21:9 vs 4k support

[Tweak155]

Considering getting a new monitor. Right now I have 27" 2560x1440 IPS that's worked pretty good for a few years. I saw a 34" curved 3440x1440 in person and thought it looked really good.

After looking around though, seems like there is a hassle in getting support in some games that I like to play in 21:9. Even black bars on the side would work for me, but not sure this is always possible. It seems like a 4k would not have these same compatibility issues since these games run in 16:9 resolutions such as that one I'm using now.

Is it a safe assumptions that my games that run in 2560x1440 will natively work with 4k since it is also 16:9? Or will I have support issues with either monitor?

Basically still debating between a 32" 4k and a 34" ultra wide.

 

[4K_shmoorK]

Is it a safe assumptions that my games that run in 2560x1440 will natively work with 4k since it is also 16:9? Or will I have support issues with either monitor?

Basically still debating between a 32" 4k and a 34" ultra wide.

Yep, most games are designed with 16:9 in mind. Most games work fine in 4k and support 3840x2160 just fine. Though cutscenes will obviously still be limited to 720/1080/whatever resolution they are rendered in.

From my own experience, there is very spotty application and multimedia support of widescreen aspect ratios (21:9). You will be greeted with with black bars in all but netflix and youtube (with chrome/mozilla add-on widescreen fixes) when viewing and streaming media. That includes most game cutscenes which can break immersion, for me at least.

For gameplay though, curved 21:9 is simply unrivaled in terms of immersion and FOV. For me, it is superior to high refresh rate gameplay because of how wrapped up you can get in the game you are playing. That said, UI and text can be hard to read and can be exacerbated by the quality of panel you choose and the type (IPS/TN/VA).

What panels are you considering and what games are you concerned with running in 21:9?

This site has a bunch of information and support concerning workarounds for running apps/games in 21:9.
http://www.wsgf.org/

 

[Tweak155]

I only recently started considering 4k instead, so don't have a particular panel I'm looking at. But for the 34" UW it is the Dell u3415w.

The main games I'm concerned about are Blizzard games... just recently they disabled workaround for one of their games so they are actively trying to disable it. I'd be fine with black bars on the side for games that don't support it, though. If I can force that somehow then great... I won't worry about it for those games. But if you read up on SCII for example, it just stretches the image and makes it look distorted. That is also the game they actively try to disable the support for.

 

[Headfoot]

Don't know about 21:9 specifically, but I run 3x1080p i.e. 5760x1080 and support for it is very sketchy. Most in-game engines actually support it ok, with HUD elements getting sent way out to the sides, but most UIs (menus, etc.) do not support it at all and are unusable.

 

[4K_shmoorK]

I only recently started considering 4k instead, so don't have a particular panel I'm looking at. But for the 34" UW it is the Dell u3415w.

The main games I'm concerned about are Blizzard games... just recently they disabled workaround for one of their games so they are actively trying to disable it. I'd be fine with black bars on the side for games that don't support it, though. If I can force that somehow then great... I won't worry about it for those games. But if you read up on SCII for example, it just stretches the image and makes it look distorted. That is also the game they actively try to disable the support for.

I fooled around with the Dell Ultrawide for a bit and was actually unimpressed with the quality. It may have just been the floor model but there seemed to be glaring uniformity issues as well as sharpness issues. It uses the same panel as LG 34UM95 ultrawide (Which also happened to be $200 cheaper @ $799 if that means anything to you)

So, if you are looking for suggestions, I would actually steer clear of buying a 4K panel if you are looking to use the panel mainly for gaming. 4K doesn't offer that much improvement in IQ over 1440P, though there is a definite improvement. Just not as pronounced as moving from 1080 to 1440.

If you would like to go ultrawide and have a budget of somewhere between $800 and $1200, I would either go for the cheapest prev-gen (as in no adaptive sync, 60Hz limited) ultrawide I could find. That would either be the Dell,LG, or AOC variant of the non-curved IPS panel all 3 share.

