The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) today announced that it has released version 2.0 of the DisplayPort (DP) audio/video standard. DP 2.0 is the first major update to the DisplayPort standard since March 2016, and provides up to a 3X increase in data bandwidth performance compared to the previous version of DisplayPort (DP 1.4a), as well as new capabilities to address the future performance requirements of traditional displays. These include beyond 8K resolutions, higher refresh rates and high dynamic range (HDR) support at higher resolutions, improved support for multiple display configurations, as well as improved user experience with augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) displays, including support for 4K-and-beyond VR resolutions.

The advantages of DP 2.0 are enjoyed across both the native DP connector as well as the USB Type-C connector, which carries the DP audio/video signal through DisplayPort Alt Mode. DP 2.0 is backward compatible with previous versions of DisplayPort and incorporates all of the key features of DP 1.4a, including support for visually lossless Display Stream Compression (DSC) with Forward Error Correction (FEC), HDR metadata transport, and other advanced features. The increased video bandwidth performance of DP 2.0 carried over the USB-C connector enables simultaneous higher-speed USB data transfer without compromising display performance. DP 2.0 leverages the Thunderbolt 3 physical interface (PHY) layer while maintaining the flexibility of DP protocol in order to boost the data bandwidth and promote convergence across industry-leading IO standards.

Cooler Master seems to be sticking its tendrils to into another slice of the PC market with the upcoming release of two new monitor products. The company, best known for their cooling solutions, has already branched out into multiple sectors of the PC component and DIY market, and now it seems to want to make a name for itself in the monitor arena as well. Their first entries, the 30" GM219-30 and 35" GM219-35, are 21:9 ratio affairs based on VA technology. Both offer Adaptive Sync, which means "limited" NVIDIA G-Sync support and full AMD FreeSync 2 support. The FreeSync 2 support, of course, also entails a measure of HDR capabilities, since that particular revision of the AMD standard was worked on mostly for that inclusion.

The 30" GM219-30 has a 2560 x 1080 resolution and offers a 200 Hz refresh rate, while the 35" GM219-35 carries a 3440 x 1440 resolution, but brings refresh rates down to a more common 120 Hz. Cooler Master are quoting a 1 ms refresh rate for these monitors. Release is expected for late 2019, with the 30" model being expected to retail for $399.99, while the 35" model will retail for $999.99 USD.

ASUS ROG at AMD's Next horizon's event introduced the world's first Display Stream Compression (DSC) capable monitor. The new, 43" behemoth makes use of industry-standard DSC to enable 144 Hz gaming at 4K resolution via a single data cable, with no need to hack image fidelity down to pieces (potentially) by usage of chroma subsampling. AMD's Navi chips will feature this technology, which is why ASUS ROG took to AMD's event to showcase the new monitor.

FreeSync 2 HDR support is guaranteed, as is a Display HDR 1000 rating for increased contrast and improved visuals for HDR content. There's 10-bit color depth available, and the display covers up to 90% of the DCI-P3 gamut. No pricing or release date have been confirmed.

Two of the often overlooked components of a new graphics architecture are the I/O and multimedia capabilities. With its Radeon RX 5700-series "Navi 10" graphics processor, AMD gave the two their first major update in over two years, with the new Radeon Display Engine, and Radeon Multimedia Engine. The Display Engine is a hardware component that handles the graphics card's physical display I/O. The Radeon Multimedia Engine is a set of fixed-function hardware that provides CODEC-specific acceleration to offload your CPU.

The Navi Radeon Display Engine features an updated DisplayPort 1.4 HDR implementation that's capable of handling 8K displays at 60 Hz with a single cable. It can also handle 4K UHD at 240 Hz with a single cable. These also include HDR and 10-bit color. It achieves this by implementing DSC 1.2a (Display Stream Compression). The display controller also supports 30 bpp internal color-depth. The HDMI implementation remains HDMI 2.0. The multi-plane overlay protocol (MPO) implementation now supports a low-power mode. This should, in theory, reduce the GPU's power draw when idling or playing back video.

