Final Fantasy 14 is, you guessed it, still making bank for Square Enix as Dawntrail rakes in the big bucks, though it might not be all sunshine and tacos - Related to frozen, guessed, enix, managed, has

AOC Gaming C27G4ZXE review

If you're on a tight budget, it's great that a 280 Hz monitor like this is now so affordable. The most obvious downsides are low resolution and mediocre response, but for the money those aspects are acceptable. Our main reservation is that you can have a 1440p 144 Hz panel for only a little more money.

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Remember the days when high-refresh gaming meant taking out a new mortgage? Thankfully, they're gone as the new AOC Gaming C27G4ZXE proves. This is a fully 280 Hz gaming monitor for well under $200. Hooray.

Of course, at this price point something has to give. Actually, with the AOC Gaming C27G4ZXE, plenty has to give. The most obvious casualty to cost reduction is resolution. This 27 incher is a mere 1080p panel, so that's 1,920 by 1,080 pixels.

The result is a very modest pixel density of just 82 DPI. We'll come back to the impact that has on image quality. But up front it's worth noting that while this relatively low resolution is a necessary compromise to hit the price point, it actually makes sense from a price-performance perspective.

If you're shopping monitors at this end of the market, safe to assume you're not running a $1,000 GPU. So, a lower resolution will likely be a more effective fit with your graphics card, especially if you want to make use of that 280 Hz refresh.

Response time: [website] ms MPRT, 1 ms GTG.

aspects: VA panel, HDMI [website] x2, DisplayPort [website].

Price: $175 (estimated) | £159 (Hub model).

Anyway, the next concession is a VA rather than IPS panel. As we routinely explain, VA tends to have worse response and viewing angles compared to IPS, but superior contrast. This isn't always the case, but the slower pixel response can obviously be a bit of a bummer on a gaming display.

Those limitations aside, the AOC Gaming C27G4ZXE is also a little stingy when it comes to build, ergonomics and connectivity. This monitor feels a bit cheap and the stand only offers tilt adjustment.

That expressed, it doesn't actually look too poverty stricken thanks to some nice geometric design for the stand base and rear of the screen enclosure. This isn't a totally anonymous black square, some effort has gone in. The 27-inch panel's gentle 1500R curve also adds perhaps the slightest frisson of upmarket consumer electronics.

At the very least, it's a decent looking thing sitting on your desk when you consider the price point. It just doesn't feel all that robust. Again, you can't really expect much more at this price point.

As for the connectivity shortfall, well, you get two HDMI [website] ports and single DisplayPort input. What you don't get is any kind of USB hub. But try finding an equivalent monitor with a USB hub from a big brand at similar money. You'll struggle.

The final obvious casualty of the low price point is HDR support. Honestly, it's the merest of flesh wounds. You do get basic HDR 10 support. But with a maximum brightness of 300 nits and no local dimming, this is clearly not a true HDR display. But then neither is any monitor with entry-level HDR400 certification.

Actually, I'd argue very few LCD as opposed to OLED monitors are truly capable of high dynamic range rendering. At least with the AOC Gaming C27G4ZXE you can theoretically decode HDR content with correct colors. That's something.

But what of the actual image quality? First impressions are none too shabby. The C27G4ZXE may only be rated at 300 nits, but it's fairly bright and punchy. The VA panel tech helps with that impression. VA panels have much advanced contrast than IPS and that contrast between brighter and darker tones makes a screen look subjectively more vibrant and dynamic.

The C27G4ZXE may only be rated at 300 nits, but it's fairly bright and punchy.

AOC has actually calibrated this thing pretty well, too. The colors in default sRGB mode are bob on, which isn't always the case with cheap VA monitors. They are often set up to be over-saturated.

Sadly, that deft calibration doesn't extend to HDR content. Generally, this monitor looks rather dull in HDR mode, it's actually more vibrant in SDR mode which obviously isn't right. What's more, SDR colors in HDR mode are a mess. Ultimately, the HDR mode is best avoided unless you absolutely have to use it. That's not a huge disappointment given the price point. But it does mean that the AOC Gaming C27G4ZXE is very much best viewed as a non-HDR panel.

If those elements of the static image quality are decent, what about when things get moving? The 280 Hz refresh definitely translates into snappy responses to control inputs. The latency is great given the price point. So, this monitor is a great choice for online shooters and esports on a budget.

