ASUS Launches VG245Q ‘Console’ Gaming Monitor: 1080p with FreeSync, $200

ASUS has introduced another monitor positioned specifically for console gaming that allows console owners to take their games out of the living room. The new display offers Full-HD resolution and uses an inexpensive TN panel with a fast response time, supporting a refresh rate of 40Hz to 75Hz. It features AMD’s FreeSync technology as well as a DisplayPort port, so while this is aimed at more console type gaming, in order to use Freesync it essentially has to be a ‘console’ PC rather than an actual console.

The ASUS VG245Q display uses a 24” TN panel with 1920×1080 resolution, and the general specifications are typical for budget devices: 250 nits brightness, 170°/160° viewing angles, a 1 ms response time (grey-to-grey) and so on. The monitor comes with two 2 W speakers and has two HDMI (so to connect to two consoles), one DisplayPort and one D-Sub connector. The VG245Q can adjust its height, swivel, and pivot. One of the important selling points of the ASUS VG245-series monitors is support for AMD’s FreeSync dynamic framerate technology that works at refresh rates ranging from 40 to 75 Hz.

In fact, ASUS’ VG245 family of displays, aimed at ‘console’ gaming, now includes three models: the VG245Q (introduced this month), the VG245H, and the VG245HE, with the latter two launched last fall. All the monitors use the same panel and have slightly different feature sets. The VG245H uses the same chassis as the VG245Q, but lacks DisplayPort. Meanwhile, the VG245HE is the most simplistic in the lineup, as it does not have swivel, pivot or height adjustments.

While ASUS formally positions its VG245-series displays as reasonably priced solutions for consoles, these devices are cheaper gaming monitors carrying the ASUS brand. They enable the company to address the entry-level segment of the PC market (keep in mind that the sRGB is supported as a feature of the ASUS GameVisual menu) without distracting attention of the masses from the higher-end models with advanced specs and features.

ASUS has not announced precise MSRP for its VG245Q monitor, but at present, the VG245H can be acquired for $179.99. It is unlikely that the addition of a DisplayPort connector significantly affected the cost of the VG245Q vs. the VG245H and it is logical to expect the two products to cost about the same.

Gallery: ASUS VG245Q Console Gaming Monitor

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AOC Expands AGON Family with Curved AG322QCX and AG272FCX 144 Hz Displays

AOC has introduced two new curved gaming monitors as part of the AGON family, the AG322QCX and the AG272FCX. The new monitors feature rather high refresh rates along with VESA’s Adaptive-Sync technology (which generally means support for AMD’s FreeSync). The displays have a number of similarities, but are aimed at different segments of the market, with varying prices and feature sets..

The AOC AGON AG272FCX is the smaller of the two and uses a 27” VA panel with 1920×1080 resolution, whereas the AOC AGON AG322QCX is the larger one and features a 31.5” VA panel with 2560×1440 resolution. The monitors have 1800R curvature, a 16:9 aspect ratio, as well as refresh rates between 48 Hz and 144 Hz. The general specifications of the displays resembles those of many other gaming monitors: 250/300 nits brightness, 3000:1/2000:1 contrast ratio, 178°/178° viewing angles, 16.7 million colors (and the sRGB color gamut), a 4 ms response time (grey-to-grey) and so on. The monitors support VESA’s Adaptive-Sync technology, and I expect it’s only a matter of time until AMD certifies them for FreeSync.

As for connectivity, the AGON AG272FCX has a D-Sub(!), DisplayPort, and two HDMI inputs, whereas the AGON AG322QCX comes with two HDMI and two DisplayPort inputs. The smaller display also has a dual-port USB 3.0 hub as well as integrated 3 W stereo speakers, two logical features for an entry-level monitor. By contrast, the larger screen is a much more straightforward pure monitor, which is par for the course as higher-end monitors rarely ship with speakers since customers usually already have external speakers/headphones. A more important drawback is the lack of any HDCP support on the AG322QCX, which greatly limits the monitor’s ability to be used with protected HD video content such as Blu-rays or Netflix streaming.

When it comes to visual aesthetics, the new AGON displays feature ultra-thin bezels as well as an aggressive design that highlights their gaming nature. Furthermore, the monitors have four large LEDs with adjustable colors (red, green, blue) located on the back and two located on the bottom edges of the displays.

The addition of these latest AGON displays brings AOC to a total of four curved monitors introduced under the brand in the last few months, joining the company’s previously launched ultrawide curved monitors and making these the company’s first curved 16:9 monitors. So it appears that AOC is pinning a lot of its hopes for the AGON brand on curved gaming screens with high refresh rates designed for gamers. 

AOC’s AGON AG322QCX and AGON AG272FCX monitors will be available in May. The exact MSRPs of the displays in the U.S. and Continental Europe are unknown, but Hexus reports that in the U.K. they will cost £519 ($647) and £389 ($485) respectively.

