Asus’ ROG Swift PG32UQX, released in summer of 2021, put the gaming monitor market on notice. The days of edge-lit LED panels of the past, with their terrible uniformity and awful contrast, are numbered.
2022 is proving this true and, if anything, change is coming quicker than expected. ViewSonic’s Elite XG321UG, which technically launched in January (but is hard to find in stock) represents the vanguard.
At its core, the ViewSonic Elite XG321UG is extremely similar to the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX. Both are 32-inch 4K gaming monitors with a refresh rate up to 144Hz, Nvidia G-Sync, and a Mini-LED backlight that has 1,152 dimming zones. However, ViewSonic offers this at a lower (though still expensive) MSRP of $2,499.
ViewSonic Elite XG321UG – Design
The ViewSonic Elite XG321UG offers a subdued and professional design, a very different look from the aggressive styling of its Asus competitor. From the front, the monitor’s matte black bezels and L-shape are hardly different from a high-end office monitor. The rear is just as simple, though a ring of LEDs give away the game when turned on.
Despite this, few will mistake the XG321UG for a “normal” monitor. It’s massive even for a 32-inch display. The bezels aren’t huge, but hardly slim, and the monitor is far thicker than an edge-lit LED or OLED display. The XG321UG will look gigantic on all but the largest desks.
ViewSonic makes an effort to mitigate this. The stand is not as wide or as deep as that of the PG32UQX, making it easier to place at a comfortable distance on an average desk. And unlike Asus (and most monitors from any brand), ViewSonic has a L-shaped stand with flat legs. This means you can slide your keyboard over the stand or otherwise continue to use the desk space it consumes.
TheXG321UG’s stand adjusts for height, tilt, and swivel, but like most large monitors it doesn’t pivot 90 degrees for use in portrait mode. Though more narrow than some alternatives, the stand does a great job of keeping the monitor stable. A 100mm x 100mm VESA mount is also available for attaching a third-party stand or monitor.
ViewSonic Elite XG321UG – Features & Menu
Connectivity is a sore spot for the XG321UG for one specific reason: it lacks HDMI 2.1. Instead the monitor has three HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4. The Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX also lacks HDMI 2.1, but that omission was somewhat forgivable in mid-2021. Dozens of HDMI 2.1 monitors have arrived since then, however, so it’s no longer easy to overlook.
ViewSonic pours salt on this wound with three HDMI ports but only one DisplayPort input. I don’t understand this decision. The lack of HDMI 2.1 immediately makes the XG321UG unappealing to console gamers, yet the port selection seems to lean towards that audience.
USB connectivity comes through three USB-A 3.2 ports driven by a single USB-B 3.2 port. This too is an unimpressive selection for a high-end monitor. USB-C is nowhere to be found.
Features are activated via a joystick that controls the on-screen menu. The menus are well labeled, but navigating them can be a chore because the joystick control sometimes requires it be pointed in a direction that doesn’t match the menu. ViewSonic also places the power button next to the joystick. I frequently turned the monitor off when I meant to make an adjustment.
There is some good news. The XG321UG offers a buffet of image quality features including precise gamma curve targets, color tuning across six colors (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow in addition to the usual sRGB), and several color temperature targets. There’s also a dedicated sRGB mode. That’s great for those who want to use the monitor for sRGB content creation or dislike the ultra-vivid look of a wide gamut monitor.
Speakers are bundled into the XG321UG. They deliver clear, crisp sound that’s fine for podcasts, but lack the volume and bass to fill even a small room. Gamers will definitely want to use a headset or dedicated speakers.
ViewSonic Elite XG321UG – Gaming Performance
The ViewSonic Elite XG321UG is a fantastic monitor for PC games. It delivers a contrast ratio higher than any edge-lit LCD IPS or VA panel monitor and has a color gamut that’s well in excess of the norm. This combines the depth and dimensionality needed to deliver in dark scenes with the vivid, punchy look gamers crave in more colorful titles.
I appreciated the monitor’s gorgeous presentation while touring my usual haunts in Final Fantasy XIV. Old Sharlayan and Labyrinthos look realistic and vast, especially in mid-day lighting. A return to the bright purple trees of Lakeland showed off the monitor’s fantastic color performance.
Players who love dark games like Diablo II: Resurrected should know the XG321UG can’t reach the truly abyssal depths of an OLED monitor like the Alienware AW3423DW. I measured a maximum contrast ratio of 4320:1, which is essentially identical to last year’s Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX and behind Samsung’s Odyssey Neo G9, which also has a Mini-LED backlight but a more contrast-rich VA panel.
With that said, a contrast ratio this high is enough to deliver convincing black levels in most situations and you’re unlikely to notice the difference when playing in a partially or fully lit room.
The ViewSonic Elite XG321UG also has excellent luminance uniformity. You won’t see the ugly bright glow and vignetting that can appear at the corners of monitors with an edge-lit LED backlight. There’s no sign of the dreaded “IPS glow.”
But it’s brightness, not contrast, which makes this Mini-LED monitor special. The ViewSonic Elite XG321UG is VESA DisplayHDR 1400 certified, meaning it can reach up to 1400 nits when small portions of the screen are lit. I measured a peak sustained full-screen brightness of 515 nits in HDR. That’s almost identical to the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX and around 50 percent better than a modern OLED monitor.
