Two monitor-themed Should You Bother Withs in a row? Normally my desire for editorial heterogeneity wouldn’t allow it, but while ultrawide screens have been around for donkeys' years, 2024 seems to be welcoming a genuinely new take on gaming displays: the dual-mode monitor. Exact specs vary, even among the very few models currently available. But typically a dual-mode monitor can run at either 1080p resolution with an esports-grade, 300Hz-plus refresh rate, or at a much sharper 4K rez with the refresh rate toned down, and will switch between these two modes with the push of a button.
Or, more likely, a toggle of an OSD setting. The idea is to simultaneously satisfy both the well-preened, high-end PC-owning player, and the hypercompetitive FPS gremlin they presumably turn into after consuming enough after-dinner Red Bulls. If you’re wondering "Why not just get a regular 4K monitor and lower the in-game display resolution if you want higher framerates, you big rich nerd", current hardware and cable limitations mean that native 4K beyond about 240Hz is largely theoretical.
It’s just too many pixels to pump out that quickly, y’see. By swapping the true output resolution to a more easygoing 1080p, dual-mode monitors therefore open up the really high refresh rates that standard 4K displays cannot. Initial thoughts? I can see the sense, definitely, and although this is clearly a niche concept that requires a luxury gaming rig to take advantage of in the first place, flexibil.