A Fresh Look At Multi-Screen PC Gaming

crookedvulture writes "It has been quite a while since Slashdot last covered multi-monitor gaming. A lot has changed in the interim. Monitors prices continue to fall, and improved AMD Eyefinity and Nvidia Surround implementations make creating multi-display arrays incredibly easy. Graphics cards have gotten faster, allowing high-end models to handle the latest games at the ultra-high resolutions that multi-screen setups enable. Developers are doing a better job of supporting those resolutions, too, although HUD placement and single-screen cinematics are still problematic in some titles. Even in the games that do have niggling flaws, the wider perspective of a triple-screen config can offer a more engaging and immersive experience. As stereoscopic 3D implementations fail to catch on, multi-screen setups look like the best upgrade for PC gamers."

Comments

The last time i tried this

[icebike]

There were versions of some of the popular First Person Shooters back in the day that would handle multi screens.
They were great, for about 15 minutes, then vertigo set in, and even walking up the stairs out of the basement became a challenge.

I suspect it was something to do with Visual Simulation of Motion with no motor or balance system feedback that did me in, but it could have
been the pizza and jolt cola.

Re:The last time i tried this

[noh8rz5]

my rig has 360 degree horizontal / 180 degree vertical, no bezels, retina display. it's called LIFE. high fps!

Re:The last time i tried this

[Riceballsan]

I would imagine to properly implement multi-screen, the best method would not be to treat it as 1 big ass monitor with a divider in the middle, but instead 2 screens with different designated uses. Look at the DS, even among games that didn't need touch screen (IE the hinderance of a finger blocking the view). The bottom screen was rarely a continuation for the top screen. I could see the same approach for more advanced PC games. FPS: Primary monitor shows the field of vision, Secondary monitor shows, multi-level more detailed radar, coms information, HP, weapons etc... in some co-op games if it fits the storyline's abilities, possibly field of vision for team mate etc... RPG: Move all of the party information, skill bars etc... off the primary screen. make them more detailed and easier to see the hotkeys or whatever has been associated etc... Basically instead of using the monitor to make one huge split function screen, take everything that somewhat clutters the field of vision, but is also critical, and move it to the second monitor.

Re:The last time i tried this

[interkin3tic]

Yeah, but the FPS for that platform all really suck.

Re:The last time i tried this

[ArcherB]

Yeah, but the FPS for that platform all really suck.

And getting it to respawn is a real bitch!

Force feedback is very realistic, however.

Re:The last time i tried this

[espiesp]

You need a 30" for the 20" to fit right, but they are a perfect match both in physical size and in resolution. Too bad none of the manufacturers support this mode properly. But it can be done, just in windowed mode. Meaning a single GPU at least on AMD.

I personally run 3 23" 1920x1600 monitors, on a pair of unlocked 6950s. Granted I've only played a couple of games, it does work extremely well.

Re:The last time i tried this

[game kid]

I know it uses Pupil(tm) technology for high dynamic range. It's closed source and hard to crack but I'm pretty sure someone in Science already used it for wall hacks. Those guys are l33t.

Re:The last time i tried this

[PopeRatzo]

There were versions of some of the popular First Person Shooters back in the day that would handle multi screens.
They were great, for about 15 minutes, then vertigo set in, and even walking up the stairs out of the basement became a challenge.

That's why I had my gaming rig set up on the first floor. Problem solved.

It was damp down in the basement, anyway, and my mom's knees were beginning to give out, so I started having go get my own snacks. Who needs that kind of aggravation when you're capturing the flag?

On the down side, now I have less time to pull my pants up when I'm playing Bayonetta. Right?

Re:The last time i tried this

[ozmanjusri]

And getting it to respawn is a real bitch!

PEBKAC, noob.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/

Re:The last time i tried this

[MachDelta]

Not really - you can't pick your race or class, most of the newb zones are poor, and there's no re-rolling.

Re:The last time i tried this

[gmhowell]

The best solution for that is to stay in the basement.

Mom! More hot pockets!

Space problem

[Darkness404]

I really don't see multi-screen gaming really catching on because of the simple fact that a lot of people don't have a whole heck of a lot of space, especially in the "core" gamer demographic who tend to either be living with their parents or living in a cramped apartment. Desktops aren't exactly space savers and decent sized monitors aren't easy to fit 3 or more on a normal sized desk.

