In this post, we are going to answer the question, are curved monitors good for gaming.
A curved monitor is good for gaming mainly because it can provide you with a more immersive gameplay experience.
To learn more about whether curved gaming monitors worth it or not, we are going to discuss:
- Is Curved Monitor Good for Gaming?
- What is the Advantage of a Curved Monitor?
- Do Curved Monitors Affect Aim?
- And many more…
So, if you are on the market for a monitor upgrade, you will love this discussion.
With this guide, I hope now you can find out if curved monitors are only a marketing gimmick or not.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Is Curved Monitor Good for Gaming?
I received this question a lot from many gamers that are looking to upgrade their gaming setup.
“Is curved monitor good for gaming?”
Well, if you are on the market to upgrade your setup, you must be wanting to allocate all your budget wisely.
I kid you not – before upgrading a thing on my gaming setup, I would do TONS of research.
I’ve done this before.
And I’ve used a bunch of gaming monitors in the past.
In short, a curved monitor is good for gaming because it provides you with a more immersive gaming experience.
Monitor manufacturers copied the design idea from movie theaters’ curved screen.
It is said that such screens actually provide a more immersive experience and a better viewing angle for movie theater viewers.
The manufacturer created a curved gaming monitor to draw gamers deeper into their games based on that idea.
I have used a couple of curved gaming monitors in the past, and these monitors did made me feel like I got dropped into the game.
The curved part of the screen will wrap around me and my field of view, making me feel like I am inside the game.
In other words:
A curved gaming monitor can create a more immersive gaming experience.
So if you are looking for a more immersive gaming experience, then a curved monitor is right for your gaming needs.
Is a Curved Gaming Monitor Worth it?
If you don’t know it already, curved gaming monitors are more expensive than the flat ones.
So is it worth it to get a curved monitor for your gaming setup?
We know that having a curved monitor has its own benefits.
However, is it worth it to pay the extra money for those benefits?
I’d say it depends on a couple of things.
Now, we know that curved screens equal immersion.
However, the immersion will depend on how large your screen is and how aggressive the screen’s curve.
Based on my personal experience, a small, curved gaming monitor will not give you the immersion you want.
You want to have an ultrawide, curved gaming monitor to have that immersive gaming experience.
Secondly, the aggressiveness of the curve also plays a significant role in the immersion effect.
The sign R is usually used to represents a screen’s curve aggressiveness.
The lower the R number, the more aggressive the curve of your gaming monitor is.
For example, 1800R, 1500R, or 1000R.
Here’s the deal:
If you want to have that immersiveness, you want to have your field of view while playing the game to be wrapped by your gaming monitor.
If the curve is not aggressive enough, it will feel like you just use a regular flat screen.
Put another way:
You want to buy a curved gaming monitor with the lowest R as possible to get that immersion.
And this is the truth about a curved gaming monitor.
It is already more expensive than the flat monitor.
But, you will have to spend more money because you don’t want to buy a cheap curved gaming monitor.
You want something that is ultra-wide and has an aggressive curvature.
Why is this important?
Well, if you have a minimal budget, then the curved gaming monitor is not worth it for you.
Because you should spend the majority of your budget on getting the best graphics card or processor.
The bottom line is, if you have bigger budget, you should get ultrawide with at least 1,800R to make a curved gaming monitor worth it.
Also read: Is HDR Worth it for Gaming?
What is the Advantage of a Curved Monitor?
We have talked about how a curved gaming monitor brings more immersion to your gaming experience.
It can draw you deeper into your games.
But, a curved monitor also has more advantages.
First of all, a curved monitor will give you the impression that you have a larger display.
Take a look at this illustration that compares a flat monitor and a curved monitor.
If you have a 34′ ultra-wide curved monitor, it will feel like you have a 36′ monitor instead.
Secondly, a curved monitor gives you a better field of view.
Since the curved monitor will bend its edges closer towards you, you will have a better field of view.
Take a look at this illustration from the folks at Samsung.
Now you can quickly look at the edge of your screen, giving you better visibility.
Lastly, a curved monitor can make your eyes more comfortable.
Because now your eyes don’t have to travel far to see the edge of your screen.
Many curved monitor users reported they don’t experience eyestrain anymore and loved their curved monitor, especially children.
Put another way:
Now you can play your favorite game longer because you don’t have to strain your eyes.