High brightness in HDR translates to excellent performance in the best HDR games. Microsoft Flight Simulator, a standout HDR title on any platform, gave the XG321UG a chance to shine.
A sunset on the Spanish coast burned with fire and detail that just isn’t possible on displays less capable of reaching and sustaining a high peak brightness, and the monitor’s high sustained brightness provided a realistic tone to any midday flight. The monitor’s overall HDR performance looked identical to the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX – which means it’s among the best you can find on the PC right now.
ViewSonic Elite XG321UG – Motion Performance
PC gamers can enjoy games at 4K resolution and a refresh rate of up to 144Hz over the XG321UG’s DisplayPort connection.
In an interesting move, ViewSonic enables 4K/120Hz gameplay on the PC over HDMI 2.0 through use of YCbCr420 chroma subsampling. This can degrade image quality in some situations, such as text on a bright background, but it’s usually fine for use in games that have less emphasis on the user interface. I’m not sure I could tell the difference in Halo: Infinite. In Final Fantasy XIV, though, the downgrade in UI clarity is significant.
Motion clarity is solid at 4K/144Hz over DisplayPort or 4K/120Hz over HDMI 2.0. Fast moving objects are not difficult to pick out and quick camera pans deliver acceptable detail. It’s not going to impress anyone familiar with the capabilities of a 240Hz or 360Hz monitor or the lightning-quick pixel response times of an OLED, but it remains a big upgrade over a standard 60Hz display.
Gamers are sure to notice blooming, however. This occurs because the Mini-LED backlight’s dimming zones are larger than each pixel, so any pixel that must be lit will also light many pixels around it. This stands out when a fast, bright object moves across a dark background. Personally, I think it’s an acceptable trade-off for the perks of Mini-LED, but some will find it distracting.
The ViewSonic Elite XG321UG supports Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate and is compatible with Nvidia Reflex Analyzer, a tool which can measure system latency when a mouse is connected to a specific port on the display. Both G-Sync and Reflex Analyzer worked as expected.
ViewSonic Elite XG321UG – Console Gaming Performance
The ViewSonic Elite XG321UG’s excellent image quality and superb HDR performance should make it a good pick for console gaming, but it unfortunately lacks HDMI 2.1. That means you can’t enjoy 4K / 120Hz gameplay on consoles.
Xbox fans should note Asus’ similar ROG Swift PG32UQX does support 4K/120Hz on Xbox Series X consoles despite its lack of HDMI 2.0. It does so through a chroma subsampling mode. ViewSonic doesn’t advertise a similar feature but, out of curiosity, I gave it a shot.
It didn’t work. The XG321UG will display a 4K/120Hz image from an Xbox Series X but occasional image drop-outs make it unworkable. The specific problem here is that the Xbox Series X supports 4:2:2 chroma subsampling, but ViewSonic uses 4:2:0 for its 4K/120Hz mode.
In fairness to ViewSonic, the company doesn’t mention game consoles on the XG321UG’s product page. This monitor clearly targets PC gamers.
ViewSonic Elite XG321UG – Day-to-day performance
Content creators will be pleased by the ViewSonic Elite XG321UG’s wide color. It spans 100% of the sRGB color gamut, 100% of AdobeRGB, and 96% of DCI-P3. This is an extremely wide gamut beat only by some OLED displays. The monitor’s color is accurate with an average color error between one and 1.5, depending on display mode.
As mentioned, the XG321UG has a dedicated sRGB mode that tames the wide gamut. This is important because sRGB content viewed in wide gamut mode will look unrealistically vivid and saturated. The sRGB mode is on by default, so gamers and content creators who want to access the wide color gamut should be sure to turn it off.
Day-to-day use is a treat. The XG321UG’s combination of a solid contrast ratio, 4K resolution, and excellent color makes for an eye-catching experience no matter what you view. Text appears crystal-clear and streaming video, whether it’s YouTube or Netflix, looks far better than on competing edge-lit displays.
It’s also a superb monitor for use with Windows HDR. It has the brightness and gamut to display HDR content without clipping detail and can handle bright highlights well. Using the monitor day-to-day with HDR on is enjoyable, though most users will want to turn the brightness setting way down.
ViewSonic Elite XG321UG – The Competition
Asus’ ROG Swift PG32UQX is the ViewSonic Elite XG321UG’s most direct competitor. The two monitors deliver nearly identical performance in color accuracy, gamut, brightness, HDR brightness, contrast, black levels, and color temperature. The XG321UG doesn’t support 4K/120Hz on the Xbox Series X, a feature of the Asus monitor, but it adds Nvidia Reflex Analyzer, has a better stand, and is a few hundred dollars less expensive.
The XG321UG is much more expensive than a 32-inch monitor with an edge-lit LED backlight. Even high-end models, like the BenQ EX3210U, ViewSonic Elite XG320U, and Asus ROG Swift PG32UQ, typically retail for around $1,000. The XG321UG easily outperforms these models, however, so the price feels justified.
OLED gaming monitors are starting to hit the market, but none are a match for the XG321UG’s size and resolution.
from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/iMGmHJk
This could be a real lead forward for personal gaming... Revolutionise gaming
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