Flat or curved 32" Monitor? [old school by necessity]

[puyo3]

Hello, it's been some years since I posted last, and that regarding VR headset set up and use.

 

After brief use of VR, I was caught up with a life event for the past 4 years, so had to put it aside. I have made the decision to go with TrackIR rather than VR due to my age, and the very real health risk of using VR in close in dogfights, as I prefer a very aggressive, knife fight style. This of course entails a great deal of head twisting trying to keep an opponent in visual, which along with the enthusiasm of the moment will inevitably lead to some self inflicted neck injuries, strains, pulls or worse. I may add it later for select flight use, I understand and agree with the the consensus that it is a great way to go.

 

I'm considering a 32" curved or flat 2K monitor, 165hz monitor - I am drawn to the curved, but wanted input as to use with TrackIR, any benefit vs flat, and generally advantages/disadvantages of each. As regards the curved, what amount of curvature, 1000R, 1500R, 1800R. If you would leave me recommended models to consider, and perhaps a brief summary of screen types, Oled, etc. that would be greatly appreciated. A higher end model monitor if my system can handle it if you think;  my computer was a start up  purchase, it has a  RTX2060Super, intel i7-9700F, 16Gh memory,500 ssd, 1GB hdd   [purchased at BB in 2018, not a custom build, so components are not top end]

 [BTW, I can set the monitor up to 3’ away from my game chair]

 

I did try a search on the forum, but could not find a thread; perhaps a link to an existing thread if you know of a good up to date overview.

 

Thank you for any help

 

p3

[SCG_Tzigy]

Just my opinion but I would go w flat. I tried curved briefly and just did not quite like the perceived distortion

[puyo3]

Thanks for that, and how did it work with or affect TrackIR, or is that the distortion you mentioned? Was the distortion at the ends, or the entire panel view?

 

If any others would give their experience, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

p3

[Hook_Echo]

I have a 32 inch 1800R, so not a large curve. It works fine with trackir. I don't move my head so far out of center that I notice any glare or darkening or anything like that. It has a good viewing angle. I think the curve is nice on large screens. It seems natural to me and I don't think I'd want a flat screen anymore. A 1000R curve seems a bit much however.

 

Don't buy the one I have though. It's an Asus VG32VQ. It's a VA panel and it has ghosting issues. In Elite Dangerous Odyssey the stars twinkle with any movement. Same with the stars in IL-2. In IL-2 the gauges gave me trouble since they are white letters on black backgrounds. This is especially a problem with trackir since you move your head a lot. It took me a very long time tinkering in the settings to get it to be acceptable. I think this also causes problems with spotting tiny planes in the distance especially against the ground, but against the sky it is probably a benefit. So avoid VA panels, at least the ASUS I have.

[[CPT]Crunch]

If you've been gone for four years, you might not have heard of a neat little app called Necksafer, which allows us old bastards to automatically compensate when extending views to our physical limits.  You don't have to give up on VR at all, just use the utility and you can still fight without snapping your neck and spine off in the heat of battle.

 

Check the first thread on top, right here in the VR section, the 'simple tool' thread.  It also works in other sims, two separate paths, one each covering OpenXR and another SteamVR.  

[SYN_Vander]

I have the Acer predator with a 1900 R curve and it's just perfect. The curve is quite subtle, but really works well. I also use the screen for 2D (editing/programming) work.

 

[puyo3]

7 hours ago, [CPT]Crunch said:

If you've been gone for four years, you might not have heard of a neat little app called Necksafer, which allows us old bastards to automatically compensate when extending views to our physical limits.  You don't have to give up on VR at all, just use the utility and you can still fight without snapping your neck and spine off in the heat of battle.

 

Check the first thread on top, right here in the VR section, the 'simple tool' thread.  It also works in other sims, two separate paths, one each covering OpenXR and another SteamVR.  

 

"...you might not have heard of a neat little app called Necksafer..."

