I’ve been using an ultrawide gaming monitor for several years now, and while I have no plans of ever going back, it’s not without its drawbacks. If you’re planning to jump from a traditional monitor to an ultrawide monitor for your gaming PC, here are three big drawbacks I’ve encountered that you should consider.
1 Not All Games are Optimized
The biggest sticking point with ultrawide gaming is that not all games are optimized for the format. I typically encounter this with indie games and retro games, as many titles in these categories don’t make full use of the real estate offered to them. Instead, most put gigantic black bars on either side of the game — essentially turning the ultrawide monitor into a regular monitor.
Even among blockbuster releases you’ll still encounter some quirky UI elements. For example, minimaps and quest logs are often placed at the corner of the screen, and on my ultrawide, I can’t easily see these without actively moving my gaze. It’s a bit like sitting front row at a movie theater — sure, you’re pulled directly into the action, but things on the periphery are often difficult to parse.
Thankfully, more and more games are offering adjustable UI components. And if you don’t mind dabbling with third-party mods, you’ll likely find a solution to the ultrawide UI issue. I have no doubt that an ultrawide monitor is worth the money, but it’s certainly not perfect for all gaming experiences.
2 Ultrawide Resolutions Require a Powerful PC
Because ultrawide monitors display additional pixels, it should come as no surprise that you’ll need a beefier PC to run games than you would on a traditional monitor. There are a variety of resolutions available on ultrawide monitors, but you’ll typically require approximately 35% more power than a traditional monitor running at a similar resolution.
For example, running at 1440p on a standard monitor (1440×2560) has over a million fewer pixels than running 1440p on an ultrawide (1440×3440). Those pixels don’t come cheap, and if you’re worried about playing games at the same setting as you do on your current monitor, you’ll need to make sure you have a powerful rig.
My PC hardware is a few years old but still handles pretty much everything with relative ease. But I have to be careful about using max settings in newer titles, and I’ll likely need an upgrade in the next few years.
In other words, whatever settings you’re currently running your games at, you’ll likely need to turn them down when using an ultrawide. Be sure to check the specs requirements of your favorite games to see how they’ll look at a higher resolution.
3 It Eats Into My Desktop Space
When upgrading to an ultrawide monitor, I was so caught up in how my games would look that I never stopped to consider how my desk would look. And while it doesn’t look bad, I have way less useable space than I did before adding an ultrawide to my home office. My desk is relatively small to accommodate the cramped floorplan of my condo, and that means my ultrawide monitor comes pretty close to overhanging the edges.
The result is a desktop that holds my monitor, keyboard, mouse, and Xbox controller, with just enough space left over for a water bottle. If I decide to take lunch at my desk, I need to push my keyboard up onto the monitor’s base. Forget about showing off all your favorite figurines and collectibles on your desk — your ultrawide will demand most of your square footage.
I’ve largely grown accustomed to this over the years, and if you have space for a larger desk, this will be a non-issue. It’ll still be a shock when you first upgrade, however, so be prepared to adjust the layout of your space.
If your gaming monitor will double as your work monitor, you’ll also want to think about how it’ll change your workflow. I ended up using PowerToys to easily divide my monitor into three sections, allowing me to have Slack in one panel, Microsoft Word in another, and the third for a web browser. There are plenty of other apps to maximize your ultrawide monitor, so spend a few minutes searching for the right program for your needs.
Make no mistake — upgrading to an ultrawide monitor is a great decision. It’ll take a bit of time to figure out how to best optimize all your games and rearrange your workstation, but if your PC can handle it, there’s nothing else quite like it.
