How multi-monitor gaming can give a competitive advantage...

[Rob Williams]

After I posted our Eyefinity article, I decided to get back to testing, but a different kind of testing. One thing a lot of people don't realize is that multi-monitor gaming doesn't just give you a bigger game, but more game. We'll be posting a small article based around this soon, but since I found the results so interesting, I've decided to give a small sample:

1920x1080:

5760x1080:

5760x2160:

Notice at 5760x1080, you literally do see 300% of the game world compared to 1920x1080? Talk about a competitive advantage. There could be someone far to the right of you and you wouldn't know it at 1920x1080, but you could easily see it at 5760x1080. Also interesting is that 5760x2160 actually gives you less of the game world compared to 1920x1080, thanks to how games scale.

"Once you use Eyefinity, you learn to hate going without it."

It's not a joke!

 

[Tharic-Nar]

If the option is available, hidden away in the configuration files/settings etc, increase the FOV - Field of View. Sure, things can go fish-eyed if you go too high, but it does provide a wider view angle. Alternatively, if your game is already heavily distorted around the edges, reduce the FOV – might be required with same games. Not all games provide the option though, and may require the use of the debug console.

 

[Kougar]

Tharic-Nar is spot on.

FOV is indeed a Source engine setting. Half Life, Team Fortress 2, even Portal support modifying the FOV settings. TF2 gives a limited FOV adjustment setting in the main settings panel, but it can be increased further by using the console command.

Widescreen monitors already give the user a FOV advantage by game default, but the FOV can be increased even more for widescreen users as well. Some people still wonder how I spot them out of the corner of my eye in games, and I don't even exceed the panel defaults (90 degrees maxed in the settings, plus 19:10 aspect ratio means it's somewhere around an actual 110-130 degrees view)

 

[Altrus]

I'd love a set up like this but, aside from the cost of it, I can't stand the frames in between the screens, it drives me crazy having the view split by the edges of the monitors.

Now this: http://gizmodo.com/341413/alienware-curved-monitor-looks-like-its-from-another-planet this looks awesome.

 

[Kougar]

Only 900 in height? For such a monitor that's crazy... at least make it 1080 or 1200.