I did just discover that thread yesterday, thanks for the heads up. This may change everything, I had thought some time ago, 'why doesn't VR have a TIR type head turn extender?', and apparently someone has developed this, fantastic! 

 

I understand it extends right/left head turning, but can you give me some idea as to how it handles back and up viewing, left or right? 

5 hours ago, SYN_Vander said:

I have the Acer predator with a 1900 R curve and it's just perfect. The curve is quite subtle, but really works well. I also use the screen for 2D (editing/programming) work.

 

 

"...I have the Acer predator with a 1900 R curve and it's just perfect..."  Is yours the 32" or larger? 32" is my max capacity due to my desk location limitations. So is it 2K, 1440 @144 or 165Gh? Please let me know the model number so I can check it out if you would. And do you also fly VR, if not what is your reason for going with screen TIR over VR?

 

Thanks

[puyo3]

22 hours ago, Hook_Echo said:

...Don't buy the one I have though. It's an Asus VG32VQ. It's a VA panel and it has ghosting issues. In Elite Dangerous Odyssey the stars twinkle with any movement. Same with the stars in IL-2. In IL-2 the gauges gave me trouble since they are white letters on black backgrounds. This is especially a problem with trackir since you move your head a lot. It took me a very long time tinkering in the settings to get it to be acceptable. I think this also causes problems with spotting tiny planes in the distance especially against the ground, but against the sky it is probably a benefit. So avoid VA panels, at least the ASUS I have...

 

Thanks for the reply; and why did you go with monitor over VR? Or do you use both, or tried VR and it didn't work for you, etc.? 

[Hook_Echo]

I went monitor for a couple reasons. I'm obsessive about improving my flying and space flying back in the day, so sometimes I play for several hours straight. The people I know with VR can only play for about an hour or two at a time. I also like to fly to chill out and it's really convenient to fire up IL-2 for 20 minutes and not have to hassle with setup. Also there is a lot going on at my house and my setup is in the living room, so I like to have my external senses and interact with people in the room. I also love hardware and it's nice to be able to see my control panels.

 

I have been looking at VR lately and I decided to stick with the monitor. Mainly becuase that money can go to other hobbies. The necksafer did look interesting. I wish it could smoothly increase the angle as you turn back. The way that it works like a snap view kind of turned me off.

[puyo3]

2 hours ago, Hook_Echo said:

I went monitor for a couple reasons. I'm obsessive about improving my flying and space flying back in the day, so sometimes I play for several hours straight. The people I know with VR can only play for about an hour or two at a time. I also like to fly to chill out and it's really convenient to fire up IL-2 for 20 minutes and not have to hassle with setup. Also there is a lot going on at my house and my setup is in the living room, so I like to have my external senses and interact with people in the room. I also love hardware and it's nice to be able to see my control panels.

 

I have been looking at VR lately and I decided to stick with the monitor. Mainly becuase that money can go to other hobbies. The necksafer did look interesting. I wish it could smoothly increase the angle as you turn back. The way that it works like a snap view kind of turned me off.

 

Thanks for the follow up reply, I asked another respondent re Necksafer, the looking back left/right up, but didn't ask the head movement naturalness, so good to know about that. I also like longer sessions, and did have the Oculus R for enough use to see the disadvantages re comfort, sweating, the weight of the unit beginning to be felt, etc. Unless there's an older HS that would work with my set up I'll have to postpone VR.

 

I'll probably go with monitor /TIR for now, the expense of a new computer and higher end HS would be too much at present. Eventually like so many tech devices costs will come down and features will dramatically increase, plus most importantly ease of use and set up. I am stunned at the amount of time investment required at present. I would hope AI technology will drastically simplify putting together gaming set ups and work as ongoing maintenance and tuning, so we can concentrate on flying, fighting, and have our families and lives rather than the present workload of this pursuit.

