Corsair’s new bendable OLED gaming monitor is not only a little scary to bend, but turns out not to be the pointless MacGuffin I feared it could be. However, it will still be seriously pricey.
Yes, Corsair has a prototype of its Xeneon Flex today. brought down (opens in new tab) OLED monitor for me to play with. That’s the one you can switch between a typical flat screen monitor and a curved monitor as you see fit. This meant I could get to work with the device and see what it was all about. And it turns out there’s plenty here to get excited about, and not just because of that straight-to-bent gimmick, which might not be so gimmicky after all.
Surprisingly, my immediate reaction when I saw the Xeneon Flex in person was not to grab it and bend it to my hand, but to stare at the LG-made OLED panel. This thing is beautiful to look at, with beautiful contrasts and colors that really pop. There’s a depth to the blacks here that makes you see videos in a new light, and the latest Avatar 2 trailer looks absolutely incredible.
We’ve seen a few OLED monitors recently, with Alienware’s 34 QD-OLED (opens in new tab) quickly become a new favorite gaming monitor in the office. And while the Corsair screen has a few more tricks up its sleeve, the fact that it’s built around such a strong panel will always be a powerful starting point.
You want to play games on this monitor.
We’ve already discussed the specs for Corsair’s new screen (opens in new tab), including the fact that it has a native resolution of 3440 x 1440 over the 45-inch panel, leading to a relatively low pixel density of 83ppi. That didn’t feel like a game-specific issue, though I didn’t use it much in Windows other than launching games, which may have highlighted the shortcomings in this area more.
One thing that is noteworthy when you play games on it is that this is a fast panel. Aside from the 240Hz refresh rate, which is vaguely achievable on more modest cards thanks to that native resolution, it also has a GtG response time of 0.03ms. Basically, you can banish motion blur once and for all. Unless you decide to enable it in your game of choice. You Monster.
@pcgamer_mag (opens in new tab)
♬ Bend Me – Marletta, Luigi (opens in new tab)
That’s all well and good, but what about the party trick? What’s it like to actually convert between a flat screen monitor and a curved monitor? For starters, it’s terrifying. Even watching Corsair’s PR pull the sides flawlessly forward to create its super-tight 800R curve, I had to look behind trembling fingers, and they’d done that countless times at the time. That didn’t stop my brain from complaining that this was clearly wrong and an abomination.
However, it doesn’t take long before you know exactly how much power to use. The first corner is understandably unsettling, but then you quickly get a feel for it and it becomes straight forward. Not exactly easy, because there’s a bit of your brain that says “no, no, no, stop!” but it works. There is an audible click when you reach the full 800R turn and when you flatten it again. The plan is to have three intermediate clicks in the shipping model as well – this one I’ve got here is a prototype.
By the way, you are not limited to the tightest corners. If you want a more subtle curve, more in the 1000R range, you can. Bring the sides in until you are satisfied. You can also bend only one side of the screen, which may also work depending on your layout.
I’m not convinced either, but I’m sure someone will.
This begs the question, why do you need a screen that can be curved or flat? The idea of working in Photoshop, Office apps or whatever and then going for a more immersive curve for gaming makes sense. Driving games, for example, benefit from a light wraparound, and even Halo Infinite felt more immersive with the added sides.
I’m not normally a fan of curved screens as I play different types of games, and some don’t benefit from being curved. Some do, like Cyberpunk 2077 (opens in new tab) and Apex Legends (opens in new tab)while people like MtG Arena (opens in new tab) and Hearthstone (opens in new tab) don’t care at all. The Xeneon Flex can actually provide that perfect solution to let me choose when needed. Provided the price is right of course.
There’s no official word on pricing at this point. The Xeneon Flex won’t hit stores until the new year, though, so there’s still plenty of time to figure that out, but this is one monitor I’ll be keeping an eye on.
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