Acer’s Announces Predator Gaming Displays with Tobii Eye-Tracking Technology, Up to 240 Hz Refresh Rate

Acer has introduced three new Predator gaming monitors equipped with Tobii eye tracking technology at this week’s IFA trade show in Berlin, Germany. The new screens are the first gaming displays to incorporate sensors from Tobii, but apart from them, they also offer very high refresh rates as well as NVIDIA’s G-Sync dynamic refresh rate technology.

The Tobii EyeX technology was first demonstrated at CES 2013 (at the time it was called Tobii Gaze) as an alternative means of input from the traditional mouse or keyboard. The EyeX sensor is equipped with IR LEDs and an RGB camera to track eye positions and gaze points, where the EyeChip SoC as well as the EyeX software use the data from those sensors to control cursor in Windows or camera orientation in games. The polling rate of the EyeX sensor is 60 Hz and typical eye to application latency is specified to be around 15±5 ms. Tobii’s tech is compatible with Microsoft’s Windows Hello and typical Windows apps.

While the eye tracking technology can speed up interaction with certain programs and even make life easier for people with disabilities, developers of software compatible with EyeX are primarily focused on games. In fact, there are around 40 games that support Tobii’s EyeX eye-tracking already (including Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Tom Clancy’s The Division). Given the current positioning of the technology, it is absolutely logical for Acer to integrate the EyeX sensor into its Predator displays.

Initially, Acer will offer three gaming monitors with built-in eye tracking: the Predator Z271T, the Predator XB251HQT and the Predator XB271HUT. All three displays feature NVIDIA’s G-Sync technology, but the manufacturer does not reveal exact dynamic refresh rate ranges. As for other peculiarities, all three monitors feature at least one DisplayPort 1.2 input as well as distinctive design with red and black color scheme.

The Acer Predator Z271T is based on a curved 27” VA panel with FHD (1920×1080) resolution and a 144 Hz maximum refresh rate. The product will be available in EMEA in October with prices starting at €799.

Gallery: Acer Predator Z271T

Meanwhile the Acer Predator XB251HQT features a 24.5” TN panel with FHD (1920×1080) resolution, a 240 Hz refresh rate, and an ultra-thin bezel (which Acer calls ZeroFrame). The pricing and availability timeframe of this one remain unknown at this point.

Gallery: Acer Predator XB251HQT

Finally, the Acer Predator XB271HUT has similar design to the XB251HQT (so, it has similar controls as well as the ZeroFrame ultra-thin bezen), but uses a 27” TN panel with WQHD (2560×1440) resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 165 Hz. Expect this display to be available sometimes in December for €899 in Europe.

Gallery: Acer Predator XB271HUT

The monitors are not exactly affordable, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the EyeX eye tracker costs $140/€119 when sold separately, and the displays feature rather high refresh rates along with G-Sync. Otherwise the integration of eye tracking into gaming monitors is an interesting move in general and a way to differentiate Predator displays from competing products. So it will be interesting to see whether the new screens will become popular among gamers, and how much of that market is willing to pay the price premium for the functionality.

Dell Releases S2417DG and SE2717H Monitors: New Gaming Displays with G-Sync and FreeSync

Dell has quietly expanded its lineup of gaming displays with two new monitors featuring dynamic refresh technologies from AMD and NVIDIA. One of the monitors uses a full-HD (1920×1080) IPS panel with a refresh rate up to 75 Hz, whereas the other has a WQHD (2560×1440) TN panel with a refresh rate up to 165 Hz. The products belong to the entry-level and mainstream segments.

The Dell S2417DG is a monitor that the supplier recently added to its web-site in various locals but not via an official press release at this point. The S2417DG is based on a 23.8” TN panel with a 2560×1440 resolution, a peak brightness of 350 nits as well as a 1000:1 contrast. The key advantage of the S2417DG display for gamers is support for NVIDIA’s variable refresh rate G-Sync technology, allowing dynamic refresh rates between 30 and 165 Hz, which is a very decent range for a WQHD monitor. Moreover, with such high peak refresh rate, it is possible to use the monitor for stereoscopic 3D gaming using NVIDIA’s 3D Vision 2 glasses. Since this one uses a TN panel, this display is not aimed at professionals and exchanges refresh rate for color accuracy and viewing angles (it supports 170°/160° horizontal/vertical. For inputs, the monitor has DisplayPort and HDMI connectors to allow gamers to switch between a PC and a game console. In addition, the S2417SG has a quad-port USB 3.0 hub as well as an ultra-thin bezel for setting up multi-monitor arrangements.

