Playing a game across TWO monitors...?

[Anomaly1964]

Is this a function of your video card, the game or both?

If your desktop is shown across the two monitors, will the game do the same thing?

Like Black Ops, Arkham Asylum, WOW and the like?

Thanks!

 

[Lonyo]

In the days of Windows XP with an nvidia card, yes. Nowadays? No.

Some games support dual monitors, but these are few, and mostly things like flight sims or strategy games.

 

[Anomaly1964]

In the days of Windows XP with an nvidia card, yes. Nowadays? No.

Some games support dual monitors, but these are few, and mostly things like flight sims or strategy games.

Is there a reason why they don't? Is it a resolution thing or what? Not arguing, just wanting to know why?

 

[ilkhan]

Some games support using a secondary display as a second display (supreme commander comes to mind).
As I understand eyefinity (since I don't follow it much) the major feature is presenting multiple displays to the game as one monitor, specifically to allow giant multi-monitor gaming (aka a single 5760x1200 display is presented to the game, despite being 3 physical displays).

 

[RavenSEAL]

Most games now support 3 way display, not 2 way.

 

[Anomaly1964]

Thanks guys...

 

[NoQuarter]

Is this a function of your video card, the game or both?

If your desktop is shown across the two monitors, will the game do the same thing?

Like Black Ops, Arkham Asylum, WOW and the like?

Thanks!

Primarily a function of your video card drivers, though some games are coded in such a way that they will not take advantage of wider resolutions properly (spanning multiple monitors).

In the old nVidia drivers it was called 'span' and now Eyefinity does it, by presenting your monitor array as 1 extra wide monitor. Problem with doing it on 2 monitors is the middle of your game will fall right on the break between the 2 monitors.

Unless you are running a game that is specifically multi-monitor aware and will use the 2nd monitor for additional functionality instead of splitting the viewport across them then 2 monitors isn't really useful for gaming. This is limited to a couple RTS's, flight/racing sims or running 2 Eve clients

Most games now support 3 way display, not 2 way.

There's more nuance than that, most games aren't aware at all of how many monitors you are using, it just knows what the driver has told it about your monitor. Eyefinity will tell the game you have a single 5760x1080 monitor when you have 3 monitors, or 3840x1080 monitor if you have 2. You can use Eyefinity on 2 as easily as 3 but it won't be pleasant to play. But the game itself isn't supporting 2 or 3, just 1 - which the driver has split across 2 or 3 displays.

 

[Anomaly1964]

Primarily a function of your video card drivers, though some games are coded in such a way that they will not take advantage of wider resolutions properly (spanning multiple monitors).

In the old nVidia drivers it was called 'span' and now Eyefinity does it, by presenting your monitor array as 1 extra wide monitor. Problem with doing it on 2 monitors is the middle of your game will fall right on the break between the 2 monitors.

Unless you are running a game that is specifically multi-monitor aware and will use the 2nd monitor for additional functionality instead of splitting the viewport across them then 2 monitors isn't really useful for gaming. This is limited to a couple RTS's, flight/racing sims or running 2 Eve clients


There's more nuance than that, most games aren't aware at all of how many monitors you are using, it just knows what the driver has told it about your monitor. Eyefinity will tell the game you have a single 5760x1080 monitor when you have 3 monitors, or 3840x1080 monitor if you have 2. You can use Eyefinity on 2 as easily as 3 but it won't be pleasant to play. But the game itself isn't supporting 2 or 3, just 1 - which the driver has split across 2 or 3 displays.

Good info NQ..thanks!