 

Thanks again.

p3

Edited July 25, 2023 by puyo3

[SYN_Vander]

17 hours ago, puyo3 said:

 

 

 

"...I have the Acer predator with a 1900 R curve and it's just perfect..."  Is yours the 32" or larger? 32" is my max capacity due to my desk location limitations. So is it 2K, 1440 @144 or 165Gh? Please let me know the model number so I can check it out if you would. And do you also fly VR, if not what is your reason for going with screen TIR over VR?

 

Thanks

 

It's an older model: 32" 3440x1440@120Hz with G-sync.

 

I use both 2D(TIR) and VR. There is absolutely no need to only use only the one or the other. I use VR regularly for IL2 in single player missions. Sometimes in MP as well, but for competitive (and practical) reasons it's easier to use 2D TIR since you can move year head back like an owl, although VR gives you better situational awareness. For DCS and MSFS I mainly use 2D TIR because performance/quality. I have AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D with 3080 TI (and reverb G2) which is pretty good system still, but it's not good enough to get good mix of performance of quality in these sims IMHO. I do use VR occasionally for other games such as Elite Dangerous and VR titles such as Half-Life Alex, where it really shines.

 

If I had to choose between the two I would definitely go with the big widescreen. But again, you can always do both (if budget allows).

Edited July 25, 2023 by SYN_Vander

[=LD=Bulldog*]

I have the Acer Predator X38 and love it for working and simming. Also, they do the X32: https://www.acer.com/gb-en/predator/monitors/x32-fp

I tried VR with the Reverb G2 and Pico 4 but had to back to Track IR due to the resolution and ease of use. Half-Life: Alyx was great in VR, however!

 

BD

 

[puyo3]

2 hours ago, =IRFC=Bulldog* said:

I have the Acer Predator X38 and love it for working and simming. Also, they do the X32: https://www.acer.com/gb-en/predator/monitors/x32-fp

I tried VR with the Reverb G2 and Pico 4 but had to back to Track IR due to the resolution and ease of use. Half-Life: Alyx was great in VR, however!

 

BD

 

 

Thanks for that, looks impressive, well, they all do to me with my current monitor! Can 4K monitors  be used in a lower resolution, say 2K 1440P, 144 - 165Gh? Would like to have a 4K for movies, but will be limited to 2K for now until I upgrade to a super PC, but that will have to wait for some months/next year.

[=LD=Bulldog*]

You are most welcome. I assume you can downsize the resolution in settings but please do ask others.

 

Will get back to VR once hopefully we have 4K resolution. 

 

Cheers!

 

BD

[czech693]

Yep, you can use your 4k in a lower resolution.  I used my older 4k Predator 32" in 2560x1440 so that the GUI was not so small in ROF as it didn't have a UI resolution setting like IL-2.  It still looked great.

[Hoss]

Huh, I was just at Costco today and was looking at the 32" LG I have next to a Samsung curved 32". I'll take the flat screen everytime at 32". Now bigger curved monitors in triple setup,  I'll go with too.

[kestrel79]

I was looking for a bigger monitor, mainly for RTS and FPS games. I like VR for my sims.

 

Good to see some recommendations here. I think I'm leaning towards regular monitors, not super wide or curved.

[Dusty_Steppes]

If you have 32 inches of horizontal space, you might be interested in an LG 34GP950G. It is what I use, and I have no complaints. It is a 34 inch curved monitor that measures 32 1/8 inches horizontally.

 

 

[Reggie_Mental]

Try putting your track IR sensor bottom dead centre, pointed up about 10 to 15⁰. It gave me much better response than on top of the monitor and ¾ to the right. 

 

But then I use trackhat rechargeable with opentrack, which whilst looking rough around the edges is far superior than Track IR, which is obsolete now.

[puyo3]

On 7/27/2023 at 2:44 PM, Dusty_Steppes said:

If you have 32 inches of horizontal space, you might be interested in an LG 34GP950G. It is what I use, and I have no complaints. It is a 34 inch curved monitor that measures 32 1/8 inches horizontally.

Thanks for the input, will look into it.

 

16 hours ago, Reggie_Mental said:

Try putting your track IR sensor bottom dead centre, pointed up about 10 to 15⁰. It gave me much better response than on top of the monitor and ¾ to the right. 

