For some time now, ultra-large monitors have managed to find a place among the most enthusiastic, especially among the most players. This could go even further, using the 32: 9 format (as a reference, the most common monitors work with a 16: 9 or 16:10 screen format), with the Asus ROG XG49VQ screen. The monitor is also manufactured under the seal of the Republic of players company, which guarantees specifications to delight the most demanding players, almost zero response times at peak resolutions.

Thanks to Asus, we had the opportunity not only to review this monitor but to analyze what it’s like to work and play with it once you get used to the ultra-large format because it’s a product whose impressions change and that until you do it. With this, it may take a while, but the truth is that this “learning” is worth it.

In addition to the ultra-wide format (32: 9), we must highlight the rest of the technical characteristics of this game monitor:

Specifications:

Already the case of the Asus ROG XG49VQ scares by its size, which warns us about the dimensions of the product, which are out of the ordinary compared to other monitors. Prepared for the transport of all the elements in full safety, the box includes everything necessary to have the monitor as we wish, either by using its own support or by using any support compatible with VESA.

For our analysis, taking advantage of this compatibility, we coupled it directly to our monitor arm, but due to the size of said screen, we had to delete our configuration of three monitors for this, since it makes it impossible to live with other monitors (They don’t need it either, as we’ll see later). Due to the size of the monitor and, as in other installations, it is highly recommended to install the monitor with the help of someone.

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Ultra-large body, 100% gaming heart

Described in a single sentence, the Asus ROG XG49VQ is curved, 49 inches with an aspect ratio of 32: 9, based on traditional monitors, the Asus XG49VQ is equivalent to two monitors of 27 inches 16: 9. On paper, this seems a further improvement over what already exists on the market, but the truth is that the ultra-wide format is a sub-world in the field of monitors. The curvature facilitates the use of these inches (if it were not curved, the surface to be seen would be the same, but it would be more complicated to use it) and also helps to invest in games with persecutors at the first person.

Since the monitor and all its functionalities are geared towards games, we will focus the analysis in this area, then dedicate a few lines to web browsing and Office tools.

In games, in the first person or in driving games, we will live an experience that marks a before and after, because the screen will absorb us. There will be no space in our screenless view, and we will see an increase in the field of vision in most games. Depending on the game, this can even be considered an advantage, since the vision acquired from the sides compared to a 16: 9 or 10 screen is more than remarkable.

The native resolution of the monitor is 3840 × 1080, which we could call Full HD Super Ultrawide. The resolution is lower than that of other ultra-wide monitors which have a resolution of 2k, but as an ultra-wide monitor, it conforms perfectly even if you work with 1080p. The monitor frequency can reach 144 Hz, a requirement of the most demanding players which translates into greater fluidity when displaying images from any game or better response time.

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Asus ROG X49VQ: Functionality and Performance

To compress this functionality, we have to use a computer whose characteristics allow us to match the frames per second of games with the frequency of the monitor. FreeSync can help, if we have AMD cards. For our test bench, our computer met the requirements to reach this frame rate per second (i7 8700k + RTX 2080 Ti).

Yes, we see a remarkable comment that, in both worlds, we are learning curve to get the most out of this monitor while enjoying it. And after our first few minutes with it, we will see that some games will become more difficult to control.

A clear example of this is League of Legends, which has a user interface with virtually no customization, which makes it adapt to the dimensions of the screen. This means that all the components of this interface (health bar, mini card, the health of our partners, etc.) go to the end of the screen.

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This translates into greater effort on the part of the user when it comes to having a vision of all the components of the interface because these 49 inches will become too numerous. The same goes for shooting games like Apex: Legends: the mini-map and our skills will go to areas far from the center of attention of the game.

Our first games with the monitor were more of a “baptism of fire” with this ultra-large monitor than a complete experience. Already accustomed to this type of interface on our monitor, we will even have great advantages compared to our old 16: 9 monitor, since we will literally double our field of vision, with the advantages that this entails.

Beyond games, browsing the web or using Office tools will not shine especially on this screen, because as expected are not optimized for this type of screens. In full screen, we will miss the 49 inches, and we will see many “flattened” elements, trying to fit the screen. It will be the same for multimedia content that does not conform to the resolution of the monitor: either we will flatten the image or we will have two black columns on the sides.

You must have the idea that this is more common than usual in the ultra-large world and will force us to leave full screen and get used to window management. Thanks to the monitor’s PBP function, we can separate the screen into three sections maximum, taking advantage of all the monitor’s input connections (mainly HDMI and display port). It will always be better to use a single entry because three screens will be very small compared to the entire panel, but Asus offers us this possibility in case we want to have independent entries, either to better manage our office and our working mode or even use two or three different computers from the same screen.

 

Conclusions

Once you get into the Ultrawide Asus ROG XG49VQ monitor line, there is no turning back, say its main owners, and it’s not an exaggeration. The amount of screen you gain with the aspect ratio of 32.9 is simply overwhelming, providing an impressive field of vision.

However, all is said, the first impression is not only astonishment but also of confusion, because adapting to this aspect ratio is not an easy task, especially when it comes to a monitor whose diagonal is 49 inches. It takes time to adapt that once finished, everything will be more advantageous than a normal monitor. It is certainly an instructor who immerses himself in games, especially in first-person shooters. However, for work or web browsing, as we said before, we will have to do very good window management so that it does not overwhelm us.

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All this without adding the rest of the advanced specifications to a game monitor, such as its 144 Hz frequency or its compatibility with FreeSync technology. Its resolution is almost exceptional, leaving ten if I had 1440p vertical or more, like other ultra-wide monitors with the same aspect ratio.

We conclude by recommending the Asus ROG XG49VQ monitor to players who wish to invest in immersion, that the ratio 16: 9 or 16:10 knows little about them and that they want to go directly to 32: 9, which will leave you speechless from the when you turn on the screen. Is this the future of screens? Time will tell, its intention is to become a standard for the most demanding when reading, for now, the usual format monitors will have to learn to live with them.