer gaming gets a massive leg up, thanks to the wider field of view (FOV). The enhanced peripheral vision allows you to have increased spatial awareness, so you can see more of your surroundings at once, and spot enemies better than on a standard display.

It might be far from the perfect esports display in terms of the ease of driving high refresh rates, but for a casual FPS player, a super ultrawide screen still enhances the experience. Moving from a 16:9 monitor to a 32:9 super ultrawide is a phenomenal upgrade, and you won’t regret your investment. The only thing you need to keep in mind is the minor image distortion at the edges, which might hurt your accuracy a bit.

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3

You’re getting flagship specs

240Hz OLED panels are something else

The incredible form factor of super ultrawide monitors alone makes them impressive, but modern iterations have envious gaming specs as well. QD-OLED 240Hz screens with instantaneous response times and 1000R curves can go head-to-head with the best gaming monitors any day of the week. The Samsung 49″ Odyssey G9 QD-OLED is still one of the absolute best ultrawide monitors for gaming.

Even if you don’t pick one of the fancy OLED models, other super ultrawides will still offer a fantastic HDR experience, thanks to 1000-nit brightness, incredibly high contrast ratios, and excellent VA panels. In terms of connectivity, VRR, and other features, you can rest assured you’ll get almost all the latest specs, such as HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, FreeSync Premium Pro, G-SYNC compatibility, multiple USB ports, and decent ergonomics.

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2

Driving super ultrawides is easier than ever

Time to crank up those AI-generated frames

The higher resolutions of super ultrawide monitors need a capable graphics card to drive all those pixels at high refresh rates. Naturally, this might be a big concern for you, but I’m guessing that you probably have a high-end GPU if you’re contemplating purchasing a super ultrawide monitor. Thanks to technologies like Multi Frame Generation (MFG) on the Nvidia RTX 50 series, 2x frame generation on the RTX 40 series, and similar features on AMD and Intel GPUs, driving high FPS at high resolutions is easier than ever.

Of course, AI-generated frames won’t be equivalent to those rendered by the game engine. Still, as long as you have a high base framerate, the visual artifacts and latency associated with frame generation are going to remain minimal. The benefits of the increased smoothness on a massive screen will soon make you forget about the downsides, at least in single-player titles.

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1

They’re not as expensive as you’d think

All things considered

Considering everything I described above, you’d probably imagine that super ultrawide monitors are more expensive than flagship graphics cards. When you look at the prices, though, you’ll see that they don’t really cost more than a 16:9 high-end monitor. You can get a 45″ 1500R super ultrawide screen from LG with a 200Hz refresh rate VA panel, a DisplayHDR 600 rating, and an adjustable stand for under $700, and that’s an impressive deal.

If you want a tighter curve and even better specs, the Samsung 49″ Odyssey G95C is often available for around $800. The 49″, 1000R VA monitor features a 240Hz refresh rate, a DisplayHDR 1000 rating, and an adjustable stand, making it a well-rounded deal. Of course, if you want the ultimate experience, the Samsung 49″ Odyssey G95SC often retails for around $1,000, featuring an 1800R QD-OLED panel, a 240Hz refresh rate, and an incredible design.

These prices are not “affordable” by any means, but for the level of gaming immersion they guarantee, they aren’t bad either. If you plan to spend close to a grand on a 27″ or 32″ standard 16:9 OLED monitor, I’d highly recommend considering a super ultrawide before parting with your money.

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The future of gaming is super ultrawide

Once super ultrawide monitors become more affordable, gamers will start migrating to the superior form factor. The immersion that these monitors provide can’t be replicated on anything else. I would argue that they’re even better than upgrading to a 65″ or 75″ 4K TV in your living room, since the impact that a monitor has inches away from your eyes is much bigger than a large-screen TV a few feet away from you. And compared to dual monitors or even an ultrawide screen, super ultrawides enable a completely new level of gaming.