AOC announces its own 600 Hz monitor offering though the thought of such a high refresh rate just makes my eyes water

Now, I’m not going to sit here and pretend I’m a Counter-Strike 2 sicko—honestly, I’d rather cross cards in Library of Ruina than aim down sights. Still, I have a feeling that even the FPS fiends would agree a 600 Hz refresh rate sounds perhaps a touch excessive.

At a press event in sunny Lisbon, Portugal this weekend, AOC announced the aforementioned 600 Hz display: the Agon Pro AG246FK6. Boasting a 0.5 ms GTG response time, the 1920×1080 resolution gaming monitor is currently slated for a release beginning in July later this year. You’ll be able to pick one up for €699.

The catch? It’s a Twisted Nematic panel, offering a responsive display at a reasonable price point though at the potential cost of colour payoff. TN panels also tend to offer limited viewing angles and lower contrast ratios compared to IPS and VA displays. Still, if you’re only ever going to gaze front and centre at your TN panel, locking in for some twitchy esports action, perhaps that won’t matter much.

The Agon Pro AG246FK6 specifically will offer HDR400 with 16.7M colours, though further colour gamut details were not available at the time of writing. While this colourful support may sound promising, TN panels have a less than stellar track record when it comes to HDR. As for the Agon Pro AG246FK6 itself, HDR400 falls towards the bottom end of the HDR spec range so I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Still, as a reasonably priced option for the esports crowd, 600 Hz for under €700 will likely be too intriguing a proposition to pass up.

Presumably, AOC doesn’t want to be outdone by the likes of Acer, which announced its own 600 Hz monitor last year. More recently back in January, both MSI and ASRock also announced 500+ Hz QD-OLED options, though I think I’m going to have to echo Jeremy’s words here and ask how many Hz do your peepers genuinely need?

Setting existential questions aside for the moment, the Agon Pro AG246FK6 offers a few other features worth highlighting. Though Agon is AOC’s esports-focussed gaming monitor brand, tending to prioritise function over form, the Agon Pro AG246FK6 will also come with snazzy dual backlights. The monitor will also feature an ergonomic stand that can pivot, swivel, and tilt, presumably offering a range of motion for all of your extreme esports needs.

Speaking of, my Counter-Strike 2 reference earlier wasn’t just a throw-away reference commenting on how much of a scrub I am. AOC has also announced it will be partnering with Counter-Strike 2 specifically in some future form, with more details to follow. So, watch this space.