DyAc 2: Why Pro Players Are Making the Switch

Introduction

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In fast-paced multiplayer games, reducing motion blur is something that can greatly increase a player’s performance. It’s the reason why pro gamers prefer framerates over anything else and why monitor manufacturers do everything they can to reduce motion blur. ZOWIE’s DyAc tech is one of those motion blur reduction technologies, and it has been around for a while now, but we’ve never seen so many pros using the technology. Since the release of ZOWIE monitors with DyAc 2, more pros are using DyAc on than there are pros who have it off. In this article, we’ll go over why that could be the case.

Pro Player Adoption

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DyAc has historically always been kind of a ‘marmite technology’ with pro CS2 players. A couple always had it enabled, but the majority of pros had it disabled.

However, at IEM Katowice, one of the most stacked events on the CS2 calendar, DyAc quietly became the norm. Out of 69 pro players who responded to a settings survey, 75.4% were using DyAc 2 on their XL2586X+ monitor.

At the event, where the XL2586X+ was the monitor of choice for the organizers, 72.5% of pros were using DyAc 2 on Premium, and 2.9% were using DyAc 2 on high. That’s not a fringe trend, it’s a majority.

Given the fact that 76% of all attending players shared their preferred settings, this can definitely be considered as a solid data point. And, perhaps, as a shift in the competitive meta. When the best are gravitating toward a specific setting, it’s usually because it gives them an edge.

The reason for this can possibly be found in responsiveness and smoothness. Some pros noted that DyAc 2 does not introduce any tangible delay at all (whereas this was the case for some with DyAc 1) and that DyAc 2 drastically reduces the amount of ghosting. Our reviewer also echoed these sentiments in his review of the XL2586X+. So it might just be a case of DyAc 2 being better for CS2 than its predecessors.

Tech Difference

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DyAc 2 isn’t just a minor iteration, it’s more of a technical overhaul. The biggest shift is the move from a single backlight system that was used in DyAc 1 to a dual backlight setup in DyAc 2. This change drastically improves how motion is rendered on the panel, especially during rapid flicks or micro-adjustments, where clarity is everything.

Additionally, DyAc 2 also doesn’t drastically reduce the panel brightness, which is one of the major drawbacks of most motion blur reduction solutions.

Compared to the first-gen DyAc, the new version is sharper, brighter, and better suited for high-level FPS gameplay. Does this mean that older DyAc versions were bad? Obviously not. DyAc was already being used by a bunch of pros a couple of days after it debuted. But if you’re playing at the absolute highest levels of one of the most competitive esports in the world, every tiny bit of difference can matter a great deal. And as we can see by numbers of DyAc users in the pro scene, the improvements that ZOWIE made to their tech have made a world of difference.

Should You Get DyAc 2?

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At Katowice, pros often noted the feeling of DyAc 2 being a lot better than what the predecessors offered. Given how pros play at very high framerates on top PCs, small differences in panel tech can make a monitor feel drastically different, and that seems to be the case here.

Multiple professionals indicated that DyAc 2 feels a lot more responsive and ‘natural’ than its predecessors. DyAc 2 reduces the amount of blurriness that you get when your screen is violently shaking (like when you’re spraying) and makes fast-moving enemies a lot clearer.

But what does this mean for the average gamer?

Truth be told: it depends. Professionals are playing at the absolute highest levels, where every tiny element can make a huge difference in how they perceive the game. For us mere mortals, it’s a different scenario. Yes, DyAc 2 is better than DyAc 1, but that doesn’t mean that you need to make the switch immediately if you’re perfectly happy with your older monitor.

With that said: even for lower-level gamers, it pays off to use the best technology. You might not be playing for tens of thousands of dollars in an arena filled with fans, but that doesn’t mean that you should handicap yourself.

If you’re serious about competing and you’re looking for a new monitor, looking at ZOWIE’s monitors that come equipped with DyAc 2 would be a good starting point. You don’t even need to go towards their 540+Hz behemoths, either, since ZOWIE has also updated their lower refresh rate monitors with DyAc 2 technology. Just look for a model with ‘X’ at the end of its name, and you should be good to go.