Gallery: AOC AGON AG322QCX

Related Reading:

• AOC Announces the AGON AG352UCG 21:9 Curved Display: 35″, 3440×1440, 100Hz with G-Sync
• AOC Launches the AG352QCX: 35-Inch 200 Hz 2560×1080 Curved Display with Adaptive-Sync
• The AOC Q2781PS Announced: ‘Frameless’ Rose Gold 27″ QHD with Swarovski Crystals
• AOC P2779VC: 27” PLS Display with Qi Wireless Charging Base for $199

JapanNext JN-VC490UHD and JN-VC550UHD: 49-55 inch, Curved 4K, FreeSync, HDCP 2.2, Under $900

JapanNext has started to sell its new ultra-large 49” and 55” curved displays that feature an Ultra HD resolution, a low response time, AMD’s FreeSync dynamic refresh rate technology as well as HDCP 2.2 copyright protection. The monitors are not too expensive: they are currently available for less than $900.

Ultra-large displays are not so common but are not something extremely rare too. For example, companies like NEC offer displays with 40”+ diagonals for professional and industrial applications. Such monitors tend to be too expensive for personal use because they are built according to different standards asking for 24/7 operation and rated for maximum endurance. For many people displays larger than 40” are simply too big, but there are gamers as well as those need to keep a lot of information on their screens, who may want to have a huge monitor. Last year TPV (Philips) introduced two 40” and 43” UHD 4K monitors for prosumers that retail for less than $1000. This month a Japanese company called JapanNext introduced its JN-VC490UHD and JN-VC550UHD monitors that are even larger and support a dynamic refresh rate technology.

The JapanNext JN-VC490UHD (49”) and JN-VC550UHD (55”) displays are based on SVA panels (which may indicate that the manufacturer sources it from Samsung Display) with a 3840×2160 resolution, 250 nits brightness, a 6000:1 contrast ratio, a 60 Hz refresh rate and a 3-4 ms response time. The producer states that the display panels can reproduce 1.07 billion colors (listed online as 10-bit) and are rated to support 99% of the sRGB color gamut. The displays use ELED backlighting to ensure “flicker free” operation and JapanNext promote the panels as being 16mm thick.

In a bid to make the JN-VC490UHD and JN-VC550UHD monitors more appealing to gamers, JapanNext equipped the display with AMD’s FreeSync dynamic refresh technology (and there is AMD’s official FreeSync badge on the manufacturer’s website). Unfortunately JapanNext does not declare what refresh range it supports for FreeSync, which may be limited (40/45Hz to 60Hz or similar). Moreover, the units both fully support HDCP 2.2 technology, which is not common for monitors, but which is more commonly found on UHDTVs (given the dimensions of the JN-VC490UHD and JN-VC550UHD, it makes sense to compare them to TVs). Therefore, the 49” and 55” curved UHD displays could be used for Ultra HD Blu-ray playback (but HDR support is not formally declared however).

Connectivity is a yet another interesting peculiarity of the JapanNext displays. The monitors have two HDMI 1.4 inputs that support 3840×2160 resolution at 30 Hz, one DisplayPort 1.2 and one HDMI 2.0 that can both handle 4K at 60 Hz as well as one D-Sub connector (up to 2560×1440). The displays support PiP (picture-in-picture) and PBP (picture-by-picture) modes and some may use it to work with up to four different FHD PCs. As for audio, the displays are equipped with two 6 W stereo speakers, a 3.5-mm audio input, a headphone output and an SPDIF optical output for those who will use them with an audio decoder/receiver.

The ultra-large curved UHD displays for prosumers and gamers from JapanNext will attract attention from many people who primarily need large dimensions. While the pixel density of the JN-VC490UHD and JN-VC550UHD monitors is comparable to that of 24” and 28” FHD screens, it does mean that applications that lack high-PPI settings may not be disadvantaged on the new displays (it depends how close you sit). JapanNext makes no secret that many people will use its new products primarily to enjoy media content in their living rooms: because the TVs have so many inputs, users can attach multiple STBs to them. A bad news is that the devices only have one HDMI 2.0 header, so owners will have to choose whether to plug in one high-end HDMI 2.0 device.

The official price of the JapanNext JN-VC490UHD is ¥99,970 ($873), but Amazon.co.jp offers it for ¥82,970 ($725). The MSRP of the JapanNext JN-VC550UHD is unknown, but it is available for ¥99,970 ($873).

The manufacturer sells some of its displays in Europe via its own website, but the lineup there is not too wide. It is unknown whether JapanNext plans to make its JN-VC490UHD and JN-VC550UHD available outside of Japan.

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Related Reading:

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