AOC is readying the next generation of their enthusiast-gaming AGON line. The 353 series supersedes the 352 series launched in February last year, and keeps the 35" diagonal of its previous iteration. The specs are up there with the best available for what a VA panel can offer: 4K resolution, 1000 nits peak brightness in HDR mode, 1 ms (MTRT response time, or a rated 4 ms GtG) and a 200 Hz maximum refresh rate with support for AMD's FreeSync 2 or NIDIA's G-Sync HDR. There's also 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, if color accuracy is a must.

The AGON 353-series will be available in two models, for either AMD FreeSync 2 or NVIDIA G-SyncHDR certification. AG353UCG featuring NVIDIA's G-Sync HDR as well as another one supporting AMD's FreeSync 2 HDR. The G-Sync HDR version, however, will be carrying a 512-zone full array local dimming for increased contrast. Connectors include HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, and a four port USB 3.1 (5 Gbps) HUB. The NVIDIA G-Sync version is expected to launch around June this year; no word on the AMD equivalent. No word on pricing either, but don't expect these (particularly the NVIDIA one, with its full array local dimming) to come cheap.

ASUS today released its premium 27-inch monitor, the ProArt PA27UCX. The monitor is designed to look great on corner-office desks, and packs a serious feature-set. To begin with, you get 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution, with DisplayHDR 1000 compliance, true 10-bpc color (1.07 billion colors), with DCI-P3, Rec. 709, Rec. 2020 and Adobe RGB wide color gamut, and color accuracy pre-calibration. The IPS panel is illuminated by micro LEDs featuring 576 zones dynamic dimming backlight control. HDR-10 and HLG are also supported. As part of the monitor's design, it only has a single USB-C connector with DisplayPort 1.4 and 60W power draw. A hub adapts standard DisplayPort and an included power-brick.

News of Assassin's Creed III getting a remaster was met with lukewarm reception from the get go, primarily because the original game does not rank high in the preference of games in the series for most people. Personally, I thought it was an underrated game but does have a slow start that can put off many people who came to it after the excellent Ezio trilogy just before. The remaster itself also seemed to be more a color palette sweep-over than many suspected, with a faux-HDR effect at times that has had mixed reviews in the few short days since it has been made available. Many on Steam have also took to the review section to complain about bugs and launch issues, as well as the $39.99 pricing (although it is included for free with the season pass for Assassins Creed Odyssey at the same price point).

Ubisoft has since de-listed the original game from Uplay, and had the same done on Steam too as the original store page says. This is a standard business practice in cases where the publisher does not wish to have any confusion on what they intend to be the best gameplay experience henceforth, but things are less simple on the PC. Steam users, and others in general, were quick to point out that the remaster now is the only choice and at a much higher price than what the original went for, especially during a sale. Others made reference to PC remasters usually getting a free update, bringing out examples such as Bioshock 1 and 2. A combination of everything discussed here has in turn led to the game having mostly negative reviews on steam, and reviews by independent media outlets seem to also indicate a troubled future ahead for the remaster.

If you were waiting for another OLED solution in the PC monitor space to enter the market, the ASUS ProArt PQ22UC may be answering part of your prayers. However, it likely doesn't fit your bill at all when it comes to affordability or choice of features for a gaming-centered solution. The ProArt PQ22UC features an OLED panel with 4K resolution, support for HDR, and a 10-bit panel for increased color reproduction. Aiding in color reproduction and accuracy for its professional aspirations is the fact that this monitor already comes factory-calibrated for a Delta E < 2 color accuracy rating.

The ASUS ProArt PQ22UC has an announced 1000000:1 contrast ratio (remember the pure blacks of OLED), 14-bit internal lookup table, and support for Gamma values of 2.6, 2.4, 2.2, 2.0, and 1.8. There's Micro HDMI and dual USB-CTM ports which support AC power input, data transfer speeds of up to 5 Gbps and 4K UHD output. Pricing? You'd rather not know it: it's going for €5.160,90 (Austrian retailer) or £4,699.00 in the UK.

