Pokemon Sword and Shield‘s brief Easter-themed Max Raid event has ended, but a new one is now underway in the games. Unlike the past few Max Raid events, however, this one doesn’t appear to feature any Gigantamax Pokemon, although it does give you more chances to catch Ditto as well as a few other Gen 8 monsters.
According to Serebii, Ditto is currently appearing more frequently in Max Raid dens across the Wild Area, Isle of Armor, and Crown Tundra. Since Pokemon you encounter in Max Raids typically have better base stats than the ones you find in the field, this is a good chance to catch a few Ditto (particularly if you’re interested in breeding Pokemon). Corviknight, Centiskorch, Dubwool, Drednaw, Orbeetle, and their pre-evolved forms are also appearing more frequently for the duration of the event.
Before you can encounter the featured Pokemon in your game, you’ll first need to refresh your Raid dens. You can do so either by connecting your game online or by opening the Mystery Gift menu and selecting Get the Wild Area news.
Sword and Shield have been regularly holding Max Raid events since the games launched back in 2019. These typically run for the entire month and feature some normally hard-to-find Pokemon, such as Gigantamax forms. The Pokemon Company also periodically holds brief “special” Max Raid events that give players a chance to catch some Shiny Pokemon. The most recent one took place this past weekend and featured various rabbit Pokemon for Easter, including Shiny Azumarill.
A handful of Pokemon games are on the way to Switch over the next few months. New Pokemon Snap, the long-awaited follow-up to the classic N64 spin-off game, releases on April 30, while remakes of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl are coming later this year. Then, in early 2022, Game Freak and The Pokemon Company are releasing Pokemon Legends: Arceus, a new open-world installment set in ancient Sinnoh.
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If you’re gearing up to save the galaxy again in Halo Infinite or explore the globe in Microsoft Flight Simulator, you’ll want to come strapped with the best controller you can get your hands (and sometimes feet) on. Xbox fans have always been spoiled for choice when it comes to picking a pad, wheel, or joystick, and the Xbox X/S generation continues this tradition.
Unlike with the PS5, players can bring all their own old Xbox One controllers to the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S and there’s a handful of new options too. That opens up Xbox gamers to an almost overwhelming number of controller choices. So we’ve gone down the lists and hand-picked our favorite controllers for a variety of budgets and games. Whether you’re looking for affordability, customizability, or a competitive edge we’ve got your back.
TL;DR – These are the Best Xbox Series X/S Controllers:
The reigning champ. The go-to gamepad for general use on Xbox and gaming PCs. There isn’t a whole lot to say about the Core Controller (see our review) because it just speaks for itself. It’s a solidly-built, reliable, standard-setting piece that’s friendly to lots of different hand sizes and control schemes. It’s almost like the Platonic ideal of a game controller. There’s nothing extra fancy about it, because it doesn’t need any gimmicks to do what it does best. It simply gets the job done.
The one thing that I’m not thrilled about with this one is that it requires AA batteries to play wirelessly. But if you get rechargeable ones and a wall charger, you can get away with charging one set of batteries while you’re using the other and not have to keep buying those giant blister packs like it’s 1999 or something. And the core controller comes with a USB-C plug that works on PC and console, if you don’t want to have to deal with batteries at all.
On the other end of the spectrum, PowerA’s Enhanced Wired Controller (see our review) continues a tradition of offering cheaper options that still hold up well. If you want to be that awesome friend who has a full flight of controllers ready to go whether your buddies remembered to bring one or not, you probably don’t want to splurge on four Elite controllers. That would be a power move, so don’t let me tell you how to live your life if that’s the kind of baller you are.
But for the rest of us, these more affordable workhorses are perfect for those P3 and P4 slots. They can stand up to a lot of punishment, and don’t feel as cheap as a lot of other options in this price range. They also come with a built-in share button and a mic mute switch, which is nice if your pet suddenly demands your attention in the middle of a match. The face buttons aren’t quite as tactile as the ones on the core controller, but the overall ergonomics feel great.
