In many games, cheating is a major problem. A well-functioning anti-cheat system is essential nowadays. But what if the cheat cannot be detected because it is not a downloaded software but rather a feature of the monitor? MeinMMO author Dariusz Müller has tested the special features of his gaming monitor for you.
Which monitor is being tested? The tested monitor is the M27Q from Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer Gigabyte. In addition to special gaming features, the monitor is characterized by the following aspects:
- Image quality: QHD
- Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440p
- Screen diagonal: 27 inches (68.58 cm)
- Panel type: IPS
- Refresh rate: 170 Hz
- Response time: 0.5 ms
- Not Curved
What unfair features does the monitor have? Technology is constantly evolving, and gaming equipment is acquiring more and more extravagant features. This also applies to monitors. I will show you 3 unfair features that the tested gaming monitor has.
- The crosshair
- The aim magnifier
- The black equalizer
In which game were the features tested? The three unfair features were tested in games where PvP is played. The test was intended to show whether the features are indeed unfair in PvP duels or prove to be useless. The test was most meaningful in the following games:
- Rainbow Six: Siege
- Valorant
- Hell Let Loose
The crosshair
What is the crosshair? A well-known and accordingly widespread feature of modern gaming monitors is the integrated crosshair. This is a simple crosshair displayed in the center of the screen.
The integrated crosshair is not influenced by the movement of the in-game character and is always perfectly centered. It is also available in games where there is usually no crosshair.
How did the crosshair test go? In Valorant and Rainbow: Six Siege, the crosshair is useless, as there are crosshairs in these games. However, in Hell Let Loose, the crosshair proved to be very unfair.
Hell Let Loose is a hardcore shooter and is characterized mainly by the fact that the game dispenses with all aids. There is no crosshair, and the large, chaotic battlefields of World War II in which you play in Hell Let Loose provide few clues to accurately predict the height of an opponent’s head.
Especially in moments when an enemy suddenly jumped out of a trench in front of me, the crosshair proved to be a powerful tool. I could quickly aim for the enemy’s head without aiming down sights. Then I just had to glance through the sights and fire.
The crosshair gave me a noticeable unfair advantage in Hell Let Loose. Anyone who wants to play fairly should stay away from this feature. I assert that if the existence of the crosshair could be proven, it could lead to bans in many games.
Why is the crosshair unfair? If a game does not have a crosshair, it can be quite difficult for some players to focus on and keep an eye on enemies, interesting points, cover, or other targets.
Generally, you want to aim for the head of your opponent in shooters. But your opponent wants to do the same. In a fight, it comes down not only to precision of shots but also to who is faster at aiming for the opponent’s head.
In many games, it is therefore important to know at what height the opponent’s head is located. You place your crosshair at that height even when no one is around.
When an enemy player appears in front of you, you are faster at aiming for the enemy’s head than if your crosshair points at your feet. The center of your crosshair is also the center of your sight.
However, if you do not have a crosshair, it is much more difficult to assess at what height you need to aim before you look through the sights. This leads to many players having to readjust after they have aimed.
If you have a crosshair in a game without one, you have an unfair advantage. Parade examples of affected games are hardcore shooters like Escape from Tarkov, Hell Let Loose, or Squad.
The aim magnifier
What is the aim magnifier? As the translation reveals, the aim magnifier is a magnifying glass. More precisely, this feature is a magnifying glass for the sights.
Unlike the screen magnifier in Windows, the aim magnifier does not enlarge the entire screen by X-hundred percent, but only increases the zoom in a rectangular area where your sights are shown in shooters.
There are 4 settings for the magnifier
- The strength of the zoom (x1.2; x1.5; and 2.0)
- The size of the zoomed rectangle (small, medium, large)
- A frame that separates the enlarged rectangle from the rest of the screen, so you can see red boxes on your screen even without software (optional in red or white)
- The position: If you do not want the magnifier to be centered in a game because your crosshair or similar is not in the middle of the screen, you can easily move it.
How did the test go? In Valorant, contrary to my expectations, the magnifier proved to be a disadvantage. The advantage of magnification was hardly noticeable in combat at longer distances and a significant disadvantage at close distances.
In Rainbow Six: Siege, I particularly felt that it could be an unfair advantage, especially with the already nasty spawn peeks. However, the necessity of the magnifier in Ubisoft’s tactical shooter is not given.
Everything that works with the magnifier in Rainbow Six: Siege works wonderfully without it. However, the usual movement and mindless orientation through the map suffered due to the increased zoom.
I noticed how I bumped into small objects on the ground because distances and speeds seemed completely altered and were harder to gauge.
Why is the magnifier unfair? In Hell Let Loose and other games with large distances, however, the magnifier proved to be extremely unfair. Since the shooter is set in World War II, sights with a twofold magnification are not standard.
I now had this magnification on weapons that do not have a sight. With the magnifier, I could look over wide fields and spot enemies much better. Not only did I see this as extremely unfair, but also my teammate, who had to laugh loudly with every kill.
I was turned into a sniper by my monitor, even though I was playing as a medic. Even enemies that hid like wild Pokémon in the tall grass could see me while opponents sometimes did not even have the luxury of a sight.
I deliberately refrained from playing classes with stronger weapons, such as a machine gun. Since I already felt how strong the magnifier is with the medic’s single-shot weapon, I couldn’t reconcile the test with an automatic weapon in good conscience.
I am sure that if the admins of the server we were playing on in Hell Let Loose had known about my test, it would have been my last day on the server. I could not have complained about the ban.
The black equalizer
What is the black equalizer? The black equalizer is a feature designed to make dark objects, people, and corners more visible.
For example, if an opponent is sitting in a dark, poorly lit corner in a shooter, they should be made more visible by using this feature.
How did the test go? It is worth noting positively that the black equalizer indeed brightens dark areas. But I can also achieve the same effect on Instagram by fiddling around with the contrast and brightness slider.
The black equalizer essentially does the exact same thing. Logically, my amateur image processing on Instagram does not help me in a shooter on PC. Furthermore, the black equalizer works almost equally “well” in nearly every game.
In general, the black equalizer is not useful, as it always negatively affects the game’s contrasts. Nevertheless, you can use this feature to gain a minimal advantage.
The situations in which it helped me in my test were, however, extremely rare, as nowadays many games require good lighting of the maps, and developers consciously pay attention to this.
Why is the black equalizer still an unfair advantage? When you play a game with many dark corners on the maps and opponents are often overlooked in the dark, all players suffer from the poor lighting.
However, if you use the black equalizer to brighten the darkness of a game and accept the poorer contrasts in order to perform as well as possible, you have an advantage over the other players.
You suddenly see opponents where they cannot see you and can therefore play angles that surprise your enemies. It is an unfair advantage.
Cheating is one of the biggest problems in numerous games and especially a challenge for developers when unfair tools are not detected.
In addition to special features like crosshairs or magnifiers in gaming monitors, there are also hardware cheats that players have built themselves. MeinMMO editor Benedikt Schlotmann reported, for example, on an Overwatch player who combined a Lego motor with his mouse.
User improves the most popular gaming mouse with LEGO, creates a monster – “That’s amazing!”
