[There is no display more spectacular than a projector. Being able to project a game onto a wall and enjoy it on a giant scale is an experience that is irreplaceable. Sure, TVs are getting bigger, and playing games on a 55-inch screen is quite appealing, but it can't be nearly life-size; XGIMI has a wide range of projectors, and we've seen several, but the XGIMI Aura (open in new tab) is a bit different.

Simply place it in the same space you would place a TV, and through the magic of lasers, mirrors, and lenses, it can project a stunningly large 4K image onto a perfectly-attached wall. No more giant black mirrored TVs in the corner of the room.

At least that's the idea. But in practice, it doesn't work that way.

One thing I still miss about my former Bath flat is the big empty beige wall in the living room. It was a hastily constructed partition wall, not solid enough to hold a nail, so there were no pictures and it was a perfect projection wall.

I spent the evening playing Football Manager on my gaming laptop, hooked up my old BenQ Beamer in 720p, and projected every season of "Survivor" and "Clone Wars" on the glorious Big O Vision. Then, hungover and wrapped in blankets, I would watch endless marathons of "Come Dine With Me" over and over. If this isn't helpful, Google "Come Dine With Me whisk."

However, I no longer have the space for such a setup. The major drawback of projectors has always been this. You need both a large wall space and a place to permanently install a large projector box somewhere in the room across from it.

This is where ultra-short-throw (UST) projectors come into their own: UST projectors can be installed in place of a TV and project a large image without having to be placed on the other side of the room. aura can be less than 45 cm from the wall and still project an 80 to 150 inch images can be projected.

This is quite amazing, and it is hard to fathom the laser smarts required to adjust the angle of the image to allow for a large, detailed 4K image. We have checked out the Vava Chroma UST in the past and have had it on our Best Gaming Projectors (opens in new tab) page for some time. But for me, the Aura is the winner.

For one thing, it's a lot cheaper. Not cheap by any means, but at $2,799, it is about $700 less than the Vava. It also has Android TV 10 instead of 9 and Bluetooth 5.0 instead of 4.2. The real kicker, however, is the game mode setting, which allows for lower latency gaming performance.

The XGIMI Aura's typical latency of 14 ms is already better than Vava's measured 16-20 ms, but when switched to game mode, it drops to just 6 ms. This is an excellent result and makes this projector a great gaming projector. However, the game mode setting can only be accessed via the HDMI input, so you won't get the best experience when gaming on the projector's own Android TV OS.

In fact, we suggest forgetting about the fact that this projector has Android TV on board.

The XGIMI has long had licensing issues where you can install apps but not run Netflix or iPlayer. Even casting is totally blocked. This means that they cannot get even the small selection of Andoid apps that are now available on Google's TV OS.

So, to enjoy TV, movies, GeForce Now, and game streaming on the big screen, we definitely recommend connecting to a PC or using an Nvidia Shield device.

It can get loud, especially when the fans are running full blast to cool the laser lamps. However, the quad Harmon Kardon speakers do a decent job of blocking it out when you turn up the volume on those beasts.

There is also the fact that angled laser magic is not perfect. That is, dial-in focus and 8-point keystoning can produce sharp, linear images, but the difficulty of creating UST images is evidenced by the fact that the text in the topmost corner remains unpin-sharp on Windows desktops.

And XGIMI Aura is big. I mean, really big; if you think VCRs from the 80's are chunky, they don't hold a candle to the enormity of the Aura as a device. It's not something you can hide away in a chic living room setup.

Nor can it replace a TV in anything but a dimly lit room. The main drawback of projectors is that they lose detail in the bright glare of the sun. While projectors are great for watching movies at night, they are not adequate as displays for all-day use, even if they emit glaring light.

The image on Aura's product page shows a screen with a wall of windows behind it. Such a setup would yield nothing but a dim, washed-out image. With thick curtains, you might have a better chance.

But in the right environment, you can still get an impressive image. The gaming experience is also very good; it may be limited to 60Hz, but it's a sharp 4K game, GeForce Now, and destroying vehicles with BeamNG was awesome. Yes, probably the best UST gaming projector, but it's not being marketed as a TV replacement.

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