The Xbox Elite Series 2 (see our review) is the fancy sports car of Xbox controllers. It’s going to cost you, but you’re paying for premium components, customizability, and luxury feel. The thumbsticks, D-pad, and triggers are swappable, so you can pick the parts that feel best for you. It also comes with a rechargeable battery that can last up to 40 hours, so you won’t have to go hunting for batteries like you might with the Core controller.
It even comes with four additional paddles on the back that can be programmed to do things like change the function of your face buttons when held down. This is especially awesome if you’re using it on PC for games like Final Fantasy XIV where you might have more abilities than a standard controller can handle. All of that comes with a price tag more than twice that of a Core controller. But you get what you pay for.
Priced at a nice mid-point between the Core and Elite pads, the Razer Wolverine (see our review) is the overall best third-party pad for Xbox. This isn’t like that janky off-brand controller you used to hand to your little brother during Halo night back in the day. Razer has gone all-out to make sure that it stacks up to, or even surpasses, the official hardware Microsoft has put out.
Like you might expect from Razer, this thing is highly customizable. The face buttons are fully remappable, and there’s even a hair trigger mode you can activate on the fly using physical switches. That means your LT and RT will register an input with only a slight tap, rather than having to push them down all the way, which is a huge edge in fighting games and shooters. This is an ideal option for competitive players who don’t want to drop a fortune on something like the Elite controller, but need more features than what the Core controller can offer.
The next Forza game might not have a release date yet, but there are already plenty of great driving games on the Xbox and PC best played with a proper steering wheel set-up. Thrustmaster always impresses me with the ruggedness and feel of their components. When I buy something from them, it feels like it came off of an industrial assembly line in a car factory, not out of a toy store. The TMX provides seriously realistic force feedback with its fine-tuned internal motors and the non-slip wheel grip feels great.
It only has two pedals, so you’ll be shifting gears with the attached paddles instead. But it’s also relatively cheap for the quality you’re getting at just $200. You could definitely spend a lot more than that on a racing set-up. I also really like the button layout and styling on this one, because it looks more like something you’d see in a professional race car as opposed to on a standard controller.
Microsoft Flight Simulator looks incredible on the Xbox Series X and modern PCs, and for the proper experience you’re going to want to play it with a stick and throttle. Thrustmaster brings an excellent all-in-one controller to your virtual cockpit with the T-Flight HOTAS One, which is simple enough for even brand new pilots to get the hang of quickly but also satisfying for seasoned aces.
This is a one-piece controller, which is ideal for console play, and it has a very modern, streamlined look that won’t seem out of place sitting around your living room. The switches and buttons on both the stick and throttle are raised and shaped in such a way that you can easily find them without looking down, which can be trickier on other sticks like Logitech’s where all of the buttons kind of feel the same. It also has a Share button built right into the base for capturing the scenic vistas you’ll be swooping over, which most made-for-PC sticks usually don’t.
Major League Baseball, otherwise known as MLB, is behind the decision to bring Sony San Diego’s MLB The Show 21 to Xbox, according to PlayStation.
This news comes by way of Inverse, who spoke to PlayStation about the decision to bring MLB The Show 21. The upcoming installment in the franchise is coming to Xbox for the first time ever after being exclusive to PlayStation since 2006. Not only is The Show coming to Xbox when it releases on April 20, but it’s also launching day-and-date on Xbox Game Pass, which has an audience of at least 18 million subscribers.
“As part of the goal for this year’s game, MLB decided to bring the franchise to more players and baseball fans,” a PlayStation representative told Inverse. “This decision provides a unique opportunity to further establish MLB The Show as the premier brand for baseball video games.”
Microsoft confirmed last week that MLB The Show 21 will launch on Xbox on April 20, as both a traditional purchase and as a part of the Game Pass library, which is the same day the game launches on PlayStation consoles. Those with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be able to play the game on Android phones and tablets via the Beta version of Xbox Cloud Gaming too.