Re:Space problem

[Beardydog]

Also, it just looks like shit.

Apologies to everyone, by the way, for crapping all over the commenatry for this article. I swore several months ago to male it my life's mission to badmiuth multi-monitor gaming aggressively until NVidia or ATI, or possibly game companies (I'm not quite sure who is in the best position...) fix its horrific shortcomings.

I've been waiting for the issue to come up again, but I was late to the party, and I'm now working at double-capacity spewing vitriol for grotesquely distorted graphics, several-thousand-dollar multi-panel screens that incorrectly angle the peripheral screens (making anything displayed on them look worse), and GPU marketing campaigns that border on fraud.

Useful

[bill_mcgonigle]

Back in the day old NuBus video cards and 15" displays were easy to come by so I hooked up a Mac IIvx with three displays and used it for A10 Attack. Left screen was left window, front screen was front window, right screen was right window.

It really improved gameplay for that sort of simulation, because if you were in a cockpit, that's something like you'd have available to you. I looked a few years ago into setting up something like this with X-Plane but it needed a networked set of computers, which seemed like overkill. Maybe that's improved.

I'd imagine an FPS would be better off with goggles of some sort, though, if the resolution could be sorted out. Use the right tech for the right kind of simulation.

Re:Niggling flaws?

[iCEBaLM]

nigglingpresent participle of nigÂgle (Verb)
Verb:

        Cause slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety: "a nasty leg wound which still niggled at him".
        Find fault with (someone) in a petty way: "he loved to niggle and criticize people".

Still a gimmick

[Bieeanda]

I've been running multiple monitors since Windows 98's beyond half-assed support for the concept, and have three on my desk right now. Really, the only titles that benefit from these arrangements are extremely hard-core flight simulators (as noted elsewhere in the discussion) and the very occasional macro-scale real-time strategy game where there's a benefit to shoving all of your production and resource manipulation readouts to a separate screen.

For just about anything else, it's a silly little frippery-- sure, it might be cute to have a clan battle's K/D ratios on a separate screen, or an automap and inventory, but those are hardly quality of life breakthroughs. Like stereoscopic glasses and VR goggles, it's a solution in search of a problem.

Re:Still a gimmick

[TXG1112]

Nonsense! There are quite a few games where I would love to have a separate screen. With FPS's you could put the map, more detailed injury status, inventory and all sorts of things that might make for new and interesting game play. RPG's would derive a huge benefit as well in that you wouldn't need to waste game real estate on status, configuration or other information.

Your issue is that you are imagining today's game elements moved onto a second screen. I agree that this would merely be a marginal improvement, though one which I would welcome. Instead consider how the second screen and all that lovely space can be used to improve the game in various ways.

Re:Niggling flaws?

[HarrySquatter]

Wow you must be pretty old when a term that is 500 years old is considered "new" to you.

Extra screens + full screen game is real benefit

[devforhire]

I've been running a 3 monitor display (3 x 22" 1920x1080) for several years playing WOW, LOTRO, EVE, and BF3. The games look awesome covering all 3 screens, but it doesn't improve gameplay enough to make it worth my time. I typically play with the games windowed and maximized to a single screen. This lets me multi-box easily or play a game while watching a movie on another monitor.

Peripheral Vision

[wisebabo]

One benefit of multi-screen games is that they can provide, when angled inward, is peripheral vision.

Even an infinitely wide flat display can only provide 180 degrees of view. However, depending on the widths, position of the viewer and amount the panels are angled, a multi-screen system can do much better.

Anyway, are there any tweaks in the softawe to account for this? If you DO angle the displays, then you no longer have a flat "window" into the virtual 3D world. So the software should account for this (and ideally also the size of the bevels) and ask you the angles that you've set up your monitors. (I'm not a gamer so I don't know, maybe this is commonplace).

A really sophisticated setup would allow you to place arbitrarily sized monitors at arbitrary locations and angles, like portals onto an imaginary world. Would be best for flight/ship/tank simulators. Actually, if you're going to go this far, maybe it's just easier to use a virtual reality headset.

Re:Peripheral Vision

[omglolbah]

I find that the peripheral vision is awesome in most FPS games. I have none of the issues people seem to state as 'main problems'.

