Ultrawide: Not just another Display

As the times have changed, display technology has become just as progressive as the machines that power the pixels. As of now, with the downward costs of monitors and the rise of 4K displays, anyone looking for their next monitor will be spoilt for choice. Whether it be 2K, 4K or just good old fashion 1080p, there is one thing they all have in common: they’re a 16:9 aspect ratio. It has become pretty much the standard among PC users and especially among gamers. Now though, there is something else, something that has been raising in popularity. The 21:9 aspect ratio or more commonly known as: the ultrawide display.

So here I am to talk to you about this wonderful new cinematic viewing pleasure. First, let’s talk more about the 21:9 aspect ratio and why it’s a favoured alternative to its 16:9 cousin. As of right now, these come in two different flavours: 2560x1080p and 3440x1440p. More commonly the 1080p model is available on a 29” screen and the 1440p display at 34”. These screens 16:9 counterparts are equal to a 24” and 27” monitors. The monitor I’ll be talking about here will be a 34” 3440x1440p display from Dell, more specifically the U3415W.

This is not necessarily a review of that said monitor, but an exploration of ultrawide PC gaming on said monitor. The gaming and benefits brought by this monitor should be the same as if it were on any other ultra-wide display, whether it be a 25”, 29” or 34” display, their differences are only in size and resolution. I will be covering the most obvious PC gaming, but I will also explore the offer benefits of a ultrawide display: productivity, video/audio editing, movies and overall general experience and use. Let’s delve in.

As a predominant PC gamer I’ve always loved top notch visuals and high performance, if I didn’t I’d might as well play console (sorry console folks). Now, most will be pretty happy with the option of just going with a standard 1080p display, but in the world of PC gaming you’re provided with numerous options. Multiple displays (Eyefinity/Nvidia surround), high refresh rates (120+ hz monitors), 4K displays etc. The new kid on the block, and one that’s gaining traction is the ultrawide display, the 21:9 aspect ratio. It’s striking and usual but also an amazing and unique experience. To put into perspective a 34” ultrawide display is like having two 16:9 displays pushed together side by side, with the center bezel removed offering some serious screen real estate.

On the desktop alone you'll be able to take full advantage of the additional screen space and depending on the size and resolution of your chosen screen, you'll be able to view two full web pages side by side without the pages cut off or smushed together. It can improve work productivity and certainly models offer additional software to take advantage of the additional screen space. On the Dell and LG monitors, you can download the Window manager, this allow you to split out the windows in a variety of different of arrangements. Of course, it's not just the desktop benefits, full-screen applications can too. Say you're a video or audio editor, the ultrawide screen space allows you to see the video timeline further and in audio a wider screen space allows to see more of the track as a whole. This may be minor to some, but would be incredibly useful to those who dislike using multiple monitors for their editing work.

Now, when it comes to gaming and movies this is where having a ultrawide monitor shines. For movies or even just videos in general are at most presented in a 16:9 aspect ratio. Movies on the other hand, the big blockbusters on VoD (video on demand) or Blu-ray are in filmed in cinemascope 21:9 - it's the reason why you get those “cinematic” letterbox. With an ultrawide monitor you get the full screen experience with no black bars, making it incredibly immersive. It's a whole different experience and is perhaps considered the way the movie was meant to seen. However, this does have its negatives. If the video isn't 21:9 you'll get black bars on the sides, it can be corrected to view full screened, but this is done by stretching the image to full screen which is unfortunate. Nonetheless, my time spent watching videos or movies has not been a problem. And considering the additional work space you have, watching a full 16:9 video on one side will still leave you plenty of screen space to work with.

When it comes to games and this is where the joyful experience of having a ultrawide monitor pays off, the same cinematic experience of a movie can be experienced in gaming. It does though, come down to support. A many years back 16:9 support was coming in fast and strong, no longer was 4:3 the norm, and just like those days. 21:9 support is making the trend and slowly to becoming common in newer titles, even with many older titles supporting it (with a bit of tweaking). It's not perfect, but it is getting the support. And there is a clear demand for it.