MLB The Show 21 features cross-play, which means Xbox players and PlayStation players will be able to play with each other, and thanks to cross-progress, players can play take their progress data to any platform.
It’s an exciting time for those deep into Among Us (or looking to get back into the game) since the new Airship map dropped just last week. The wildly popular social deduction game blew up relatively recently, and while it has sustained a massive following, it’s been thriving off of three different maps for quite some time. The Airship affords the game a fresh experience for longtime players not just because it’s new but also because it asks you to play quite differently from older maps.
It’s the largest map so far, but its tight corridors and handful of one-way paths make it a challenge to navigate. It’s so big and labyrinthine that the game lets players choose one of three spawn points when they start a round in the match. Understanding what’s around each of the spawn points becomes part of your strategy for both crewmates and imposters, and uncovering those intricacies has made figuring out the Airship so much fun.
A key thing to notice about the map’s spawn points is that when they’re represented on screen for selection, the background of the icon shows you which part of the map it’s in–eventually, you’ll be familiar with the names and locations of these rooms, but for shorthand purposes, they’re also ordered in a way that’s indicative of their general location (left, middle, right). Crewmates should have tasks nearby right when the match starts, but as the match progresses, you’ll want to keep in mind where your remaining tasks are.
The Airship introduces a few new tasks as well. You’ll have the typical switch-flipping, garbage-disposing, color-coded wire-connecting, and so on. However, you’ll notice the download-and-upload type of objectives have a new second step–moving around a cell phone on screen searching for the right position to get a better signal for faster upload speeds. In the cargo bay, crewmates may have the safe-unlocking task where you need to reveal that lock combination through trial-and-error. In the locker rooms, crewmates might be tasked with picking up dirty towels and accurately tossing them into the hamper, and in the armory, you may have to pick up guns and rack them on the wall. It’s some real Among Us nonsense that you’ve probably come to expect and get a kick out of.
The upload data task has you going outside to find signal. Hopefully the imposter doesn’t catch you outside.
With all these new tasks spread across an intricate map, the thing that stands out in the new map’s design is that there’s more risk-reward when it comes to killing crewmates as the imposter. Since more of the pathways are tighter and shuffle you through specific locations, the sharp eye of a crewmate could more easily deduce who could be the killer if they stumble upon and report a dead body and paid close attention to who may have passed by. At least in the early days of playing the Airship, there tends to be less ambiguity if you’re trying to act normal as the imposter with crewmates nearby.
At the same time, an imposter who is either lucky or has excellent situational awareness has ample opportunity to get away with murder cleanly. The sheer size of the Airship means dead bodies could easily pile up before anyone even starts to take notice. In my experience, there’s less grouping up of crewmates since objectives are spread wide, and navigating the premises and covering ground is a bit more difficult without open areas and less interconnectedness between the important rooms.
The pathways between the important rooms can be tough to navigate, giving imposters plenty of opportunities to strike.
Another small but sometimes impactful design choice was putting the meeting room at the very top of the map with one route to get there. This makes it an ordeal to access given the sheer size of the Airship–so if you feel the suspicion of a fellow player and need to talk it out, or if you know you’re getting chased down by an imposter, and can’t find a body to report, you better get to stepping. And, of course, the deliberation process will be as chaotic and potentially deceiving as they always are.
What it boils down to is that the Airship maintains the core ideas of Among Us, but can challenge you to act, move, and think differently more so than the previous three maps. I’d say that’s a good thing since it can freshen up the gameplay and social dynamic, especially for folks who’ve been playing with a consistent group. This leads to a few new ways to experience the tension you had in your first few times playing it. But if you haven’t jumped in yet, this new map is all the more reason to give the game a try if you’re willing to deal with the lighthearted stresses that go hand-in-hand with a good game of Among Us.
