Projectors might be the next big step in gaming
We’ve all seen videos of people firing their Wiimotes, PS5 controllers, VR controllers, and even TV remotes into their TVs either accidentally or in fits of rage. Most of the time not only is the missile broken, but the TV is as well. Anyone with young kids knows how dangerous they can be to a TV too. “Oh look! A cat” a toddler says running up to and point-hitting the TV with whatever toy is in their hand.
Now, thanks to BenQ, we have other options. Newly announced is their series of three new 4K gaming projectors – designed specifically with gamers in mind. Simply set it up either in its new permanent location, or take it out and put away again when you’re finished, and experience incredible detail and response rates on a “screen” as big as you want – limited only by how far away from the wall you can get the projector.
Each of BenQ’s new projectors comes with a suite of different built-in tools to make sure you have the best possible image wherever you put them. 2D keystone correction, lens shift, and digital or motorized zoom all allow you to have the absolute perfect image quality for your space. Alongside these are a range of technologies developed by BenQ to enhance your gaming and viewing experience. The in-game refinement tech is said to “deliver fully immersive gaming experiences teeming with freshly revealed details and realism”, though we don’t have much more details on that, it’s likely to be a proprietary up-scaling of the signal and details sent by your console or PC – whatever it is, you’ll be seeing things in-game you’ve never seen before. All of the projectors have an incredible 500,000:1 contrast ratio, and along with projector-optimised HDR-PRO, and the CinematicColour technology, you’ll also be treated to some of the most vivid and vibrant colours and life-like shadows available in an in-home experience.
You might be thinking “how am I supposed to hear the game if I don’t have dedicated audio equipment?”, well BenQ have thought of that too. Each projector has a set of high-quality speakers and CinematicSound tech built in, developed in a way that will make each gamer feel surrounded by sound. The combination of hardware and software creates a virtual 3D special audio environment that perfectly matches the quality of the video.
And when you’re finished gaming, the projectors also have Android TV and Netflix built in, so your gaming setup immediately becomes a home cinema.
Unfortunately, though, bleeding-edge technology like this comes at a price. While we’re still waiting for potential prices for Ireland, the X3100i will retail in the UK for £2099 RRP and X500i will retail for £1499 RRP (the X300g hasn’t had a European release just yet). As with most things we can expect a markup on those prices between shipping, import duties etc. etc.
While we haven’t gotten to try them ourselves just yet, we have used projectors for gaming before so we know first-hand the incredible potential they have – and it looks like BenQ has really gone above and beyond to create something specifically for gamers. Are they expensive? Yes. But, you might never buy a TV again.