ASUS today released the latest into their line of ProArt monitors, especially geared for professionals, where color accuracy is paramount. The ProArt PA34VC features a 21:9 aspect ratio over a 3440 x 1440 IPS panel, which guarantees double the widescreen space of conventional 1080p monitors. The panel already comes factory-calibrated, so there's no need to mix things up in post-buy tinkering (though it does support ASUS' ProArt Calibration Technology,

There's HDR 10 VESA certification with 100% sRGB color gamut coverage, dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for video connectivity and data-transfers at speeds of up to 40 Gbps. These Thunderbolt ports also enable Power Delivery of up to 60W to external devices. It also features built-in Picture-in-Picture (PiP) and Picture-by-Picture (PbP). Gray-to-gray response time is being rated at 0.1ms, according to ASUS, while typical brightness caps out at 300 cd/m².

Display specialist AOC announces a brand-new gaming monitor, the 28" (71.1 cm) G2868PQU with Ultra HD / 4K (3840x2160 pixels) resolution.

To meet the demands of gamers looking for crisp and vivid imagery and sharp gameplay, the display boasts a next-gen HDR-ready TN panel with 1 ms response time. The G2868PQU also supports AMD FreeSync which eliminates stutter and screen-tear caused by mismatched image frames between the graphics card and the monitor. All these features ensure a fluid, smooth 4K gaming experience. The monitor becomes available in Europe in March 2019.

AMD is looking to further push the adoption of FreeSync with the release of FreeSync 2 HDR Technology. The primary goal of the new standard is to take what FreeSync already offered including wide variable refresh rates and low framerate compensation and to pair that with HDR for a truly immersive experience. To show off what FreeSync 2 can do while also pushing for broader adoption has resulted in AMD creating their new Oasis Demo. Following the familiar principle that seeing is believing, AMD will be looking to compare their FreeSync 2 monitors against their non-HDR counterparts with this new demo at retail locations. This will allow consumers to see the difference for themselves in a way static images and youtube videos cannot convey. The Demo itself has been built using Unreal Engine 4 and has full support for HDR10 and FreeSync 2 HDR transport protocols. When it comes to settings the demo packs numerous options including FPS limits with various presets or custom options, vertical sync on/off, FreeSync on/off, Content modes, etc. You can view AMD's overview of the Demo in the video below.

GIGABYTE at CES 2019 took the lid of its ultra-secret AORUS monitor, which we covered earlier in January. It's now confirmed to be built around a 27-inch 1440p IPS panel with the flaunted 10-bit color and 144 Hz refresh rate with FreeSync support (here's hoping NVIDIA's G-Sync will support it as well). It is certified with VESA's DisplayHDR 400 (peak brightness of 400 nits). There's RGB lighting throughout the carcass of the monitor, a 90º swivel, gaming features such as Aim Stabilizer, Black Equalizer and Super Resolution, and the AORUS monitor is expected to roll out around $599.

So, that news title may be slightly too flashy for the actual product, but bear with me here: OLED is such an improvement over current mainstream display technologies that its transition to the PC monitor space is one of the most sought-after unicorns in this market. Alienware, via a partnership with LG (that's almost obvious), will be making this particular unicorn come to reality. The Alienware 55 OLED gaming monitor will feature 4K resolution @ 120 Hz, Variable Refresh Rate support via HDMI 2.1 (FreeSync? G-Sync? - all's still up in the air), DisplayPort 1.4, and 98 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 RGB spectrum with a candy of HDR support thrown in the mix.

Lenovo also showed off their Legion Y44w 3840x1200 ultra-wide monitor at CES and quite honestly it is vast measuring in at the 43.4 inches. The display makes use of a WVA borderless 1800R curved panel which offers a crisp image as it covers 99% of the sRGB, BT.709 and DCI-P3 color gamuts. Max brightness was listed as 450 cd/m2 with support for the HDR 400 (Vesa) standard. Naturally, in today's market, no gaming monitor would be caught dead at 60 Hz as such the Legion Y44w supports a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz with a gray to gray response time of 4 ms with Overdrive enabled. Oh, and it supports AMD FreeSync 2 technology just for good measure.

Creature comforts include a stand that offers lift, tilt and swivel functionality alongside detachable Harmon Kardon powered speakers. There is no shortage of input options either which consist of 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen2), 1x USB 3.1 Type-C(Gen1), Audio out, 4x USB 3.0 port Hub (1 with BC1.2). General availability is expected in April 2019. No information on pricing was available during our visit.