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Comics writer Mark Millar has taken to Twitter to announce that the first official trailer of the upcoming live-action Netflix adaptation of his series Jupiter’s Legacy will drop on Wednesday. The superhero series is expected to hit the streaming service on May 7, and also recently released its first images to further entice fans. Check out his to-the-point announcement and accompanying poster below.
“It’s part 2001, part Avengers, part Godfather II,” said Millar in a recent interview with Empire of the series. Jupiter’s Legacy, first published in 2013, was also described by Empire as a “sprawling superhero epic with an almost limitless ambition,” with Millar further anteing up by explaining that it’s a “50-year story self-contained inside one franchise… [with] 50 or 60 super-characters.”
As such, a concise summation of the superhero series seems implausible to even attempt–but the show’s official Netflix description explains that the show is about “the first generation of superheroes… as they pass the torch.” However, tensions flare and family bonds are tested as “the old rules no longer apply.”
Jupiter’s Legacy cast includes Josh Duhamel and Leslie Bibb as veteran superhero spouses Sheldon and Grace Sampson, Ben Daniels as Sheldon’s brother Walter/Brainwave, Andrew Horton and Elena Kampouris as Sheldon and Grace’s children Brandon and Chloe, Ian Quinlan as Hutch, and Tyler Mane as the villainous Blackstar. Millar is one of the most-adapted comic creators around, with original stories like Kick-Ass, Wanted, and Kingsman having made it to the big screen previously.
After a series of launch-day woes for developer People Can Fly’s popular looter-shooter Outriders, it seems a nasty bug that wipes players’ inventories on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S is back again.
Senior community manager Toby Palm told players on Reddit that while People Can Fly is dedicated to stabilizing the servers, a fix for the inventory glitch is being considered.
“We’re still figuring out whether the best way would be a one-to-one customer support team method (which may be more accurate but would take much longer and may not be feasible if there are many cases), or whether we are able to (as previously) run a mass-one-off restoration event via our backend,” Palm said.
A rising post on Reddit shows what appears to be a collage of players’ inventories, all emptied of clothing and weapons. This isn’t the first time the glitch has occurred.
The inventory glitch previously affected the Outriders demo. Before its April 1 launch, People Can Fly noted that the inventory glitch would be resolved going forward. However, only Legendaries would be restored.
In other Outriders news, Square Enix has commented on a line in the game that seemingly references the Jan. 6 coup attempt at the US Capitol, calling any similarities “purely coincidental.” A company spokesperson said that the script was written and recorded “a couple of years ago,” with anything happening in Outriders–even that “redneck mob storming DC”–being “entirely fictional and related to the backstory of the game.”
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A new trailer has been released for the upcoming two-part animated movie adaptation of Batman: The Long Halloween. First published by DC Comics in 13 issues over 1996 and 1997, The Long Halloween is widely considered one of Batman’s best and most iconic stories. Check out how it makes the leap to moving pictures in the tense trailer below.
Part One of The Long Halloween is expected for a release sometime this summer, with Part Two to follow this fall. No official release dates have yet been announced.
The film’s recently revealed voice cast includes Batman/Bruce Wayne portrayed by Jensen Ackles, who had previously voiced Jason Todd/Red Hood in 2010’s Batman: Under The Red Hood. Joining Ackles are Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent, Billy Burke as James Gordon, Titus Welliver as Carmine Falcone, David Dastmalchian as Calendar Man, Troy Baker as Joker, Amy Landecker as Barbara Gordon, Julie Nathanson as Gilda Dent, Jack Quaid as Alberto, Fred Tatasciore as Solomon Grundy, and Alastair Duncan as Alfred. Former Glee star Naya Rivera, who died in July last year, completed her voice work as Catwoman/Selina Kyle for The Long Halloween–this will be her last credited role.