 

But then I use trackhat rechargeable with opentrack, which whilst looking rough around the edges is far superior than Track IR, which is obsolete now.

 

Good to know, thanks, seems it would not be so visible as well. Track IR is obsolete? I see there are several alternatives, you recommend trackhat. What are your reasons for choosing this alternative as opposed to other choices out there presently? And can you elaborate as to why TrackIR is obsolete? I'm not contending the point, just would like to have the assessment.

 

On 7/25/2023 at 8:33 PM, Hoss said:

Huh, I was just at Costco today and was looking at the 32" LG I have next to a Samsung curved 32". I'll take the flat screen everytime at 32". Now bigger curved monitors in triple setup,  I'll go with too.

I'll put it on the list, thanks for info. Of course there's a difference looking up at a display monitor, in a brightly lit store display vs at home in a darkened room and smaller area. It seems to me that the slightly curved monitor would somewhat give a more immersive experience, whereas I can see that in the store, or strictly as a monitor side by side, the flat would  give a better impression. I'd like to somehow try out a curved monitor, it is a divided opinion subject no doubt. 

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

Had a slightly curved 32" monitor earlier, 1440p resolution. When tuned my tracker I could look at screen with face facing it all the time, no need to turn eyes too. Especially when looking left and right. Best way to choose is to test both types and see what suits you best?

[puyo3]

14 hours ago, LLv34_Flanker said:

S!

 

Had a slightly curved 32" monitor earlier, 1440p resolution. When tuned my tracker I could look at screen with face facing it all the time, no need to turn eyes too. Especially when looking left and right. Best way to choose is to test both types and see what suits you best?

 

So the slightly curved monitor aided in keeping your view at the screen at all times? And not moving your eyes, due to the curved screen facing you during your head movement? And with a flat screen I suppose one would 'run out of screen' in a sharper left or right movement? If you would elaborate your point, as compared to using your tracker with a flat screen. Just want to understand exactly what advantage you are trying to convey. Thank you.

 

p3

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

By adjusting my tracker settings I can check six without turning my head "over the edges" of the curved scree aka my face is always facing the screen, not going over it. With a curved screen it was very easy to setup and felt natural compared to a flat screen. Of course doable on a flat one too, but for me a curved screen worked best. So yes, the curvature helped me to keep my sights on screen at all times. Up/down movement was adjusted to minimize the effect without getting too twitchy.

[1Sascha]

On 7/23/2023 at 8:10 PM, puyo3 said:

which along with the enthusiasm of the moment will inevitably lead to some self inflicted neck injuries, strains, pulls or worse.

 

Unless you share Mr Burns' physique and "robustness", I wouldn't worry too much about that. I use VRNeckSafer (shouldn't that be "Saver"?) to check my dead six, which makes things a lot easier and more convenient. But even without that "crutch" I'd say you won't have to twist your head around in VR any more than you would while driving a car. I don't remember my exact setting in VR NeckSafer (you can adjust the amount of added twist it will provide), but I'd say I never twist my (real) head further than 80 or 90 degrees left or right. Before I used Necksafer, I had to lean forward in my seat and use both my upper body and neck to turn around to check 6 - kinda like what you'd do when driving in reverse.

 

In any case: For non-VR I use a 1440p, 32'', 165 Hz non-curved monitor (Iiyama Red Eagle), which is the largest screen I've ever used for PC gaming. It's also available in curved shape, but since I never used a curved display, I can't really comment on the pros and cons.

 

Side note: It's nice to have such a large screen, but I'm not 100% sure the size really helps with spotting when compared to the 27'' that I used before.