ASUS at CES showcased their upcoming lineup of ROG Strix gaming monitors specifically crafted for usage with AMD's FreeSync 2. The new monitors look to cater to most of the market with their diagonals and resolutions. These are premium solutions, with the smallest, the XG32VQR, sporting a 32" 1440p panel, 144 Hz native refresh rate, and VESA's HDR400 certification. The XG438Q ups the ante to a 43" panel and 4K resolution screen, with a 120 Hz base refresh rate (overclockable up to 144 Hz) and HDR 600, while the XG49VQ is of the ultra wide variety, featuring a DFHD (3840 x 1080) resolution, 144 Hz base refresh rate, and HDR 400.

All monitors feature a FreeSync 2 range of 48-120/144Hz, all employ a VA panel and a 4 ms response rating. The 43-inch sports 10-watt speakers, the 49-inch model has a pair of 5-watt speakers and the 32-inch XG32VQR lacks the completely. No pricing was available at time of writing, but these are ASUS' premium offering s for the FreeSync ecosystem, and with those specs, they likely won't come cheap.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA ) today introduced its new DisplayHDR True Black high dynamic range (HDR) standard, a variant on VESA's widely adopted High-Performance Monitor and Display Compliance Test Specification (DisplayHDR). The new standard has been optimized for emissive display technologies, including organic light emitting diode (OLED) and future microLED displays.

DisplayHDR True Black allows for up to 100X deeper black levels in addition to a greater dynamic range and a 4X improvement in rise time compared to VESA's DisplayHDR 1000 performance tier. This enables a visually stunning experience for home theater and gaming enthusiasts in subdued lighting environments. DisplayHDR and DisplayHDR True Black are the display industry's first fully open standards specifying HDR quality for LCD and emissive displays, respectively.

AMD today released their yearly driver update called Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition v18.2.2. For the past three years, the company has been releasing year-end feature-packed updates to Radeon Software. The 2017 version saw the introduction of Radeon Software "Adrenalin", before which we had Crimson/ReLive and Omega. The company also sped up its driver release cycle to match AAA game releases, and over the years, increased its reliability score and customer satisfaction. With Radeon Software Adrenalin, AMD is targeting three key consumer segments: Gamers, Enthusiasts, and Creators.

AOC, a worldwide leader in monitor display technology, today announces the first member of the premium AGON monitor line with HDR support, the AG322QC4 gaming monitor. The AG322QC4 is a curved 32-inch, QHD HDR gaming monitor with a refresh rate of 144Hz, 4ms response time and AMD's FreeSync2 technology. FreeSync2 is AMD's HDR-compatible technology. This monitor is made for enthusiast gamers, who want both high-performance visuals without stutter, screen tearing or motion blur, and a gorgeous visual experience with HDR. This is AOC's first monitor with Display HDR400 certification.

The 32-inch monitor features a 2560 x 1440 QHD screen with a 1800R curve. The curved VA panel offers vibrant colors with high dynamic range for a more exciting and immersive visual experience to be enjoyed while gaming. The display also covers 85 percent of the NTSC. The AG322QC4's curve conforms to the way the eye sees and helps reduce eye fatigue.

The release of Windows 10 October 2018 Update has had the side-effects of new driver releases from a variety of manufacturers. NVIDIA released its GeForce 416.16 WHQL drivers today, and now Intel has also released the first driver update for its graphics chips following the release of this major Windows 10 update. This WDDM 2.5 driver introduces HDR10 on internal displays, support for Wide Color Gamut on capable displays, as well as improvements in EDR Quality.

The driver also introduces performance improvements for Microsoft WinML-based applications on 7th Generation Intel Core processors and higher. Power optimizations are also included even when the display is in standby. This driver also has performance improvements for Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 (DirectX 11 version) on 6th Generation Intel Core processors or higher.

Microsoft began rolling out Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) through its regular update channels. The update introduces several improvements to the operating system's user interface, expand on its Timeline features that let you pick up your work where you left off, and comes with a boatload of under the hood performance improvements relevant to PC enthusiasts and gamers. These include the latest update to DirectX that adds DirectX Ray-tracing API features (DXR), the latest version of WDDM, and native HDR standards management settings via Display Settings. To get it, simply make Windows check for updates.The change-log follows.