The Long Halloween always stood on its own as a strong comic and an easy recommendation, and it has only grown in influence and reverence as it famously became the inspiration for Christopher Nolan and The Dark Knight’s use of Harvey Dent/Two-Face. So it’s no surprise that these comics are also said to be an influence for Matt Reeves’ upcoming film The Batman.
The official synopsis reads: “Part One begins as a brutal murder on Halloween prompts Gotham’s young vigilante, the Batman, to form a pact with the city’s only two uncorrupt lawmen (Police Captain James Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent) in order to take down The Roman, head of the notorious and powerful Falcone Crime Family.” But even before the trio can get a handle on the situation, more deaths occur–suggesting a serial killer may be in Gotham.
Overwatch’s Archives event has returned and it gives players the chance to earn new skins, complete weekly challenges, and more from now until April 27.
Archives is an annual event that brings cooperative PvE campaign-like missions into the hero shooter and this year is no different. It brings back the Overwatch: Uprising, Overwatch: Retribution, and Overwatch: Storm Rising missions into rotation, each complete with a set of challenges to complete while playing.
While doing that, players will have the chance to complete new weekly challenges and unlock five new Legendary skins and three new Epic skins.
“Heroes never die,” a press release about this year’s Archives event reads. “Experience Overwatch’s storied past in this year’s Archives event, featuring a new weekly challenge reward system and new Archive missions — now live on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. Don’t forget to log in from April 6 to April 27 to lock and load new cosmetics into your collection.”
The three Epic skins new to this year’s Archives event can be earned by completing weekly challenges that go live each week of the event. The first week is now live and will run through April 13. You’ll earn stars for simply playing the PvE missions in the Archives event and after earning 30 stars, you’ll earn the Epic “Corridor” Lucio skin. Earn 30 stars in between April 13 and April 20 to earn the Epic “Subaquatic” Zenyatta skins and finally, earn 30 stars in between April 20 and April 27 to earn the Epic “Camouflage” Mercy skin.
Here’s a full rundown of what you can expect during the Archives event:
New Cosmetics: Legendary “Bushi” Genji skin, Legendary “Calvary” Tracer skin, Legendary “Mousquetaire” Widowmaker skin, Legendary “Polyanitsa” Zarya skin, Legendary “1776” Soldier: 76 skin, Epic “Camouflage” Mercy skin, Epic “Corredor” Lucio skin, and the Epic “Subaquatic” Zenyatta skin.
New Player Icons
New Reward System: Instead of winning nine games, you’ll now earn stars as you play, although you do not need to complete a mission to earn stars. The harder the mission, the more stars you’ll earn. You’ll unlock cosmetic rewards each week after earning 10 stars, 20 stars, and 30 stars.
Weekly Challenges: Each week of the event brings new challenges based on earning stars. Each PvE mission will include mods such as Molten Cores, for example, which causes all enemies to drop lava upon death. Players will earn double credit for playing the Uprising missions during Week 1, double credit for playing the Retribution missions during Week 2, and double credit for playing the Storm Rising missions during Week 3.
Overwatch’s 2021 Archives event is already live on all platforms and it will run until April 27.
Sources said Johnson is getting “immense creative control” with the Knives Out sequels. “He doesn’t have to take notes from the streamer,” the report said. Netflix did have two demands, however–that star Daniel Craig, who played the southern detective Benoit Blanc, would star in both sequels. Additionally, each sequel needed to have a similar budget to the 2019 film, which was about $40 million, according to the report.
In terms of how much money the key talent will make off the deal, THR said Johnson, Craig, and producer Ram Bergman will take home $100 million or more each. Netflix is paying a total of around $469 million for the Knives Out sequels, according to the report.
The production company MRC financed the original Knives Out, and sources told THR that the company only had a one-movie deal. A spokesperson for MRC said Johnson and Bergman “have always controlled the rights” to the Knives Out series, so they were seemingly free to take the sequels out onto the open market.
