Gamers, it's hard times out there. AI is causing massive inflation of all sorts of gaming technology, PlayStation has confirmed it's moving to digital-only distribution on its platforms from 2028 onwards, and even controllers are costing $200 or more for... some reason. I can't offer you a reprieve from the ridiculous economy of being a gamer right now, but I can offer you a glimmer of hope when it comes to the future of gaming monitors.
For years, myself and my hardware editor partner in crime, Phil Hayton, have been shouting from the rooftops about the annoyances of gaming monitor control systems. TVs, since almost the dawn of time, have let you control things remotely with a clicker you hold in your hand. But for some reason, the norm for gaming monitors is still a pesky wee nubbin on the back corner of your display that tries to be a button, D-pad, power switch, settings menu, and output picker all in one.
Finally, finally that might be changing, because when I was at Computex a few weeks ago, Acer showed off a new "Smart Dial" at its booth. It glared at me, unmanned by anyone trying to sell it to me or explain it. It's as though Acer knew they wouldn't need to sell something so simple, yet so daring and understated all at once.
The Acer Smart Dial will be compatible with the brand's upcoming Predator X32X5 and Predator XB273KV5 monitors, but I hope to god it becomes a standard thing on all of the company's desk displays just so other manufacturers suffer its supreme quality-of-life wroth. We're all staring down a future where games cost $100, they're only digital, and no one can afford to own hardware, so clearly we've stumbled on the bad timeline. At least let us control our monitors without fumbling around their backs?
Acer's product bio reads: "Whether during gaming sessions or everyday use, the Acer Smart Dial provides a more comfortable and efficient way to manage the monitor, significantly improving the overall user experience."
In terms of its physical make-up, the remote has a small joystick above a set of four face buttons and a smaller shiny button between them. For something that's got such a simple, specific purpose, it's surprisingly well-fitted to the human hand. It feels like a perfectly ergonomic one-handed gaming controller, and does actually look a lot like the Xbox Adaptive Controller's one-handed add-on.
Onward compatibility is a bit of a question mark at the moment. From what Acer has told me, it'll only be available with those upcoming monitors mentioned above. I'm not sure how Acer would go about trying to make it available for other monitors, made by them or otherwise, so don't expect compatibility with your display just yet. Perhaps in the future, a device like this could find ways of working across brands and, retrospectively, if we all make enough of a fuss about it?
Playing around with it at the booth, I was able to adjust a monitor's setting, resolution, source output, and generally do all the things you'd expect of a monitor remote. It's really that simple, so I hope other monitor makers at the show caught wind of it and decided it was time to match Acer's challenge.
Even putting my laziness and reluctance to physically reach around the back of a monitor for a second, I do think there's value for money with a remote in a monitor box. Call me lazy or call this stupid, but if a product is harder to use, people won't want to use it.
Make it easier to use, or allow them easy, controllable access to settings, and they'll be more inclined to make the most of all the settings menus within. I don't know about you, but I despise using monitor nubbin joysticks so much that I actively do everything in my power to avoid using them. Am I leaving visual settings on the table? Maybe, but to be honest, until AOC gives me an easier way to find out, I won't be heading into those settings menus again after setting it up for the first time.
It may be a trivial thing to be excited for, but Acer's Smart Dial legitimately could be a quality-of-life update for so many gaming setups, and we could use those in dire times like these.
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