Like I stated in a previous article, I'm continuing to wonder why we keep pursuing fancier/faster things when, in reality, we don't really need said thing as much as we think we do. We're in the midst of all large tech companies pushing toward our phones being gorilla-weeping (RE:#7) expenditures (or even two grand for the latest in folding tomfoolery).
And the same could be said for monitors. Where I had once stated that I welcomed the onset of PC Master Race-level resolutions, I may have jumped a little ahead of the gun in venerating the end of 'low-resolution' screens. And that is because I have settled for a monitor with only 2K of resolution (or 1080P or 1920x1080). Now before you think I'm some kind of flip-flopping hypocrite, it is running at a variable refresh-rate of up to 240Hz with 1ms response times which makes it all parts ninja - or even alien ... but I digress. I posit that it's not so much the resolution (or checklist items like HDR, OLED or localised dimming) which counts but the quality-of-life running at said resolution. My monitor is currently positioned approximately a metre away from me, and so, with my addled eyesight, I'm unable to tell whether it's running at 4K or 1440P or whatever. 1080P is enough.
To continue this point, I would think that a better (and variable) refresh rate is far more beneficial than a slideshow at a higher resolution. It would also have benefits for a moderately (or possibly even well) specced PC to continue to run AAA games for longer without being perceived as being under-powered when the frame-rate starts to chug at higher resolutions. If you take a step back, even a top-end graphics card has trouble running at 4K resolutions so why would you compromise your gaming experience for an Icarus-defining resolution which lasts about as long as milk takes to spoil? Perhaps the answer is because we can ... but perhaps it shouldn't be.
It takes a shrewd eye to filter through what marketeers push you to want and what truly benefits you the most. For consumer TV's we're not even at parity with 4K (i.e. content is mostly still the default 2K - or even lower) and yet they're already pushing for 8K resolutions like they're going out of style. Even the super bowl was incapable of running in true 4K so this irrational push for 8K does not benefit anyone other than the manufacturers for pushing that goal post farther out in the pursuit of perpetual sales. In conclusion: never be afraid to take a step back before taking that step forward and your life will be that much simpler.
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