Lionsgate distributed the original Knives Out, and THR said the company had “first right of negotiation and last rights of refusal,” which historically would have protected it from losing out on sequels. However, the report said Johnson and Bergman, along with their talent agency in CAA, decided to pitch the sequels to streaming companies in the wake of the pandemic. MRC and Lionsgate couldn’t match Netflix’s offer, it seems.
A source told THR that Netflix is overpaying on the value of the Knives Out sequels, but it makes sense to do so because, “It takes a proven theatrical commodity off the board and puts it in their pocket.”
It’s still early days for the Knives Out sequels. Apart from Craig returning as Blanc, there is no word yet on the cast or stories for the sequels. The first film was a whodunnit mystery, the formula for which is applicable in a number of settings and environments.
Once you get a second monitor, you can’t go back. It’s a sentiment that may seem silly to some, but once you get used to organizing your windows and programs across two or more screens, it’s hard to imagine gaming or using a PC without them. There are plenty of reasons to add a second monitor to your setup, whether you’re using it to work from home, play games, stream on Twitch or YouTube, or do production work. Having a second monitor helps streamline your tasks and maximize productivity–or even give you a wider view of specific games.
Before setting up dual monitors, however, you shouldn’t just buy any two monitors and throw them on a desk. There are some important factors to consider, including your graphics card, whether you’re using a laptop, and your budget. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you figure out exactly what your dual-monitor setup should look like.
Benefits of dual monitors
The most obvious benefit of a dual-monitor setup is that you get an extra screen to do whatever you want with. If you want to expand your total viewing space or even just put Netflix on your other monitor while you work or game, you can. Let’s jump into the specifics on why someone may want to add an extra screen.
Dual monitors for streaming
If you’re looking to stream regularly on Twitch or YouTube, a second screen is almost required. During streams, you need to be able to monitor your chat to interact with your viewers and have access to your streaming software to ensure there are no issues. With only a single screen, you’d need a laptop, tablet, or some other device to read chat–and you wouldn’t have easy access to your Streamlabs or OBS.
Dual monitors for gaming
Ultrawide monitors are available, but they can get quite expensive. If you want to have that wider field of view, you can always connect two or three monitors together and have a compatible game output to both. This gives you a much larger view of your game, whether you’re racing down a track, peeking to your left and right to see your opponents driving beside you; flying a spaceship and looking around for oncoming bogies; or pretty much any other action in a game you can think of. It’s worth noting that a dual-monitor setup works best with games you’re intimately familiar with as UI and other non-gameplay elements can act strangely at ultrawide resolutions.
Of course, you can also use your second monitor to keep an eye on Discord, Netflix, YouTube, or even Spotify while gaming. Using a second monitor like this isn’t exactly essential, but it is quite convenient.
Dual monitors for multitaskers
Multitasking at work is where dual monitors shine. Being able to spread out your tasks, applications, and workspaces across multiple screens makes your workday much more efficient. When you don’t need to keep flipping between documents, it’s easier to get right to work and finish your projects. Of course, it’s always nice to be able to throw on a podcast, Netflix, or YouTube on your second screen when your day is moving slowly. I’ve been using dual monitors for work for almost five years now, and I honestly can’t go back–thankfully, you’re even able to hook up a laptop to multiple monitors, too.
Dual monitors and a laptop
How to set up dual monitors
Choosing your monitors
The monitors you go with are going to depend on your setup. Ideally, you’ll want to stick with monitors that are the same size and resolution as that will make moving applications and other things much smoother–though it is possible to use two monitors with different resolutions. If you’re starting with a laptop, adding any size of display will be totally fine, but 24-inch monitors will be the easiest transition from the smaller screen. Borderless monitors are also a good option as they make the transition between both screens more natural.
That said, you won’t come across many incompatibilities. You can combine a flat screen with a curved display, and it’ll work just fine. You could even combine two monitors with a larger TV if you want to. It really depends on how you’re going to use the monitors, how many you want, and how much space you have to work with.
