Corsair’s new gaming monitor bends to a curved screen

Can’t choose between buying a flat or curved screen? Corsair thinks it may have the solution to your (recognized, specialized) problems with Xenon Flex 45WQHD240: A flexible OLED gaming screen that you can bend by hand to switch form factors.

Screen switching is possible thanks to LG Display’s W-OLED panel, which Corsair worked closely with to develop the Xeneon Flex. Interestingly, unlike the prototype LG Display showed up at CES last year that uses motors to switch between flat and curved modes, Corsair has you hand-bending its screen into a shape with a pair of knobs that extend from the left and right sides of the screen, As this video from YouTuber Bitwit demonstrates. You can even adjust the curvature of the left and right sides of the screen independently, which is fun, even though it’s not entirely clear why you’d want to.

Screen is an interesting concept, since curved and flat screens tend to be better at different things. Some people prefer flat screens for productivity, as they display less distortion and are less prone to magnified reflections. (seriously, Some people really hate curved displays.) But others like the sense of immersion that a curved screen can provide, especially for gaming, where the screen, at the right size and distance, tends to fill your entire peripheral vision.

In terms of other specs, the Corsair monitor is a 45-inch 21:9 ultrawide panel with a 240Hz refresh rate and 1,000 nits peak brightness. The maximum curvature of the Xeneon Flex is 800R, but you can choose whichever curvature suits you best. It supports Nvidia’s G-Sync and FreeSync Premium variable refresh rate technologies, and there’s a range of front and rear connectors including HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, USB-A, and a headphone jack.

Corsair’s Xeneon Flex isn’t the first in the world, like Skyworth Chinese TV Manufacturer It announced its flexible convertible TV last year, but the new screen has a good chance of being one of the first to see a global release. Unfortunately, there’s no word yet on when this will happen, or how much we can expect to pay for the franchise. Corsair says that more information about launch, availability and final specifications will be announced later this year.