Given this “N” model goes for $150, some $50 less, that seems like a decent trade for a 25% saving. But don’t be fooled. There’s more than just a cheap stand separating BenQ’s 1080p gaming monitor pairing.

Probably the most significant deviation is BenQ’s choice of panel tech. Where the Mobiuz EX240 gets a premium IPS panel, this Mobiuz EX240N runs VA tech. Of course, VA isn’t exactly the poverty option. That accolade goes to TN. But VA is usually a less costly option than IPS and it’s not always the best choice for gaming. Hold that thought.

Elsewhere, the BenQ Mobiuz EX240N has a similar design aesthetic to its more expensive sibling, just with a few stylistic simplifications to go with that simpler tilt-only stand. But putting the VA-versus-IPS thing to one side for a moment, what exactly are you missing out on as a consequence of that $50 saving?

Not refresh rate, you get the same 165Hz with either option. Ditto video inputs, it’s single DisplayPort 1.2 and dual HDMI 2.0 ports with both monitors. This cheaper model also sports the same basic HDR support in the shape of HDR10 signal processing.

What’s more, thanks to the inherent contrast advantage of VA panels over IPS, you could argue that basic HDR10 support is a better fit here and likely to deliver something closer to an actual HDR experience.

On the other hand, BenQ only rates this VA model at 250 nits, which is awfully low by today’s standards and hardly bodes well for HDR sizzle. You also don’t get a USB hub of any kind, where the non-N has a dual-port USB-A hub.

On paper, however, arguably the biggest worry is pixel response. BenQ rates the Mobiuz EX240N at 4ms for grey-to-grey response. That’s some distance off the 1ms of the best IPS panels. Indeed, response is typically VA technology’s greatest weakness.

The prevailing narrative is that Samsung alone seems to have worked out how to make VA screens genuinely speedy. Unfortunately, the BenQ Mobiuz EX240N does nothing to alter that assessment. This monitor is clearly a step down, in terms of pixel response from its sibling, which itself is quick but not actually the quickest of IPS screens. 

BenQ does offer tweakable pixel overdrive, though oddly on this panel it’s only available when running the screen in the distinctly oversaturated “Game” mode. That is more than a little frustrating, though truth be told the fastest setting introduces enough overshoot and inverse ghosting that we’d probably steer clear in any case.

It’s a subjective call how much the slightly heightened motion blur will bother you. There’s just that little bit more textural fuzziness when you whip your mouse around in a game like CS: GO than the faster non-N IPS model. It makes for an ever so slightly dated-feeling gaming experience, and we’re not just talking about those old school Source Engine graphics.

In absolute terms, the BenQ Mobiuz EX240N does offer reasonable response. It’s not a mess by any means. But the fact that you have to run it in game mode and suffer the color calibration issues that go with it undercuts even that faint praise. 

So for us, if we possibly could, we’d spend the extra $50 for that alone—the faster pixels. Thing is, that isn’t the only reason why spending the extra money makes a lot of sense. Not by a very long shot.

As the 250 nits versus 350 nits ratings for the two BenQ siblings imply, this VA model is a fair bit less bright and punchy. Then there’s the HDR calibration. SDR content looks absolutely awful when running in HDR mode. And HDR content barely looks any better than SDR. At 250 nits, it’s not as if games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Witcher 3 really pop in HDR mode with just that low level luminance to play with.

What’s more, on the Windows desktop there’s very visible softness to font rendering. It looks like some kind of image processing at play, but digging through the OSD menu and toggling every option that could possibly be to blame—plus resetting the screen to factory defaults—didn’t fix it. It’s the sort of problem you’d see on really cheap monitors years ago and we thought had been largely consigned to history.

All of which means this cheaper BenQ 1080p panel makes for a very different overall proposition. We had thought it might offer most of the visual experience minus a few features and frills, like a USB hub and additional stand ergonomics. Alone, neither would be deal breakers depending on your needs. After all, a 165Hz gaming monitor for $150 from a good brand like BenQ seems like one heck of a deal.

I’ve still got the final expansion left to play, as well as a bunch of free quests, so I’m not quite ready to leave Eivor and her clan behind just yet, but I find myself hesitant to finish things up because Valhalla has become one of my faves. I’m excited for Mirage and the return of the more classic style of AC games, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching the series grow into something so different from its original form. 

Update 1.7.0 is a slim 6.3GB on PC, and Ubisoft has already shared the “most notable (opens in new tab)” changes coming with it. Here’s the list of issues that have been addressed: 

• The Captain at Katzenelnbogen isn’t counted when the kill is confirmed. 
• Resolved most of the rare instances where Light-Fingered skill prevented the pickup of key items.
• Eivor’s hair can clip through the hood after completing an Animus Anomaly.
• Previously purchased items are missing from player inventory.
• The Raven Clan Crew outfit cannot be enhanced or upgraded to a higher quality.
• The total number of Opals in the inventory doesn’t update when picking up an Opal in the world.
• Resolved the error that occurs when trying to claim the Weekly Free Item.
• Gear packs still appear in the store when the content of the pack is already owned.
• Items incorrectly appear as owned in some situations.
• Korean language cannot be applied via Steam Language tab.
• It is possible to lose Helix Credits when purchasing the Twilight Set if 5/5 pieces of gear are already owned.
• Issues with pricing of Helix Store items when redeeming pieces of a full set.
• On Xbox, when buying Helix Credits through the store, they are not correctly added to the player inventory.
• In-game pop-ups no longer appear for Shared History and The Last Chapter when launching into the game.