Being able to play at 4K resolutions is a palpable reality that has been consolidated with the launch of the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2000 Series. To do so, however, it is necessary to have a monitor with 4K support, and that is where LG Electronics has put its new bet in this area on the table. The new LG 32UK5500-B is a monitor with 4K resolution (3840 x 2160), HDR10 support, and covers 95% of the DCI-P3 color space (100% sRGB color gamut). Also important, it integrates AMD FreeSync technology to offer a dynamic refresh rate that in this case can hit between 40 and 60 Hz.

This new monitor is based on a 31.5-inch VA panel (178°/178° viewing angles) that is factory-calibrated. The display offers its users a native brightness of 300 nits, a contrast ratio of 3000:1, a response time of 4 ms GtG and a refresh rate of 60 Hz, but there are other features clearly oriented to gamers.

LG unveiled their new UltraGear lineup of desktop, gaming-oriented monitors, which bring top of the line features for gamers. The monitors both feature a 34" diagonal and a 3440x1440 resolution. They both feature a 21:9 aspect ratio; brightness is left at a relatively sparse 400 nits (with VESA's DisplayHDR standard compliance) and static contrast only reaches 1000:1. The G-Sync panel (UltraGear 34GK950G-B) offers up to 120 Hz refresh rates with 4 ms GtG response times (via overclocking, only 100 Hz out-of-the-box), while the FreeSync 2 monitor (34GK950F-B) brings that up a notch to 144 Hz with 5 ms GtG response times.

The usage of nanoparticles applied to the screen's LED backlighting serves to absorb excess light wavelengths and improve intensity, purity, and accuracy of the on-screen colors - LG claims that both LCDs can display 1.07 billion colors while covering 98% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. There's ULMB support for the NVIDIA monitor and a similar technology for the FreeSync 2 display; LG's proprietary DAS (Dynamic Action Sync) which follows TV's Game Mode to cut post-processing of images to reduce lag; and there are brightness presets according to game types (FPS, RTS) for the G-Sync panel, while the FreeSync 2 features a black stabilizer tech.

NVIDIA's BFGD solutions (Big Format Gaming Display) are meant to become the ultimate gaming graphics display solution for gamers. their 4K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rates with G-Sync support are meant to become the baseline for smoothness in gaming scenarios, and the 1000 NITS peak brightness is meant to make HDR images that are relevant - differing from other, less "refined", shall we say, implementations. However, the hardware specs for these systems are high, parts are expensive and difficult to procure, and the process of integrating so much technology (including Quantum Dot tech and NVIDIA Shield) seems to be giving integrators a hard time.

NVIDIA today announced new GeForce experience features to be integrated and expanded in wake of its RTX platform push. The new features include increased number of Ansel-supporting titles (including already released Prey and Vampyr, as well as the upcoming Metro Exodus and Shadow of the Tomb Raider), as well as RTX-exclusive features that are being implemented into the company's gaming system companion.

There are also some features being implemented that gamers will be able to take advantage of without explicit Ansel SDK integration done by the games developer - which NVIDIA says will bring Ansel support (in any shape or form) to over 200 titles (150 more than the over 50 titles already supported via SDK). And capitalizing on Battlefield V's relevance to the gaming crowd, NVIDIA also announced support for Ansel and its Highlights feature for the upcoming title.

NVIDIA today reported revenue for the second quarter ended July 29, 2018, of $3.12 billion, up 40 percent from $2.23 billion a year earlier, and down 3 percent from $3.21 billion in the previous quarter.

GAAP earnings per diluted share for the quarter were $1.76, up 91 percent from $0.92 a year ago and down 11 percent from $1.98 in the previous quarter. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $1.94, up 92 percent from $1.01 a year earlier and down 5 percent from $2.05 in the previous quarter.

"Growth across every platform - AI, Gaming, Professional Visualization, self-driving cars - drove another great quarter," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "Fueling our growth is the widening gap between demand for computing across every industry and the limits reached by traditional computing. Developers are jumping on the GPU-accelerated computing model that we pioneered for the boost they need.