BenQ XL2410T review

Apparently, if you're, like, really into gaming and stuff, HeatoN and SpawN are a big deal. According to BenQ, these crazy guys "rocked the gaming world as the core of Ninjas in Pajamas and SK Gaming teams that created a legend with their many triumphs at Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) tournaments and the World Cyber Games (WCG)". Plus, apparently they're two of the best Counter-Strike players on the planet.
Why does all this borderline gibberish matter? Because messrs HeatoN and SpawN have put down their over-used joysticks for long enough to collaborate with BenQ on designing what's billed as the ultimate gaming monitor: the XL2410T.

For a monitor with such a 'cred' background, it has to be said that the XL2410T is rather plain to look at. It's essentially just a 24in 16:9 screen with a dull matt black bezel round it. The only time it gets cool is when you figure out that a) you can adjust the height of the neck of its stand over a surprisingly extensive range, and b) you can rotate the whole screen through 90 degrees to make it a long, vertical display instead of a widescreen one.

Also, oddly the XL2410T's flourish-free look somehow makes you feel more confident that BenQ has just focused its consultations with its gaming heroes on delivering the goods where it matters - picture quality - rather than wasting time with fancy bezel finishes that might in any case actually distract you from what you're playing.

The XL2410T is solid when it comes to connections. Naturally these include D-Sub PC and DVI, and HDMI is on hand for some console action.

It's when you look at the screen's specs that things start to become really interesting. The least surprising of its stats - given its game-focus - is its use of a fast-responding TN Film panel driven by the W-LED backlighting that's the current gaming-screen flavour of the month. What definitely does grab your attention, though, is the screen's combination of 120Hz capability, claimed grey-to-grey (G2G) response time of just 2ms, and a so-called Instant Mode for reducing input lag. These specs all fit perfectly with the sort of 'instant-response' requirements of a hardcore gamer, so let's hope they actually translate somewhat into onscreen reality.