Online video gaming is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global tech landscape. With Covid-19 lockdown measures creating a captive audience, an estimated $159.3 billion will be spent on games this year, according to a recent report from analytics firm Newzoo – a growth rate of 9.3%. The market is forecast to surpass $200 billion by 2023.
As such eSports device manufacturers have been churning out one device after the other quite frequently. One of those brands is BenQ which offers eSports related devices under its Zowie range of products. The company recently announced the launch of two eSports displays – XL2546K and XL2411K. And today, we are reviewing the BenQ Zowie XL2546K eSports Display.
The XL2546K is a 24.5-inch Full HD model that supports a high refresh rate of 240Hz. The liquid crystal panel is TN type, the brightness is 320 cd/㎡, and the contrast ratio is 1,000:1. The response time, meanwhile, is rated at 1ms. You also get a wide range of inputs including three HDMI2.0 ports and one DisplayPort1.2, along with a headphone jack.
All of the connectivity options can be accessed at the rear of the unit. You also get the power button and the options toggle button (mini joystick) at the back of the device. The overall design and build quality is pretty good and the finishing is that of the matte variety. Inside the box you also get an “S.Switch” that lets you change the display settings with ease, and a pair of screen shield for added privacy during your gaming sessions.
The stand of the monitor supports -5 to 23° tilt, -45 to 45° swivel, 90° pivot, and 155mm height adjustment. The VESA mount is 100x100mm pitch, body size is 571mm width, 200mm depth, 443~521mm height, and it weighs around 6.2-kgs. The display comes with a new base that has been designed to take up less space while maintaining the same stability.
The Zowie XL2546L eSports Display also comes packed with DyAc technology that makes vigorous in-game actions such as spraying less blur. This allows you to see the position of the crosshair and the impact points more clearly, which can further help with recoil control. The DyAc+ is based on this same technology and through panel optimization, provides you with a different option for actions such as spray control.
The size of the stand is smaller than that of the conventional model, so that you can use the desk space more effectively. In addition, the vertical movement width of the stand and the tilt angle width have been expanded so that the position of the screen can be finely adjusted during gameplay. There is also a Black eQualizer which lets you increase visibility in dark scenes without overexposing the bright areas.
The Colour Vibrance, meanwhile lets you adjust the colour setting and tone to differentiate enemy targets in-game. Also, the Game modes let you switch between presets for different game titles – these are all adjustments that allow players to play with their preferred visual settings.
In order to test the performance of the monitor, we played Watch Dogs, CS:Go, and Fortnite. Visuals were stunning to look at thanks to the top notch panel used in the monitor and the gameplay was very smooth due to the high refresh rate. The 1ms response time, meanwhile, helps in minimising and preventing smearing or ghosting.
The BenQ Zowie XL2546K eSports Display has a lot going on for it. It comes with BenQ’s proprietary DyAc technology, 240Hz Refresh Rate, Black eQualizer, Optimize Gaming Precision, Shield, Personalised Viewing Angles, S-Switch and lots more. And these features make it one of the better displays out there on the market aimed at the eSports sector.
Price: AED 1,999