However, if you are going to spend over $1000 don't even bother with the aforementioned panels. Acer/Asus both have curved adaptive sync panels either out or coming out that support 75 Hz. Acer also has their Z35 200Hz VA panel coming out in December. Those are better panels by definition.

If you can find an ultrawide for a deal ($800 and below), go for it.

 

[Tweak155]

Oh yeah I'm not buying til it hits $600 (it was $630 just the other day - but I'm patient).

But if I can't run the games I want to play even with black bars, not sure there is a point? I've heard some monitors can be set to a 1:1 mode, so theoretically if I set my game at 2560x1440, the monitor will just leave space on both sides. Maybe I should just see if the Dell has that option, but still not sure it would work for certain.

 

[Tweak155]

Just found this in the user manual... so maybe I just need to turn this on?

Aspect Ratio Adjusts the image ratio to Wide 21:9, Wide 16:9, Auto Resize, or 1:1.

 

[railven]

Oh yeah I'm not buying til it hits $600 (it was $630 just the other day - but I'm patient).

But if I can't run the games I want to play even with black bars, not sure there is a point? I've heard some monitors can be set to a 1:1 mode, so theoretically if I set my game at 2560x1440, the monitor will just leave space on both sides. Maybe I should just see if the Dell has that option, but still not sure it would work for certain.

What specific game? I just got the GF a ultra wide (that newegg deal on the IPS LG 29" 2560x1080) and I can test a game or two for you if I have it (I own most Blizzard games).

She's currently on a ArcheAge binge and she's had zero issue with it. I also tried FFXIV just to see and the UI rendered fine, nothing looked stretched (actually made me jelly). I'm still rocking a 2560x1440 IPS Auria (now crossed my fingers it blows like my last one so I can get my warranty coverage from Microcenter).

 

[Tweak155]

What specific game? I just got the GF a ultra wide (that newegg deal on the IPS LG 29" 2560x1080) and I can test a game or two for you if I have it (I own most Blizzard games).

She's currently on a ArcheAge binge and she's had zero issue with it. I also tried FFXIV just to see and the UI rendered fine, nothing looked stretched (actually made me jelly). I'm still rocking a 2560x1440 IPS Auria (now crossed my fingers it blows like my last one so I can get my warranty coverage from Microcenter).

I also have the Auria from MC.

Games are Diablo 3 & SCII. I already know WoW supports it. I also have some older games I might play from time to time, but I'm less concerned with those.

 

[railven]

I also have the Auria from MC.

Games are Diablo 3 & SCII. I already know WoW supports it. I also have some older games I might play from time to time, but I'm less concerned with those.

I got both those, will install them on her rig (or steal her monitor :O) and see how they look.

 

[Tweak155]

I got both those, will install them on her rig (or steal her monitor :O) and see how they look.

Sounds awesome, thanks!

In your case the resolution should probably be tested on 1920x1080 to see how the game handles it... 99% sure based on the internet it's going to stretch it by default which is what I'm trying to avoid.

 

[railven]

Sounds awesome, thanks!

In your case the resolution should probably be tested on 1920x1080 to see how the game handles it... 99% sure based on the internet it's going to stretch it by default which is what I'm trying to avoid.

I'll tinker with it, I'm hoping it wont stretch it. But will report what I see. So far one Korean MMO (which often has little support) had no issues handling the 21:9 ratio. You'd think Blizzard would have no issue either.

 

[Tweak155]

I'll tinker with it, I'm hoping it wont stretch it. But will report what I see. So far one Korean MMO (which often has little support) had no issues handling the 21:9 ratio. You'd think Blizzard would have no issue either.

Blizzard has pretty much stated they don't plan to support it for SCII and it is speculated it is because it could be considered a competitive advantage.

Diablo 3 some people have said if you choose windowed full screen, it works.

 

[Headfoot]

It wont work on SCII. They wont support nonstandard resolutions because they consider it a competitive advantage. I cant use 5760x1080 in it for sure and im 90% sure its the same for any non 16:9/16:10 resolution.