Whether it be a single player or multiplayer title, a vast majority of titles do support the 21:9 aspect ratio. It might be a concern at first and more recently you may have noticed PC game announcements saying 21:9 is supported, but there are many sources that do test and check whether it is supported. One such is WSGF (widescreen gaming forum), it's the go-to site for information on titles that support multi-monitors and 21:9. You can also look up videos on YouTube of games in 21:9 whether it be at 2560x1080 or 3440x1440, if full screened you still get the effect. While it's all great in many areas of gaming. There are still a few nuisances here and there that need to be pointed out. Although don't let it discourage you.

While I have mentioned about compatibility, some games won't support the resolution or aspect ratio, in some case you may have to play in a 16:9 resolution and scale the image to full screen. This though, basically stretches the image and will distort. It can be uncomfortable, but it is at least a work around, otherwise you'll have to put up with black pillars on sides. Another annoyance, but not a major buzzkill is ingame menus, user interface or cutscenes - pre-rendered or ingame. Developers don't always compensate for wider aspect ratios. This means that in-game menus or HUDs are centered as though they're in 16:9, not always a problem, but can put off some who'd like to have the full extent of the hud on screen. This is the same for cutscenes, pre-rendered ones can't be corrected, so if you're enjoying your cinematic experience when you enter a cutscene you'll get the dreaded black pillars. Ingame cutscenes are usually compensated or have been fixed by the kindness of modders - which involves hex editing or downloading a custom .exe.

Even though some of above may sound daunting, it isn't as bad as you may think and in no way has it discouraged me from enjoying my ultrawide experience. To me, it's a minor nuisance at best. The games I've played have been either year or two old or console ports. More recent titles have been exceptional and worked with no issues.

Overall, the compatibility and experience has been excellent and with further support coming from developers. The 21:9 aspect ratio is becoming more common and access to such type of screens make it a great alternative to a standard 16:9 displays and 4K screens. There are many options available and as I explained at the start, you can currently get 2560x1080 and 3440x1440 resolutions. G-sync and Freesync models are available too with high refresh rates as well (currently 100 Hz) although these are much pricier.

The one I own, the Dell U3415W is on the high-end of ultrawide displays. It features a resolution of 3440x144 with a multitude of connections and support for external devices. With Displayport, HDMI, MHL and Mini-Displayport you can connect a many number of devices and use picture in picture feature to view your external devices. It's a professionally built display, so while not necessarily aimed at gamers, it's still robust with an impressive curved IPS display. Although at around £550 it isn't cheap, but compared thigh-endnd 4k displays it is almost on par. The model is over a year old and since then the g-sync and freesync have since release. Asus have launched the ultimate gaming model, the Asus Predator x34, and while it does have a 3440x1440 display, 100Hz refresh rate and g-sync support it costs more than £1000. Which is incredibly pricey. But going back to the Dell model, you have a monitor that is more than capable of gaming, and features a number of calibration options, so it's also perfect for video and photo editors. It is truly a professional display, but now you're probably thinking it's a high price to enjoy the benefits of a ultrawide monitor and the answer is: yes and no.

It entirely depends on your budget and how powerful your system is. You have to take into consideration that in order to drive the 3440x1440 resolution you'll need a pretty powerful graphics card. Even with my recent purchase of a GTX 1070, it can be too demanding at demanding game, so in the most graphically demanding titles I am unable to utilize the full resolution and either use 2560x1080 or a custom resolution such as 2800x1200 (with help from an aspect ratio calculator). But as I also do many things outside of gaming, I very much enjoy and appreciate the additional screen real estate. As said before, you can also get a display with a 2560x1080 resolution. That's basically a 1080p display with more horizontal pixels. They vary in price, some of the most popular models come from LG and you can get them in either 25" or 29" screens and can be bought for around £150 and £250 respectively.

Ultrawide display popularity has gained traction these past couple of years. Once seen as a gimmick, even in the television market with Panasonic's attempt some years ago, but now they've reach the PC market and certainly is its new home. LG brought us the first iterations with focus on multitasking and productivity, but as time has gone by many manufactures have brought on their take, including BenQ and Asus with their gaming editions. There doesn't appear to be any stopping and I'm happy to own one. With the continued developer support things will only getting better and with newer models releasing at a lower price point, there is no better time to venture into the world of ultrawide displays.