Less impressive is the pixel response. AOC quotes some very impressive figures here with [website] ms MPRT and 1 ms GTG response times. You also get four levels of pixel-accelerating overdrive in the OSD menu to help you tune the response.

Sadly, AOC hasn't delivered pixel response performance beyond expectations.

Sadly, however, this monitor conforms to the cheap VA norm. All but the quickest overdrive mode suffers from at least a little visible smearing and blurring. As for the quickest option, that largely eradicates the smearing only to swap it for a touch of overshoot and inverse ghosting.

Unfortunately, you can actually see that overshoot in games in the form of texture colors shifting as you move your mouse and the pixel overshoot their target colors. It's not super obvious, but it is there and once you see it, it can't be unseen.

Of course, this is the norm for a VA panel at this price point. So, it absolutely isn't a deal breaker. But if you were hoping that AOC had done something magical and somehow delivered pixel response performance way beyond expectations, well, that simply hasn't happened.

Apart from response, this monitor's other obvious weakness is the aforementioned pixel density. It's a tricky aspect to critique. The price point ultimately dictates 1080p. A 1440p 280 Hz panel at this price point is too much to ask.

And as we introduced, 1080p is actually a good match in terms of GPU load given the low price point here. But that 82 DPI pixel density is awfully ugly on the Windows desktop. It makes for craggy, rough looking fonts and a generally pretty pixelated vibe.

The saving grace is that games don't actually look too bad when it comes to visual detail. You're still getting full HD and if you switch on upscaling, such as Nvidia DLSS or AMD FSR, the slight softening effect helps to smooth out the craggies that are consequent from the fairly large pixels.

As a final note, the 1500R panel curvature is really neither here nor there. There's really very little benefit to a curved panel on a 27-inch 16:9 screen. But equally the curve is slight enough not to be a distraction.

Overall, then, this is a decent display for the money. 280 Hz and 1080p is a sensible combination and makes for a snappy feeling gaming experience even with a commensurately budget GPU. The low DPI look isn't great, but it's a reasonable compromise at this price point.

Buy if... ✅ You want high refresh gaming on the cheap: The 280 Hz from an established band at this price point makes low-latency gaming pleasingly accessible.

Don't buy if... ❌ You want crispy visuals: 1080p on a 27-inch panel makes for mediocre pixel density.

The caveat to that is that were it our money, we'd prefer to stretch to around $200 if at all possible and go for a 1440p 144 Hz option. The refresh is lower, but the pixel density is a lot nicer.

If there is an element that's hard to really get on board with even at the price point, it's the mediocre pixel response. Admittedly, you'd do well to find a competing screen that's much improved. So, the problem isn't unique to this AOC. But the response really isn't great. So, chalk that up as something we'd like to see improve industry-wide on this class of display as opposed to something AOC specifically has messed up.

Actually, on that note, if money really is tight and $200 for a 1440p monitor isn't an option, we'd probably lean towards a 24-inch IPS monitor, maybe even one running at a lower 160 Hz refresh rate. You'll get enhanced response and slightly enhanced pixel density, albeit on a smaller panel.

Ultimately, there are no perfect choices here. And of the available 27-inch 1080p gaming monitors in the budget class, the AOC Gaming C27G4ZXE is absolutely a worthy contender.

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Hell has frozen over, pigs are flying, and a Square Enix game has actually managed to exceed the publisher's ludicrous sales expectations

Three things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a videogame failing to meet Square Enix's sales targets. Last year saw Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Final Fantasy 16 falling short of whatever number the publisher cooked up in suited-up boardrooms, and before that it noted Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy undershot expectations, and called Marvel's Avengers disappointing. Ouch.

It's a tale as old as time, but wait. I'm here to findings an anomaly. A telenovela twist. One of Square Enix's children has not only satisfied its sales targets, but it actually managed to bring out an incredibly rare "stronger sales than initially assumed" from the publisher's latest financial findings. And no, for once, it's not Final Fantasy 14 being paraded around as the golden child—though it's still the publisher's major moneymaker, for what it's worth.

This time it's the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake which, while Square Enix doesn't say how many units sold across all its platforms or just how much advanced it did sell than expected, does specifically mention it as a reason behind "sub-segment operating income" increasing, along with "lower development cost amortization and advertising expenses compared with the same period of the previous year."

That's all very boring corporate gobbledegook for the most part, but hey, it's a genuine shock to the system to see Square Enix acknowledging a game has sold enhanced than it expected to. But despite the Dragon Quest 3 remake getting its very brief, single sentence flowers, that hasn't stopped Square Enix from reporting an overall downturn in game sales and profits.

