Asus has realized that today gamers do not limit themselves to one device, and there are many among them who play with the computer alongside one console and even more. To provide them with an answer it now offers the TUF Gaming VG28U, a screen that offers 4K resolution, high response speed and a refresh rate of 144 Hz and yet with a price tag that is not significantly higher than competing screens in the category. Is it able to keep its promise and be a single screen that provides a solution for the computer and consoles?
Design without ‘noise and ringing’
If you have to describe the VG28U in a few words, it can be called a ‘gaming screen for the masses’. It has a matte black plastic body with angular ornaments but no bulging additions like colored lighting in order to keep the price as accessible as possible, although Asus also spared the lid to cover the cables on the back of the screen – a slightly puzzling decision.
But Asus has invested where it really matters, and beyond the panel I will expand on later, the screen is equipped with a particularly versatile stand. It allows you to change the height, tilt right and left or tilt the screen at an up-and-down angle and even rotate it 90 degrees. In addition, it is equipped with a plastic leg in a V-shape, which in my opinion is more convenient since it stretches to the sides but does not take up much space on the desktop.
Another area where savings are noticeable is the quality of construction. It is noticeable that it is a less sleek screen compared to other models of the company, with a body that feels a bit hollow, but again, this is definitely not an essential issue. On the plus side, the screen is almost borderless with thin edges around which only the bottom edge, on which the Asus logo is, is relatively thick compared to the other sides.
Connect everything and play in 4K
VG28U incorporates quite a few important technologies for gaming on PC or modern consoles. The panel is in IPS technology and it offers a 4K diagnosis with 10-bit color depth. Yes it supports HDR10, its maximum refresh rate is 144 Hz. The responsiveness is also relatively good and stands at 1 millisecond-second. It supports a variable refresh rate with G-Sync and FreeSync technology so it does not take sides among video cards no matter if an NVIDIA or AMD video card is connected to it.
Modern console players – PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S – also have something to offer, equipped with two HDMI 2.1 connections so that the two consoles can be connected simultaneously and display 4K content with HDR at a refresh rate of 120 Hz and with support for capabilities such as’ refresh rate Variable ‘,’ Auto Low Delay ‘and more.
In addition, with 2 more HDMI 2.0 connections and DisplayPort 1.4 input you can also connect the Nintendo Switch consoles and the computer and there is still an HDMI input available for connecting media streams or any other device. Definitely impressive and it should also be noted positively that all connections are clearly marked on the back of the screen.
The VG28U is also equipped with a pair of internal stereo speakers, but with a power of 2 watts, so they are practical to use with just basic sounds. There is also a 3.5mm connection to headphones or external speakers that probably sound better.
Picture above expected
Asus has not spared the image quality of the VG28U. Although this is the IPS panel we received for review it showed a satisfactory uniformity and only in the display of shades of gray could it be noticed that in the corners the shades darken slightly. Beyond that the colors are beautiful and faithful to the original as the screen supports 90% of the color space DCI-P3 and color games like Destiny or Fortnite looked full of life. True, it does not come close to screens with a Quantum Dot panel like the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQ which following its review I became spoiled, but these are screens at different price levels.
The VG28U’s HDR performance was basic, something to be expected from a DisplayHDR 400 rated screen. Despite this, it successfully displayed many details in high-contrast scenes like the Horizon Forbidden West show stages that feature glowing electric wires in blue against black cave walls.
As befits technology, blacks are not particularly deep and actually look like very dark gray. Besides, when a bright element is added to the image – like white text over a gray background – then you can notice the different lighting areas of the screen, in brightness around uneven elements and colors. Thus it seems that the dynamic contrast mechanism does not help here but obscures the experience as it causes more acute inconsistency and it is better to turn off the capability in the settings menu. Although sacrificing the depth of the black colors but the image is more uniform.
The TUF Gaming VG28U performs great with fast games and first-person shooter games that require a quick response and in racing games even at high speeds the continuation of the track can be clearly seen. No matter if it is 120 Hz when playing on a PlayStation 5 or 144 Hz in a computer game, no smearing effects were seen.
When working at the fast refresh rate you can sometimes notice a bit of blur, but with the help of the ELMB capability – Extreme Low Motion Blur – a technique that inserts a black frame between the images, these can be eliminated almost completely but at the cost of darkening the image.
The screen settings can be controlled using the buttons and navigation lever on the back of the screen or using the DisplayWidget Light software on the computer. It allows you to activate various abilities that gamers will really like: displaying an on-screen sight, frame rate per second, stopwatch, increasing the brightness in the shadows to spot different enemies and more. In addition, there are various display modes that Asus has adapted for a variety of types of games such as: racing, strategy, shooting and more.
As with phone screens, the VG28U has the option to filter out blue light to avoid all its associated effects. Asus is proud that unlike other companies it does not simply ‘yellow’ the image and thus distorts it and its hardware solution actually filters the light but displays colors closer to the original. In practice the picture still looked more yellowish to me, but you can choose from 5 different levels. More about eye health Asus’ screen with flicker prevention technology approved by the Tüv Rheinland standard.
The bottom line
There is a lot to love about the TUF VG28U. It offers a lot to both console gamers and computer gamers. With a price tag of NIS 3,849, it is more expensive than similar monitors in the category, but these offer a diagnosis of UHD, while it is a diagnosis of 4K and HDR.
The large number of display inputs make it a Swiss Army knife on the desktop when a variety of game consoles, a computer can be connected to it and there is still room for more. The picture quality is satisfactory and the various gaming capabilities really give something more.