MSI and SteelSeries are collaborating once again, and this time they have made a monitor that syncs up with other SteelSeries PC peripherals. This week, the companies launched the Optix MPG displays, which are a pair of 27-inch gaming monitors that feature some impressive specs.
Optix MPG comes in two variations, the MPG27C and the MPG27CQ. Both are the same size with a curved VA 144Hz Adaptive Sync panel. The 27C has a 1080P resolution, however, while the 27CQ does 1440P. That VA technology ensures that the Optix MPG has a wide viewing angle, better color reproduction, and less flicker, but it may also mean more input lag. That’s a common drawback of VA LCDs, but MSI is promising a 1 millisecond response time.
But the Optix MPG has more going on than its display. This is the first monitor to get SteelSeries GameSense integration. The monitor has five responsive RGB LED panels on the front. These can cycle through millions of colors, but they can also provide information about the state of your game with PrismSync. For example, using profiles in GameSense, these lights can change color if your character’s ultimate is ready, if you need to reload, or if someone sent you a message in Discord.
“The integration of SteelSeries Engine with the Optix MPG series of curved gaming monitors brings PrismSync Illumination and real-time game alerts which offer an even greater level of immersive gameplay,” MSI desktop platform boss Charles Chiang said.
I’ve had a lot of keyboards that use this kind of reactive lighting, and it never works as intended. I don’t see what color my keys are in the middle of a battle — it’s too far out of my line of sight. But it’s possible that on-monitor lighting could change that. I’m interested to see how effective this is.