Ghost of Tsushima comes out July 17 2020 for PS4, and the 4K HDR BenQ EW3280U’s a perfect match
In a year with few major game releases due to challenging global circumstances, every title that drops may be cause for celebration. And to Sony’s credit, Ghost of Tsushima marks the second big PlayStation release in a month, coming in hot after the recent arrival of The Last of Us Part II.
As a PS4 exclusive, Ghost of Tsushima benefits from PS4 Pro enhancements and runs in checkerboard 4K with HDR. Based on gameplay shared by Sony and developer Sucker Punch, Ghost of Tsushima looks almost as good on the base PS4. In either case, if you have your console sitting on your desk next to a PC and sharing a monitor, you may want to upgrade to a 4K HDR-capable display like the EW3280U so as to make the most of this genuinely intriguing game, which looks like it’s set to join the likes of The Witcher 3 and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in the open world greats pantheon.
Big worlds need big screens
Ghost of Tsushima takes places on Tsushima Island, which is an actual place. It’s not clear if the game’s version of the island will be accurate, though we expect it to resemble Assassin’s Creed very loose interpretation of various locales, from Montreal to Greece and Egypt. What’s already known is that Ghost of Tsushima is an open world tour de force with tons of gorgeous details and varied locations, as well as plenty of characters to interact with.
This genre of gameplay begs for a larger display, so we wouldn’t recommend playing on a 24”. Go with a 32” 4K monitor for the perfect pixel density and size ratio. Also, from what we’ve seen of the game, color, shadows, sunshine, and even a black and white mode all feature very prominently. So you need a wide color gamut and good DisplayHDR-certified high dynamic range performance. The EW3280U has all of the above, providing crisp 4K, an IPS panel for spectacular colors with 95% DCI-P3 coverage, and DisplayHDR 400 credentials. It also features Eye-Care technology that’s sure to prove useful, as Ghost of Tsushima is a LONG game and we fully expect each session to last several hours.
Cutting the right figure
Ghost of Tsushima’s protagonist Jin is a proficient warrior who engages in calculated, often slow paced combat against a whole gallery of foes. This isn’t a fast action game, so you don’t need a high frame rate monitor for it. It’s a game meant for fans of open world titles, and those hardly ever call for 144Hz or something like that. From what we know of Sucker Punch, you’ll be able to choose between a graphics mode and a performance mode in Ghost of Tsushima, i.e. 4K 30Hz or 1080p or even 1440p (2K) with an unlocked framerate. Additionally, Ghost of Tsushima ships with a deep and intricate photo mode, further highlighting its preference for snapshot stills and vistas over fast-paced, ultra-fluid action.
Regardless, a good 4K 60Hz panel will give you everything you need here.
Can you hear it?
Sucker Punch also love their games to have a lot of positional sound and a good soundtrack. Anyone who’s played the Infamous titles will know this. Ghost of Tsushima is expected to kick audio up several notches, which is where the digital sound processor (DSP) embedded in the EW3280U comes in handy, whether you’re listening via headphones or the built-in speakers. On the topic of those, the EW3280U has twin 2W speakers and a 5W subwoofer for strong 2.1 channel audio. That’ll be great for hearing every blade of glass move with the wind – and every swing of Jin’s blade connect with an opponent. Ouch.
Ghost of Tsushima releases for PS4 on July 17, 2020.