 

[Elfear]

Something to consider is a bigger 4k display that you can turn into a 21:9 screen. I had the same debate as you a few months ago and decided to pick up a Phillips 40" 4k screen that will do 3840x1645 for 21:9 viewing. Most games are fairly simple to set up for 21:9 and the AMA screen makes for much deeper blacks which helps the black bars on top and bottom look more like bezels.

 

[Tweak155]

Something to consider is a bigger 4k display that you can turn into a 21:9 screen. I had the same debate as you a few months ago and decided to pick up a Phillips 40" 4k screen that will do 3840x1645 for 21:9 viewing. Most games are fairly simple to set up for 21:9 and the AMA screen makes for much deeper blacks which helps the black bars on top and bottom look more like bezels.

I just don't know if 40" is too big for sitting on a desk. How far back do you have it?

 

[railven]

So I got good news and bad news.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls had no issues supporting 21:9.

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm WOULD NOT support it. Forcing the resolution just stretched everything out. It seems locked to 16:9 resolution. Got letterboxing on the sides.

I just read what someone said about disadvantage play, and frankly playing D3 I would have to agree. Being able to see if even just a few meters (in game equivalent of distance) over another player would allow you to set up defenses better.

For example, I felt I could kite easier with 21:9, since I could see much more in the WEST/EAST directions.

 

[borderdeal]

I just don't know if 40" is too big for sitting on a desk. How far back do you have it?

I have a 49" 4k monitor and I am 2 feet away from it. It took me like 3-4 days to get used to the size but now I would not go back to a lower resolution. I can lower the resolution to 1440 or 1080p if needed for gaming and it looks good.

 

[Tweak155]

So I got good news and bad news.

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls had no issues supporting 21:9.

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm WOULD NOT support it. Forcing the resolution just stretched everything out. It seems locked to 16:9 resolution. Got letterboxing on the sides.

I just read what someone said about disadvantage play, and frankly playing D3 I would have to agree. Being able to see if even just a few meters (in game equivalent of distance) over another player would allow you to set up defenses better.

For example, I felt I could kite easier with 21:9, since I could see much more in the WEST/EAST directions.

Did you try setting the monitor to another setting like 1:1 for SC2?

 

[Tweak155]

I have a 49" 4k monitor and I am 2 feet away from it. It took me like 3-4 days to get used to the size but now I would not go back to a lower resolution. I can lower the resolution to 1440 or 1080p if needed for gaming and it looks good.

Which monitor did you buy?

 

[borderdeal]

I got the wasabi mango UHD490. It has free sync and looks really good. Only a dead or stuck pixel (it is a red one so only on a black background is noticeable and you really have to look to see it. Uniformity is really good and no back light bleeding

 

[Elfear]

I just don't know if 40" is too big for sitting on a desk. How far back do you have it?

It seemed massive at first but has "shrunk" after using it for a couple months. I normally sit 18-24" away.

 

[amenx]

I have a 49" 4k monitor and I am 2 feet away from it. It took me like 3-4 days to get used to the size but now I would not go back to a lower resolution. I can lower the resolution to 1440 or 1080p if needed for gaming and it looks good.

49" @ 2 feet away, wow. Do you have to tilt your head back to look at the upper part of the screen?

 

[borderdeal]

49" @ 2 feet away, wow. Do you have to tilt your head back to look at the upper part of the screen?

I do move my head a little but not much. I use a standing desk so I tend to move the whole body and I did that before I had the 4k monitor. It took me 3-4 days to adjust but now I do not even notice if I have to move to see all corners

 

[xthetenth]

I fooled around with the Dell Ultrawide for a bit and was actually unimpressed with the quality. It may have just been the floor model but there seemed to be glaring uniformity issues as well as sharpness issues. It uses the same panel as LG 34UM95 ultrawide (Which also happened to be $200 cheaper @ $799 if that means anything to you)

My U3415W is great for uniformity and almost as good as my literally perfect 34UM95 in terms of backlight bleed. The curve and stand are both huge advantages, and I've been seeing the U3415W on sale for as low if not lower than the 34UM95 on newegg.