 

What I will say is that with screens this large, having some convenient way of quickly and reliably adjusting the monitor's position on your desk really helps. And in my case it's more or less a must-have, since I'm using a mounted HOTAS which pushes me pretty far from my desk. Instead of having to push and pull the monitor on its (rather heavy) stock-stand/foot every time I want to play, I grabbed a cheap-o monitor-arm with adjustable "reach" off Amazon. My desk is 80 cm deep and the arm is mounted to its rear edge - meaning that the monitor will sit at about 20cm forward of that rear edge in its rearmost position. Pulling it out/forward all the way will place the monitor almost over the forward edge of the desk. Having this sort of near-instant adjustability really helps IMO when you don't have a dedicated flight-sim PC - meaning when you use that PC for anything else besides flying.

 

If you do want to try this, just make sure the arm you choose is rated for the size and weight of your monitor. I'd recommend getting one that's rated for at least 2kg / 4 - 5 lbs more than what your panel weighs.

 

 

 

S.

Edited August 1, 2023 by 1Sascha

[puyo3]

11 hours ago, LLv34_Flanker said:

S!

 

By adjusting my tracker settings I can check six without turning my head "over the edges" of the curved scree aka my face is always facing the screen, not going over it. With a curved screen it was very easy to setup and felt natural compared to a flat screen. Of course doable on a flat one too, but for me a curved screen worked best. So yes, the curvature helped me to keep my sights on screen at all times. Up/down movement was adjusted to minimize the effect without getting too twitchy.

 

Thanks for that, that's what I thought you meant, an important detail in deciding between flat and slight curved. 

[puyo3]

11 hours ago, 1Sascha said:

 

Unless you share Mr Burns' physique and "robustness", I wouldn't worry too much about that. I use VRNeckSafer (shouldn't that be "Saver"?) to check my dead six, which makes things a lot easier and more convenient. But even without that "crutch" I'd say you won't have to twist your head around in VR any more than you would while driving a car. I don't remember my exact setting in VR NeckSafer (you can adjust the amount of added twist it will provide), but I'd say I never twist my (real) head further than 80 or 90 degrees left or right. Before I used Necksafer, I had to lean forward in my seat and use both my upper body and neck to turn around to check 6 - kinda like what you'd do when driving in reverse.

 

In any case: For non-VR I use a 1440p, 32'', 165 Hz non-curved monitor (Iiyama Red Eagle), which is the largest screen I've ever used for PC gaming. It's also available in curved shape, but since I never used a curved display, I can't really comment on the pros and cons.

 

Side note: It's nice to have such a large screen, but I'm not 100% sure the size really helps with spotting when compared to the 27'' that I used before.

 

What I will say is that with screens this large, having some convenient way of quickly and reliably adjusting the monitor's position on your desk really helps. And in my case it's more or less a must-have, since I'm using a mounted HOTAS which pushes me pretty far from my desk. Instead of having to push and pull the monitor on its (rather heavy) stock-stand/foot every time I want to play, I grabbed a cheap-o monitor-arm with adjustable "reach" off Amazon. My desk is 80 cm deep and the arm is mounted to its rear edge - meaning that the monitor will sit at about 20cm forward of that rear edge in its rearmost position. Pulling it out/forward all the way will place the monitor almost over the forward edge of the desk. Having this sort of near-instant adjustability really helps IMO when you don't have a dedicated flight-sim PC - meaning when you use that PC for anything else besides flying.

 

If you do want to try this, just make sure the arm you choose is rated for the size and weight of your monitor. I'd recommend getting one that's rated for at least 2kg / 4 - 5 lbs more than what your panel weighs.

 

 

 

S.

 

All good info, thanks for posting this. Good idea with the monitor swiveling arm, I can't in my present set up, but I'll keep this in mind. As for the neck concerns, I do enjoy close in mix ups and have relied on joystick top hats in past years, gotten pretty good and head movement control, but obviously with problems that cost me many losses!

I'm a little up there, [who am I kidding, I'm old now!] so I need to exercise caution. The Headsafer [Headsaver?] is a great thing, and will help especially with us older folk in the game. I hope to start up with VR again with the HS app, and also use monitor at times, as someone else posted previously.  