Connecting your monitors
You’ll want to make note of the ports on your monitors before buying. If you’re connecting them to a PC, you’ll either need enough ports to accommodate them all or daisy-chain the monitors with a DisplayPort cable–we’ll circle back to this soon. And then, of course, you’ll need the right number of cables to connect your graphics card or laptop to the monitor.
But what if you’re using a laptop (such as the MacBook Pro) that doesn’t have any cable outputs? There are HDMI docking stations and special cables, such as USB-C to HDMI, that you can plug into one of your laptop’s interfaces, USB or otherwise. You need to make sure you have the appropriate ports to accommodate one of these docking stations, but once you get the right one, you’ll be able to start connecting your laptop to a monitor. If you want to use more than one external monitor with your laptop, however, you’ll need to daisy-chain them with a DisplayPort cable. That means making sure your monitor has both HDMI and DisplayPort inputs.
Setting up
Setting up your dual monitors could be the most difficult part of the process or the easiest depending on what you want to do. You can always take the simple route and place your two monitors directly on a solid desk. On the other hand, you can get a little fancier with a mount and have your two monitors hover above your workstation–this provides you with more space on the desk itself. A good monitor mount doesn’t have to be too expensive, though you need to make note of the size and weight of both your displays before picking a mount for yourself. For both mounting and keeping your monitors on their stands, you’ll want to make sure your desk is strong enough to carry all of that weight (see our guide to the best gaming desks for some sturdy options).
Once you’ve got your monitors situated in positions you’re comfortable with, it’s as easy as grabbing your cable of choice and plugging one end into your monitor and the other into your PC or laptop. You’ll then want to do the same with your second monitor. This is where that docking station comes into play with laptops. If you don’t have a docking station and both monitors have a DisplayPort port, you can connect the two screens with a DisplayPort cable. Once everything is plugged in, and your PC or laptop is turned on, both monitors will display two separate desktops.
From here, you may need to do some tinkering in your settings. You can find your Display settings by going to your computer’s Settings section, choosing System, and then selecting the Display tab on the left of the window. You’ll be presented with a rectangle that features numbered squares–these are your monitors. These squares can be moved to change the position of your monitor–if your right monitor shows up as the left for some reason, you can move it to the right to change this. From here, you can also click on a specific numbered box, change its resolution, make it your main display, and change its display orientation–the latter only matters if you’ve flipped a monitor into portrait mode.
Display settings allow you to adjust your monitors’ resolutions and positions
For those using a second monitor for work and nothing else, you’re good to go. For gamers, however, you’ll want to go into your graphics card’s settings panel. If you have an AMD graphics card, click on your desktop and then select Radeon Settings. This is where you can tweak settings further, including enabling adaptive sync and changing refresh rate. For Nvidia GPU owners, you’ll want to search your PC for the Nvidia Control Panel, which is where you’ll be able to make your changes.
Best dual monitors
The truth is that almost any modern monitor will be suitable for a dual-display setup. If you’re a streamer who just wants a second monitor for chat, you don’t need to buy one that’s as nice as your primary gameplay monitor–and if you’re using a 144Hz or higher monitor, you can still go with a 60Hz monitor for your second. For those unsure what to go with, check out our recommendations below.
The following budget monitors are great for those looking to snag an affordable second display for reading stream chat, watching Netflix while gaming, or anything else. Grabbing two of these would also make for an excellent work-from-home station.
If you’re looking for a pair of monitors that will really knock your socks off, you’ll need to spend a little more money. The following monitors are excellent, yet affordable for gaming, production, and other tasks where image quality, refresh rate, and response time are key.
Monitors can be an intimidating purchase, and it’s important to understand the intricacies of these screens before buying. If you want to learn more, check out our guide to monitor technologies. It covers everything from HDR in monitors to the display panel types, G-Sync vs. FreeSync, and more. And if you’re looking for a gaming display, it’s worth looking at our explainer detailing the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of gaming TVs vs. gaming monitors.