Do Curved Monitors Affect Aim?
Many first-person shooter players think that their aim will also get affected because now they are playing on a curved monitor.
However, based on my gaming experience, No, curved monitors do not affect your aim.
The curved monitor Reddit page also said the same thing about this.
Here’s the deal:
Yes, you might feel a little thrown off when you first started gaming on a curved monitor.
But in just a couple of days, everything will feel natural again.
I’d say that FPS, refresh rate, or mouse sensitivity will affect your aim more than a curved monitor.
So if you want to have the best aim possible, you should instead be concerned about those things I said above.
Also read: How Many FPS is Good for Gaming in 2021
Do Pro Gamers Use Curved Monitors?
Even though curved monitors have their own benefits, but Pro Gamers don’t use them that much.
Looking at many esports competitions in the past, most of the pros, if not 99% of them, were using flat gaming monitors.
Furthermore, prosettings.net analyzed 1600 pro gamers monitor of choice, and in the top 5, there are no single curved monitors.
For competitive gaming, Pro players will want to have high refresh rate monitors with a very low response time.
This is because, in a competitive landscape, a slight delay or advantage can bring you victory.
However, a high refresh rate and low response time are not available on a curved gaming monitor.
That is why pro gamers do not use them.
Curved Monitors Pros and Cons
We have talked extensively about the Pros of curved monitors.
First, curved gaming monitors allow you to have a more immersive gaming experience.
Second, you can get a better field of view with a curved gaming monitor.
Third, playing with a curved gaming monitor is easier on your eyes because you don’t have to strain your eyes to see the edge of your screen.
Now, let us discuss the cons of these curved monitors.
First, they are more expensive compared to a flat monitor.
You will need more advanced technologies to manufacture the curved on a monitor, resulting in a pricier price tag.
Let’s take these two Westinghouse gaming monitors, for example.
They have almost the exact same feature, except the one is a flat monitor and the other is a curved monitor.
You can see that the curved one got a $50 more premium price tag than the flat one.
If you have a minimal budget, getting a curved gaming monitor may not be a wise option for you.
The second cons of curved monitors are all the pros I mentioned previously only felt substantial if you have a large monitor with aggressive curves of 1800R to 1500R.
If you are playing on a 24-inch monitor with not so aggressive curvature, you will not feel more immersion than a flat monitor.
You would need an ultrawide, 29-inch curved monitor to feel all the pros of a curved gaming monitor.
However, this only brings a curved monitor to be very much more expensive than a flat one.
This is taking us back to the first cons of a curved monitor.
Finally, a curved monitor is not suitable or good if you also plan to work or do other kinds of stuff on it.
Firstly, a curved monitor will usually come with a VA Panel.
This panel will not be able to produce color as comprehensive and as accurate as an IPS panel, which usually comes with a flat monitor.
In other words:
Colors will not be as vibrant and accurate in a curved monitor compared to in a flat monitor.
So if you do many works that heavily dependent on color accuracy, a curved monitor is not for you.
Next, since it is a curved display, some lines will look jagged on your screen.
This is true, especially on the edge of the screen where the bending and curves happen.
If you do many works and stuff related to lines, a curved monitor may not for you.
Many of my designer friends, for example, are having a hard time working on a curved screen.
Because the line they see on the screen is not flat and straight, they have a hard time designing content.
Especially since the majority of us still use a flat-screen or monitor in our daily lives.
Another example is those people working with architecture.
One architect friend said that working on a curved screen was a nightmare for them.
The bottom line:
If you plan to work and game on a single computer, I suggest you avoid getting a curved screen.
So to summarize, here are the Pros and Cons of a curved monitor:
Pros:
- Give you more immersion in whatever content you see.
- Able to give you a better field of view
- Easier on the eyes because now you do not have to strain your eyes to see the edge.
Cons:
- More expensive than a flat one
- All the benefits only can be felt if you use a large screen with aggressive curvature
- Not suitable if you plan to work on it because of poor color accuracy, and lines will look jagged and fuzzy.
Conclusion
Well, that is it!
I hope you learn a thing or two about whether curved gaming monitors good for gaming or not.
Now I’d like to hear what you have to say:
Have you used a curved monitor in the past? Do you like it?
Or are you planning to get one?
Either way, please let us hear what you’re thinking thru the comment box below.
Thank you, and have a good day!