* Vertigo?.. um no.
* Driver support (amd eyefinity) works ok for me. Some games have a shitty implementation assuming the aspect ratio can be found from just the width (which in my setup is 5760 pixels...). Most work fine though.

But really, for gaming it is nice. For everything else it is flipping awesome.

Reference docs on right monitor, visual studio or putty on the center, and browser/spotify/skype/debug windows on the left screen.
I've gotten so used to it now that I feel almost cramped on the two 22" monitors at work.

http://omglolbah.net/ksh/mobilkamera/random/triplehead_setup.jpg

It DOES take up a bit of space. I'm considering spending the 500 bucks for a proper 3-screen mounting rig. It would free up all the desk space under the monitors and allow me to adjust the height easier.

To address your specific points:

Eyefinity has bevel compensation. It is surprisingly easy to set up. You get some angled lines that you "line up" across the bevels.

Most FPS games will give you a much wider field of view when you use such a wide display. In Battlefield and counter-strike I get almost 180 degrees of vision.
Toptip though... If you stand looking parallel to a wall in CS/Halflife/TF2 the side screen will 'cross into' the wall... not rendering it...
You in effect have a limited wallhack in the driver. It is fairly amusing at times ;)

I also found that I rapidly adjusted to the way the aspect ratio and 'distortion' of sorts at the edges of my vision. It just becomes natural.
Same thing in WoW and SWTOR. It works -excellently- in those MMOs. Both support eyefinity out of the box.

Diablo3: http://omglolbah.net/ksh/mobilkamera/random/diablo3_5760x1080.png

WoW (with a heavily modified TukUI package) http://omglolbah.net/ksh/pictures/wow/uimods_2012_01_01__21_34_comments.png

As stereoscopic 3D implementations fail to catch..

[MSRedfox]

"As stereoscopic 3D implementations fail to catch on" the post is pretty much trolling on the basis that stereoscopic gaming is failing. If anything, it's getting more support lately. Nvidia not only supports 3D monitors, but now also supports playing games in 3D via 3D HDTVs over HDMI ( www.nvidia.com/object/3dtv-play-overview.html ). ATI finally offers good stereoscopic support via HD3D ( www.amd.com/hd3D ). And 3rd parties like TriDef offer nice 3D support for a variety of video cards. I personally enjoy playing a game with added depth and would take a single monitor in stereoscopic 3D over 3 displays (though I'd love to do 3 displays all in stereoscopic 3D).

I don't understand

[humanrev]

Why would invest in such a setup when apparently PCs are dead, tablets are the future and so all this tech will be worthless in... (check's current technologist predictions)... about three months?

Now go away while I transfer all my personal data to the cloud. I hear we won't have a need for hard drives anymore soon either.

Multiscreen should not mean widescreen

[dinther]

Just about everyone that uses a multi screen setup uses 3 screens in order to avoid the bevel in the middle. Usually the left and right screens are angled inward as to for a viewing arc. That is actually not a bad idea. Especially if the angles are such that the optical axis of each screens intersect at the user viewing position.

BUT...

Eyefinity or Nvidia surround don't work that way. They simply fool the rendering engine in believing the aspect of the rendering context is much wider. The result is that the virtual camera in the game uses a wider angle lens (Not quite but it will do to make my point). This causes the edges of the left and right screen to look rather distorted. Adding more screens width wise is really not worthwhile.

What is needed is multiple 3D contexts like you can have in Microsoft Flight simulator where each camera looks at a slightly different heading. But, why bother to solve that at the game engine level. NVidia and ATI pay attention this tip is free!

It should be possible to build true multiscreen logic into graphics drivers. If NVidia can do stereo they ought to be able to render outputs at different angles. Not only that, each output should not even assume that the optical center is in the middle of the screen either. Enter head tracking logic.

I did lots of experiments with multiscreen and what it would take to have the ultimate multiscreen experience. I even wrote some demo software to prove the point in these old videos show that I made four years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBdtPz2V_vY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku76aHq3pps

(Sorry about the cheesy sound track)

And still we are stuck with dumb distorted multi monitor widescreens!

Too little too late

[Krneki]

In about 1 or 2 years the new generation of VR helmets will arrive. The current one are ok-ish, but not hardcore enough to get the attention from hard-core gamers on triple screens setup.

Once we have 1080P@120Hz, 180 filed of view and some other details I can't be arsed to google right now, we will forget about screens.