 

 

[Reggie_Mental]

On 7/28/2023 at 11:44 PM, puyo3 said:

Track IR is obsolete? I see there are several alternatives, you recommend trackhat. What are your reasons for choosing this alternative as opposed to other choices out there presently? And can you elaborate as to why TrackIR is obsolete? I'm not contending the point, just would like to have the assessment.

 

 

 

 

Trackhat has now been replaced by an IR face tracker system, Trackhat Sensor V2, which I will be buying in the Autumn. The peripheral I reviewed is now discontinued, but if you can pick one up for a few quid used/pre-owned you won't be disappointed. It outperforms Track IR5 and is much more robust

 

Old Trackhat: The TrackHat clip Plus

 

New Facetracking Sensor V2: SensorV2 | TrackHat

 

Forget Track IR5. We have moved on, Comrade

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

That SensorV2/TrackHat looked interesting. Just one thingy on monitor and good to go. Thanks for tip @Reggie_Mental

[puyo3]

17 hours ago, Reggie_Mental said:

 

 

Trackhat has now been replaced by an IR face tracker system, Trackhat Sensor V2, which I will be buying in the Autumn. The peripheral I reviewed is now discontinued, but if you can pick one up for a few quid used/pre-owned you won't be disappointed. It outperforms Track IR5 and is much more robust

 

Old Trackhat: The TrackHat clip Plus

 

New Facetracking Sensor V2: SensorV2 | TrackHat

 

Forget Track IR5. We have moved on, Comrade

 

Excellent, and it's nice to have it sense your head movement without having to wear a cap or such, thanks for the follow up info.

On 8/1/2023 at 11:37 AM, puyo3 said:

 

Thanks for that, that's what I thought you meant, an important detail in deciding between flat and slight curved. 

 

On 8/1/2023 at 12:27 AM, LLv34_Flanker said:

S!

 

By adjusting my tracker settings I can check six without turning my head "over the edges" of the curved scree aka my face is always facing the screen, not going over it. With a curved screen it was very easy to setup and felt natural compared to a flat screen. Of course doable on a flat one too, but for me a curved screen worked best. So yes, the curvature helped me to keep my sights on screen at all times. Up/down movement was adjusted to minimize the effect without getting too twitchy.

 

Also, what model curved monitor do you use, and what degree of curvature, 1800, 1900 ? Also a brief review of its performance, why you went with that model, etc. would be great, thanks.

[Reggie_Mental]

I never thought that much about curved monitors until I was offered one 4 cheap. It's a 32" MSI Optix AG32CV. Sadly it is only a 1080x1920 display, but it is putting out a near constant 143.5Hz, and has good colours and deep blacks and shadows. I am still looking to replace it this year with a 3440x1440 display or similar after I've upgraded my GPU.

 

I did try VR Oculus Rift, but I don't think it suitable for all games. I'd imagine Flying Circus could be quite immersive though in VR. 

Edited October 13, 2023 by Reggie_Mental

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

My screen is now the Samsung Odyssey G7 27" and has refresh rate of 240Hz + both Sync capabilities.

[Reggie_Mental]

On 8/6/2023 at 2:37 PM, LLv34_Flanker said:

S!

 

My screen is now the Samsung Odyssey G7 27" and has refresh rate of 240Hz + both Sync capabilities.

I've just bought a Samsung G6 34" with 3440x1440p and a refresh rate of 165hz for £180!

 

Looking to pair it with RTX 3080 GPU with 8GB GDDR6 that I will buy this week. Will that work well do you think? 

Edited October 13, 2023 by Reggie_Mental

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

@Reggie_Mental It will work, the VRAM is just a bit low. 12-16Gb is best.

[Reggie_Mental]

On 10/13/2023 at 5:04 AM, Reggie_Mental said:

I've just bought a Samsung G6 34" with 3440x1440p and a refresh rate of 165hz for £180!

 

Looking to pair it with RTX 3080 GPU with 8GB GDDR6 that I will buy this week. Will that work well do you think? 

Broke the G6. Gutted.