The aspect ratios of the computer screen were in some interesting places. CRT PC monitors typically use a 4: 3 aspect ratio. This means that for every four units of width, the screen is three units of height. In terms of pixel resolution, typical 4: 3 resolutions would be 320 × 240, 640 × 480, 800 × 600, and 1024 × 768.
With the advent of flat-panel LCDs, the 16: 9 wide format has become the norm. This matches HD resolutions such as 1280 × 720 and 1920 × 1080.
In recent years, a new computer display format known as ultra-widescreen has emerged. These screens have a 21: 9 aspect ratio, making them ideal for productivity, anamorphic video and immersive gaming.
Unfortunately, many older games do not support 21: 9 aspect ratio. Even some games that have ultra-widescreen do not properly scale their interfaces. Therefore, if you try to reproduce them on a 21: 9 screen, you will end up with large black bars on either side of the screen.
The good news is that you can use software known as Flawless Widescreen to add 21: 9 support to some of the most popular video games.
Enjoy a flawless widescreen
Use an impeccable widescreen display
The first step is to download Flawless Widescreen and install it.
After the first launch of the program, you will be prompted to perform some initial settings. If you say yes, you can view the basic setup for the program, but most people probably won’t have to mess with it.
Once in the program, you will see two main folders on the left panel – Installed and Available.
In the available plugins section you will find all the games that FWS currently supports. For this demo, we’ll use the underrated Kingdoms of Amalur as an example. So, find the game and click on it.
This will install the plugin. Some games offer additional customization. In this case, you can adjust the field of view.
Now we are ready to launch the game, FWS will detect the launch and will automatically insert the patch. So, we launch the game and adjust the resolution according to our own screen settings.
Alto! Everything seems to work as intended. In the case of Amalur without the patch, many user interface elements do not display properly. In other games, the fix may also add support for 21: 9 resolution, which was previously lacking.
New fixes are constantly being added to the game, so consider spending some money on the developer!
Broader perspective
A broader perspective
After playing in ultra-wide resolution, it will be difficult to return to the cramped 16: 9 window in the virtual world. However, there are several important points to keep in mind.
First of all, this software modifies your game, which can create problems for any anti-cheating measures found in some multiplayer games. If you’re unsure, you may have to ask the developer or gaming community if Flawless Widescreen is going to offer a ban.
Second, your game may behave strangely at ultra-wide resolutions. In particular, it may look as if a fisheye effect has been applied to the image. In this case, you may need to adjust the field of view or FOV in your own game settings until you feel more natural to move. This is usually only a problem in first person games.
Everything else should be fine!
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