Overall profit was reported to be around $[website] billion, down by [website] while net sales were around $[website] billion, down [website] year-on-year. It's a continuing trend for Square Enix, which had already reported falling profits in May last year. It'll be interesting to see if there's any significant uptick in the next year or two, with current CEO Takashi Kiryu entering his third year as head of the business—alongside his restructuring efforts, I assume most of the projects already underway when he stepped into the role are close to wrapping up, or are already out in the wild.

I imagine Square Enix has the potential to take some drastic decisions in the near future, and I'll be over here in the corner praying it doesn't spell the demise for my favourite childhood developer.

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Final Fantasy 14 is, you guessed it, still making bank for Square Enix as Dawntrail rakes in the big bucks, though it might not be all sunshine and tacos

It's been confirmed for a while that the Final Fantasy 14, which reached its 10th year not long ago, has been a load-bearing game for Square Enix's balance sheets. That was as per a fiscal study ending in March 2024 (the pre-Dawntrail times) that saw it making up [website] of its operating profits.

This was then confirmed again, when a investigation for the first half of the fiscal year ending in March 2025 (the post-Dawntrail times) mentioned that it was, uh, still doing that, forming part of an MMO segment that raked in ¥[website] billion (about $86 million) for the organization (while its "HD games" segment lost it ¥[website] billion, or $[website] million).

Well, I am once more here to study that Final Fantasy 14 is continuing to do exceptionally well in yet another set of financial reportage—but this time the results are consolidated. Snazzy! Because this is a summary, there aren't any numbers to go off for FF14 specifically, but Square says the segment's been doing just as well—advanced, even.

"In the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) Game sub-segment, net sales and operating income rose compared with the same period of the previous fiscal year on the launch of 'FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail,' the latest expansion pack for 'FINAL FANTASY XIV.'" For reference, that full fiscal year's findings saw the segment pulling in ¥[website] billion (approx. $126 million) in operating income, and ¥[website] billion (around $310 million) in net sales, so Dawntrail is making more than that.

Which might come as a surprise if you've been following the news or community sentiment surrounding the expansion, because it sort of sounds like we're all a bit fed up. The story was a bit of a miss, content comes out too slowly, the formula's stagnating, the sky is falling, yap yap yap. Is its success just a mirage, or are we all just engaging in the time-honoured MMO tradition of complaining?

The answer is "maybe". Most of FF14's current major issues affect what I'll call 'caught up' players—folks who've been subbed and playing for years, and have exhausted its reams of content. I still maintain that this MMO is a bloody bargain and worth playing if you haven't, because you still have 10 years of solid RPG storytelling to chip through, and Square's savvy design structure has made it all relevant and playable—with its earliest foibles receiving a new coat of paint in Endwalker. The new-player honeymoon period lasts for hundreds of hours, so it's a worthwhile journey even if Square continues to stumble about for the next couple of years.

As for the illusion of success, well, it should be pointed out that everyone—myself included—felt pretty dang hyped for Dawntrail. The start of a new story arc and a shiny graphics upgrade were all major draws to, you know, buy the thing and bump that operating income number up significantly.

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While this is somewhat comparing apples to popotos, I should point out that the initial financial glow of an expansion isn't an accurate sign of how things are going. WoW's Shadowlands, one of the most loathed expansions in the game's history, sold [website] million copies on its first day. I don't doubt that Blizzard's numbers were looking similarly merry.

This is not to say it's all doom and gloom, though. What Square Enix's Creative Studio 3 faces at the moment is a slow and insidious problem—one that will be stop-gapped by the release of [website] in March, which'll include a meaty batch of content for the game's currently-starved casual-to-midcore playerbase. Should it have taken over 200 days for the statistical majority of your players to have something to do? No, but it'll be there.

It's for this reason that I think Dawntrail'll continue to pull in numbers, as well. I don't raid, so my subscription is basically a tax I pay to keep on roleplaying with my mates—and I'm otherwise not touching the game—but I'll be getting stuck into Shades' Triangle with glee.

Since it'll come out around March, and the current fiscal year ends in March 2025 for Square Enix? Things will be hunky-dory for the foreseeable future unless the content is somehow a complete stinker, and the ol' reliable MMO segment will still pull the requisite numbers. Come the next expansion, though, and its subsequent content droughts? I don't know if FF14 can endure its slow-burn discontent from veteran players for another decade. Let's pray for a shake-up.

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