Hardware Review: Acer HN274H 3D Monitor

Another one of my Digital Foundry pieces. Here we have a comprehensive look one of the few 3D monitors out there that supports the HDMI 1.4 spec, while possibly having the potential to double up as a reasonable HDTV replacement.


Acer's unforgetably titled HN274H takes the form of a substantial 27-inch desktop display with a range of HDMI 1.4 compatible inputs and it also offers full support for both NVIDIA and AMD's 3D systems, meaning stereoscopic gaming up to 1080p60 - a format PS3 and its HDMI 1.4 compliance can't match. On top of that, if your PC graphics card is powerful enough, there's nothing to stop you running games at 1080p at 120FPS in 2D either - a very cool, eerily smooth experience we recommend you try out if you can.

With this all-formats support, the HN274H is a unique all-in-one product and the price isn't bad either: the display can be picked up for around £480 - not bad for a piece of hardware that supports all major stereoscopic 3D gaming systems, and happily works with other HDMI-based devices like 3D set-top boxes and Blu-ray players.

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Formula 1 2011 (Digital Foundry - Face-Off)

With F1 2011 Codemasters continues to refine the solid foundations laid down by last year's game. The handling mechanics have been improved, crafting an experience which is even more authentic than before, while the AI has been refreshed to ensure that seasoned veterans receive a strong challenge. The changes aren't particularly drastic but they do have a positive impact on the game: F1 2011 is easier to play for the casual fan whilst containing plenty of depth under the hood for those who go looking.

F1 2011's graphical upgrades are also delivered with the same kind of subtlety: enhanced weather effects and a small increase in track-side detail bring about a more polished look to proceedings. The raw aesthetics seen in the previous title - giving the game a clean, almost clinical appearance - are left practically unchanged from an artistic perspective, and this is once again backed with a constrained use of lighting compared to other EGO engine games such as DiRT and GRID. To all intents and purposes the lighting scheme works well even if it lacks some of the shiny bloom effects which made Moto GP 10/11 such a pleasure to look at.

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Dead Island (Digital Foundry - Face-Off)

First announced in 2006, it's taken some five years for Dead Island to arrive, and the end result is an ambitious, open-world first-person action title that borrows many elements from other games - most notably, Dead Rising, Borderlands and Left 4 Dead - while still trying to carve out an identity of its own.

The game is nothing like the memorable trailer; non-playable characters serve to give you quests rather than provide any emotional attachment, while most of the suspense is provided by chance encounters with respawning zombies rather than carefully directed scares. The focus throughout is one of co-operative play, with the missions and progression system tailored for this purpose. Up to four players can tackle the campaign, fending off the infected population while performing a range of standard-issue fetch quests, among other diversions. The overall feeling you get from the game is that Dead Island is an uneasy mix of game styles that's being marketed as an emotionally gripping horror romp on a lavish, sun-drenched island.

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Bodycount (Digital Foundry - Face-Off)

Conceived as the spiritual successor to Criterion's much-loved Black, Bodycount fails to make an impact on the battlefield, delivering an experience that feels rushed, unpolished and to a certain extent unfinished. It's a bitter blow for those hoping to get a current-generation taste of what made the Burnout makers' FPS so much fun to play. In that respect, the baton has been passed to EA stablemates DICE, and we can only hope that Battlefield 3 is the game that delivers.

But what about the multi-platform conversion aspect? Has Codemasters' new Guildford studio successfully provided a graphically solid experience on both formats? How well does the core technology hold up to handling a fast-paced shooter, where the rendering load can be particularly unpredictable?

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F.E.A.R 3 (Digital Foundry - Face-Off)

Since the original F.E.A.R. debuted in late 2005, the series has lost some of its impact in terms of delivering a dark and frightening experience and has evolved in new directions. Shifting into the hands of Day 1 Studios for this latest instalment, the team has made multiplayer a focus for the new sequel with the introduction of a robust co-op component, thus adding an intriguing twist to the standard F.E.A.R. gameplay.

The core technology underpinning the game has also seen a substantial change. Powered by a heavily modified Despair Engine (as utilised in Day One's last game, Fracture) this has resulted in several key enhancements and optimisations which help deliver a more polished experience across a range of platforms...

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Moving Forward: The Future of IQGamer

Okay, so you might be wondering why updates on this site have been rather infrequent over the last few months, compared to last year's near-continuous stream of content. In that time several noteworthy releases have come and gone, and there have been more than a few interesting technical developments - and even the unveiling of a new console (The Wii U). E3 especially, showcased some impressive wares which demanded coverage. But alas, I was way to busy to do anything about it.

So what's going on then?

Well, over the last few months I've been freelancing for Digital Foundry, working on technical comparisons of the latest games (Face-Off's) which are then published over at Eurogamer. Effectively, this takes up most of my time outside of working another job in addition to doing this, so understandably there's not much time for IQGamer in between. However, rather than letting this site descend into an update-less graveyard of legacy content, I shall be posting up links to my latest stuff over at Digital Foundry, keeping you guys informed along the way.

Here's a brief list of just some of the things I've been working on over at DF since coverage began to dry up here at IQG:

F.E.A.R 3
Shadows Of The Dammed
Alice: Madness Returns
Red Faction Armageddon
DiRT 3

Additionally, you can expect the odd bit of exclusive IQG content as well, from time to time. Going forward, this site will be more of my personal outlet for technical analysis, perhaps taking a look at a few things that wouldn't make publication elsewhere. But until then, be sure to head over to Digital Foundry and enjoy the latest Face-Off's.