The price of the Dell S2417DG is not listed by the supplier, but TFTCentral reports that the product will cost $570 when it is available later this quarter, which is $100 below its bigger brother, the S2717DG. The very decent dynamic refresh rate range between 30 and 165 Hz in the WQHD form factor is a large factor in the cost of the monitor.

Up next is the Dell SE2717H, which the company recently added to its U.S. Hong Kong web-site. The monitor looks to be a budget solution for gamers, as it costs HK$1799 (about $232) in Hong Kong and does not boast a high-end specification. Right now, it is not completely clear when this monitor is set to be available in Europe, but in the U.S. it is going to be available starting from August 16 for $250.

The SE2717H display is based on a 27” 1920×1080 IPS panel with a peak brightness of 300 nits as well as 178°/178° horizontal/vertical viewing angles. To appeal to gamers, it supports AMD’s FreeSync dynamic refresh rate technology in the range between 48 Hz and 75 Hz, which is standard for monitors in this class. The display has one HDMI 1.4 input (which makes it one of the first FreeSync-supporting screen with an HDMI input) as well as a D-Sub to connect to older PCs.

The addition of AMD’s FreeSync technology to a budget display indicates that this feature should start to roll out to standard gaming monitors rather than a remaining premium capability. While the SE2717H is not the cheapest FreeSync-supporting monitor around, at 1080p with a 27” panel and a 75 Hz maximum refresh rate (as opposed to 60 Hz in case of cheap screens), theses advantages that are going to attract the attention of potential buyers.

Sources: Dell, Dell, TFTCentral.

Gallery: Dell Releases S2417DG and SE2717H Monitors: New Gaming Displays with G-Sync and FreeSync

HP Announces 32” Pavilion Display for Everyone: QHD for $399

HP has introduced its Pavilion 32 display (V1M69A), which promises to combine large size, QHD resolution, VA panel and affordability. The Pavilion 32 monitor may not appeal to professionals or hardcore gamers, but for mainstream users this one could be a game changer because of its price-point. The monitor will hit the market late next month as a part of HP’s back-to-school product refresh.

Modern day desktop workloads involve a lot of multitasking as well as long documents, large spreadsheets and high-resolution images. For many tasks, big displays are not a luxury, but rather a necessity. However, it is not easy to find a monitor that boasts with a large size, a good quality panel and an affordable price. There are relatively inexpensive 24” and 27” monitors with IPS or VA panels available, but when it comes to models with diagonals like 30” and larger, then it is not easy to find a good quality affordable display. While there are low-priced 32” monitors from unknown brands, they usually feature cheap TN panels and can hardly boast with good quality. Meanwhile, well-known suppliers charge $500 and up for their 32” models, which is more than many people are willing to spend on a display. With its Pavilion 32, HP wants to address the market of affordable monitors with an offering that is currently not available from its rivals.

The HP Pavilion 32 (V1M69A) display uses a 32″ WVA+ panel with 2560×1440 resolution, 300 cd/m² brightness, 3000:1 static contrast ratio, 178°/178° horizontal/vertical viewing angles as well as 60 Hz refresh rate. WVA stands for wide viewing angle, which is a general term to describe various types of panels (including *VA and PLS) used by display makers in their products. HP does not disclose exact type of the panel that powers the Pavilion 32”, but confirms that this is a VA panel (though, we have no idea whether this is AH-VA, A-MVA, etc.), not a TN (which is typically used for low-cost displays). In many ways, the Pavilion 32 resembles the Envy 32 monitor, which HP introduced several months ago. The Envy 32 has a similar WVA+ panel, but features stereo speakers as well as AMD’s FreeSync to appeal to gamers, but it is also more expensive.

The new Pavilion 32 display from HP is equipped with two HDMI and one DisplayPort 1.2 connectors (cables are included in the package). In addition, it has an integrated USB 2.0 hub, which should be enough to connect a keyboard, but which will not be sufficient for modern external USB flash memory drives that support USB 3.0 transfer rates. Keeping in mind that the hub is located on the backside of the monitor, it looks like it was not intended for removable storage in general. The design of the Pavilion 32 allows adjusting tilt, but not height. Asides from that, the monitor cannot be used in portrait mode, which is hardly a problem for the vast majority of its potential buyers.

Select retailers as well as HP’s online store will start to sell the HP Pavilion 32 on June 26 for $399.99. The monitor is covered by a one- or three year-limited warranty.

The key selling points of the HP Pavilion 32 are its relatively low price as well as its VA panel. Right now, the majority of 32” displays with QHD resolution from well-known suppliers cost over $500. By making its product available for $400, HP appeals to a broader audience of users, who currently buy smaller monitors. What remains to be seen is whether other display makers follow HP with their inexpensive 30” QHD parts.