For those looking for that wide field-of-view feeling on a budget, one DIY enthusiast might just have you covered. ShodaVR (opens in new tab) on Twitter (spotted by Mixed-News (opens in new tab)) has devised an effect that mimics a wider range of vision on their Vive headset. This hack looks like an easy one, and it can be tried out by most people with a VR headset.

All the effect requires is an array of LEDs placed inside the headset. These LEDs are then programmed to mimic the border lights that you’re seeing. It’s the same way ambient lighting works in conjunction with TVs and monitors, and even relatively cheap setups like Govee Dreamlights (opens in new tab) can make a huge difference. In a room it helps to paint your environment with the light you’d have in the world on your screen and offers a greater sense of immersion. If you’ve experienced a good ambient lighting setup you know how effective this trick can be.

Shoda has posted several videos of their hacked setup working on Twitter, including a blind test from their partner (opens in new tab). Even with the current relatively simple setup it seems to be leaving an impression. The next steps are to get some diffusing happening in the headset, as well as 3D printing an insert. Shoda is even gauging interest to see if it’s worth developing the accessory further.

Given how well this seems to work it’s almost a mystery why headset makers haven’t already implemented this kind of tech. Extra lights in the headset may add to the bulk, but given Shoda was able to power this from the Vive itself, adding relatively little in perceived heft, it’s a curious one. Especially given LEDs are cheap, lightweight, and low power drawers.

It looks like Shoda has put a lot of work into this build, making a nice clean end result which is likely better than what I could ever achieve. The execution is already looking quite professional, but perhaps more will be discovered as the prototyping continues.

Hopefully this is as easy an implementation as it seems because it sure looks like a cool one. I’d love to shove some LEDs into my Quest headset to get that added dose of immersion while in VR. I tend to run mine through the computer and thus could use screen mirroring software to control the notes. However, as Shoda notes, getting standalone Quest games would be more difficult and might be on the backburner for now.

If it all works out this might be one of the cheapest and easiest ways to upgrade your VR headset. It may even lead way to further advancements. Shoda talks about cool game effects that could be implemented like having it flash red around the outside if you’re being attacked from behind. These would likely need to be set up on the game developer end of things, but if these ambient lighting LEDs take off, who knows.

Either way, it’s another opportunity to either take control of an adventuring party yourself or divide it up amongst friends as you explore the world in turn-based mode and fight alongside each other in RPG combat. For the King was in many ways a delightful game because it so resembled the goofy exploring that comes about in cooperative tabletop RPGs, and I loved it for that.

What looks especially good is that the new combat system is more detailed. Rather than the standard JRPG standoff from the first game, this one seems to have each party of combatants standing in front and back ranks on a grid. The touch of tactical detail is welcome, and perhaps a more customizable system will let the designers at IronOak Games take their foot off the accelerator of murderous difficulty from their first outing.

The Resistance trailer also teases the return of The Hangman, a really huge jerk who we all hated in the first game: He wasn’t just annoying to kill, but when his scourging powers activated he’d add a bonus ghost to fight in every single combat you were in. Seriously, that guy sucked and I am not glad he’s back.

In a small twist, you’ll be able to play For the King 2 with four players cooperatively, which really feels like a missed opportunity to have called it “Four the King” instead. Shame, really. Maybe they’ll make another two games and call the last one “4 The King.” I’d like that.

You can find For the King 2 on Steam (opens in new tab).

I reviewed the first For the King (opens in new tab) back in 2018 and I quite liked what I found—and almost five years of mostly-derivative roguelike RPGs have only improved my opinion of it.

“It really mimics the feel of a tough co-operative tabletop game, one where you fight with the game for each inch of success. I think it even compares favorably to modern hits in the adventure genre, like Legends of Andor. Successful strategies required brain-burning coordination and problem solving skills that consider every available resource and factor, and distributing that work across multiple collaborating players was very satisfying,” I said at the time.

An adorably baby dragon has many siblings—all yet unhatched—who have fallen into the Cavern of Dreams. Now the dragon must go down into the cave and find them, though the nature of the cave and its many strange environments means you’ll need to look high and low for them all.

That’s the pitch for Cavern of Dreams, an indie platformer with a demo that just hit Steam and looks like it could have fallen right out of the late ’90s era of collectathon platformers like Banjo-Kazooie: Games more focused on exploring and puzzle-solving using special powers than on fighting baddies.