The Acer Predator X38 is arguably the best gaming monitor contender available today. It has a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 3840 x 1600 resolution; it is curved, but only slightly, with a relatively gentle 2300R curvature. But still enough for each edge to come in naturally. The panel is an IPS system, which reproduces luscious colors. Acer has overcome the major drawback of the IPS system, which is the fast response time. With a 1ms GtG response, this beast is truly the era of IPS, all without the compromises of old.

The Predator X38 also features a G-Sync hardware module and is DisplayHDR 400 certified. All of this operates at a stock refresh of 144 Hz and can be increased to 175 Hz. There is hardly any technology that is not included in this monitor. This is why it is also priced at $2,400 (A$3,198).

Fortunately, first impressions were very positive, thanks to a very pleasant unboxing and setup process. It is surprisingly light for a monster of this size, weighing in at only 9.48 kg, and this includes the large metal stand.

Connecting monitor cables is usually a bit of a hassle due to the hard-to-reach recessed ports, but the Predator X38 tilts back 35 degrees, exposing the display and power ports below for hassle-free plugging in. Once in place, the screen rotates up and down, left to right, and of course tilts much more than other products. This rotating feature allows one leg of the stand to be placed at an angle so as not to interfere with the mouse pad, and the screen can be rotated to face you. Wonderful. The screen also moves up and down 13 cm.

When using the HDMI port, the screen would flicker or go dark momentarily when the monitor was moved. However, the DisplayPort connection is fine.

The 37.5" display is huge from all angles. It is impossible to take it all in without moving one's head slightly. This means maximum immersion. The bezel is only 2 mm wide and becomes less noticeable with use.

UI controls are located around the back and work well enough. Switching between inputs is frustratingly slow, and adjusting brightness is more awkward than it needs to be, but overall it is well laid out and easily accessible.

As a general productivity monitor, this is a dream. The size allows you to do what the smaller ones can't: you can have four A4-sized windows side by side, four... four... four... four... four... four... four... four... four... four. Or a spreadsheet full of Satan himself. I use it for graphic design on my desktop during the day while writing and emailing, and there is plenty of room. Text appears crisp and clear with no jaggies or bleed-through, which is very rare to achieve on a large-screen gaming monitor.

The unique blue light mode also reduces eye fatigue and works very well, at least as well as Microsoft's Surface screen. It is at least as good as Microsoft's Surface screen. As far as blue light reduction goes, it's the best in the industry. Color accuracy is also very good, 98% at DCI-P3. The LED backlight operation can also be selected from desktop, gaming, and hybrid modes. In practice, however, we saw no discernible difference during gaming and usually left it in desktop mode unless we were playing a fast-paced FPS game.

However, this is not designed for word processing. There is nothing better for gaming. It is a dream come true, a dream game machine that brings together all of the many technologies that one or two monitors have, and leaves little to be desired any more.

The ultrawide aspect ratio is very suitable for driving games, and while it may not have the extreme width of the 49-inch Samsung CRG9, its 1600 vertical resolution is up to 1440 on Samsung's model and the still popular 49-inch predecessor's It is arguably more useful than the paltry 1080. All of the ultrawide monitors we have reviewed so far have been lacking in this area, and having vertical resolution as well as wide improves both intuitiveness and ease of use.

FPS games are immersive wonders. In Doom Eternal, the experience was almost overwhelming, and seeing the colors of this IPS in such a gorgeous environment was a thrill for the eyes; while not as glaring as the Quantum Dot screen, Samsung is slightly better at that technology than most recent gaming screens. The HDR 400 is good enough to give you what you want in HDR effects, but not as dazzling as the HDR 1000 screens you can buy today, like the Asus PG43UQ.

Banding is virtually non-existent and the backlight is even, but there is a faint glow noticeable from the edges in darker scenes, but not enough to be bothersome and not at all noticeable during gaming.

Overclocking up to 175Hz produced perfect results, with no ghosting to be seen. Even small details such as text were solid with no fluctuations. At such huge resolutions, graphics cards are clearly overloaded in many games.

What more could you want from the Acer Predator X38? We have been waiting a long time for a monitor with a usable vertical resolution that actually matches the ultrawide width. Until now, if we wanted wide, we had to settle for short. Now, all of that has come together in a grab bag of screen technology.

Indeed, we've been waiting a long time for this monitor, and the Predator X38, unveiled at CES in January and originally slated for a spring release, is just now approaching retail availability.

Sure, the HDR rating looks like it could be higher, but that's a small compromise in the face of all the gains made elsewhere. And most importantly, it is the first product of its type that can truly be used for an 8-hour work day. Again, just a few hundred more vertical pixels makes a huge difference. Acer has put this product together well. It's not cheap, but that's not surprising considering the package.