While playing the game with HDR Game mode, the standing Archæan can be easily seen with his two squatting buddies with exploding pods on their backs.
I do not know if these two photos will come through properly on the device you are using to read this article. Still, in the above photos, the standing Archæan can be easily seen with his two squatting buddies with exploding pods on their backs. From a distance, those two squatting exploding buddies are actually lost into the background without HDR Game mode. I saw a live online gamer in this scene. Those two squatting exploders were not visible until the gamer took her shot to take out what she thought was a single Archæan. Unfortunately, the two unseen enemies rushed her and exploded on her. She was gaming on what looked to be an older gaming monitor without HDR. I could not duplicate the scenario for photos in this article because the TK700 auto switches to HDR Game mode anytime it senses a gaming console with no way to manually turn off HDR while gaming.
Sony and Microsoft initiated the creation of the HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGiG). Following HGiG guidelines or best practices helps the end-user enjoy HDR games from consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox.
PlayStation and Xbox all have HDR calibration menus. Go through the reasonably straightforward process contained within, and you are basically teaching the console the lower and upper contrast limitations of your projector.
The problem arises when your projector then attempts to tone map the already tone-mapped image. HGiG intends to prevent this so that once your gaming console has learned the parameters of your projector, it outputs all games accordingly. Sony, BenQ, and Ubisoft Entertainment are members of HGiG, along with numerous other manufacturers, game developers, and publishers.
BenQ states the TK700 has a single 5-watt chamber speaker built-in to provide basic audio functionality. However, I believe BenQ has downplayed the 5-watt chamber speaker because it sounds surprisingly good for its small size when playing Rainbow Six: Extraction. So, I understand their careful wording; for the gamer to be genuinely enveloped in sound, they need more speakers and more power.
You definitely want to be able to hear Archæans walking around with their creepy sounding footsteps.
Ubisoft Entertainment did an excellent job with the sound effects in Rainbow Six: Extraction. However, the game would benefit from a multi-speaker setup. Hearing if Archæans are coming from your left or right can save you in-game. Knowing what direction to face is crucial when the enemy comes for you. I toggled between a gaming headset and the projector’s built-in speaker. Both made hearing creepy steps of the Archæans chilling with the more immersive experience coming from the headset.
Some projectors have enhanced audio capabilities for those who want to ditch a headset or built-in projector speaker(s) an even more immersive sound from the game. The TK700, for example, has what BenQ calls Audio Return+. When connected to a sound system via HDMI eARC, multi-channel audio from a game system is passed on the audio system via the projector’s HDMI port number two. BenQ’s Audio Return+ supports multi-audio outputs, including 2.0, 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos. Hearing those footsteps from the Archæans would be astounding and downright terrifying in Dolby Atmos.
So, in conclusion, gaming with a projector and a big screen is a game-changer. Gaming with a projector and a massive screen is a completely immersive gaming experience you cannot get with a TV or gaming monitor. With a projector and great audio, you really feel like you are in the game. Rainbow Six: Extraction was quite nerve-racking at times because I was afraid of coming around a corner to find a bunch of Archæans ready to attack me. I did not get that same feeling when I played on my 77-inch TV.
If you have not tried gaming on a projector do yourself a favor and give it a try, you can thank me later. Gaming with a Gaming Projector makes any gaming experience better. If you are looking to take your gaming experience to the next level, then a gaming projector could be for you. You also get the added benefit of having a projector to watch your favorite movies and shows on a big screen.
The goal is to use these projectors with FPS games, immersive open-world RPGs, and SPGs. Rainbow Six: Extraction, Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, and Forespoken are just a handful of the games we are using with the two BenQ gaming projectors.
Up Next: Horizon Forbidden West Review
Be sure to come back next month, I will be reviewing Sony Interactive Entertainment’s action RPG, Horizon Forbidden West, for some post-apocalyptic open-world gameplay on the BenQ X3000i True 4K HDR 4LED Immersive Open World Gaming Projector. Keep checking back at Projector Reviews; you do not want to miss a thing.
