The first thing I noticed about the Lenovo Q24i-10 is how nice it looked, and I was going to write an article merely eyeing it down... but I figured it would be great to actually review it. Before that, check out this little unboxing... that I believed had enough light at the time.
Build:In a nutshell, the build quality of this monitor feels good. The base is a useful + sturdy metal base and... delivers a combined weight of 9.92lbs with the monitor attached. Other than that particular section where you connect the base on the monitor, it's nice and flat... and would look nice on a dual mount. As seen in the unboxing video... you can sit a keyboard right on the mount and make use of that space. This really comes in handy for those desks that lack the space like some of the wall-mounted desks (that I'd be terrified to put anything on).
The monitor is adjustable by tilting it at the desired angle(-5° / 22°) in the top part of the stand. You can't do the same near the base of the stand... from what I see (I'm reaching out to Lenovo for a solution). If it's not adjustable (which isn't displayed anywhere I've looked) that's a missed opportunity to allow for height adjustment... because right now my monitors are staggard.
The monitor also includes a Kensington Lock, a near edgeless display, an HDMI, VGA (which should've been at least a DVI or a Displayport), and an audio out (3.5mm). Also, one thing that I really really like about this monitor is the unique feature they have for cable management. I love tech, but wires annoy me... so to have the little hook on the stand is a very nice touch.
By the way, the Lenovo Q24i-10 comes with a 1 year warranty with an A+ Energy Rating.
Visuals: As far as visuals go... I've used these monitors to game, edit video, images, watched videos, and all that good stuff. Out of the box, the monitor's refresh rate is 60Hz, but... you can increase it to 75Hz for an even smoother picture. If you don't know... the refresh rate is the number of times your monitor updates with new images each second. 60Hz delivers 60FPS... which isn't exactly 120Hz or higher, but it hasn't skipped a beat.
You have Standard, Game, Web, Movie, and Picture Modes... which deliver different brightness options but I will probably stick with the standard. I rarely ever use anything outside of the power button.
This monitor also features the AMD FreeSync Technology, which is an adaptive synchronization tech for (liquid-crystal) displays that support various refresh rates to avoid tearing + reducing the risk of stuttering. To get this certification, a monitor goes through a process to ensure the monitor delivers a tear-free, low latency experience.
The rest of the specs are as follows:
Resolution 1920 x 1080 (FHD)
LED Backlight
75Hz - 50Hz Refresh Rate
Monitor Size 23.8-inch
Brightness: 250 cd/㎡
16:9 Aspect Ratio
YCbCr444 Color Format
Standard dynamic range (SDR) color space.
Response Time 4ms (Extreme Mode), 6ms (Normal Mode)
Panel Type: In-Plane-Switching
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
16.7 Million Color Support
Eye Care Support
Audio: You have an audio out (3.5mm) on the Lenovo Q24i-10 monitor... which is a nice touch if you want to connect speakers or headphones + you also have 2 x 3W speakers under the hood. I'd definitely recommend using your third-party speakers or a headset because the on-board audio is... subpar at best.
If you need the speakers... they're a nice little addition for audio playback, but that's about it. They try to give you some sorta oomph for what it's worth, but the lows are shy in comparison to the highs and... you really have to crank the volume to hear the audio (I had to turn the monitor up 90+% and my standard PC volume up 90+% to hear it on a decent low). A decent low would be the volume you can hear that's acceptable to parents or your significant other so that it doesn't interrupt anything they're trying to hear, but I wouldn't use this monitor for movie night.
I would've paid a little more for better audio... but Lenovo could've made the Lenovo Soundbar compatible as well. Then again, I probably wouldn't use it anyway and would've opted for a more adjustable stand.
Price: Price wise you can get the Lenovo Q24i-10 for... $189.99. If you can get it on sale... don't hesitate, unless you find one with better specs. I did some research and $200 is usually the threshold before you find the specs really start to rise (in the resolution + refresh rate department). When it comes to monitors under $200 or those in the lower $200s I found this the most appealing option... which is why I have two. Thought about the curved monitor, love the features, but I'm just not ready to shell out the coins for that.
Build 4 (I can't give it a 5 if I can't line up the monitors)
Once I get through the easy mode of Muse Dash, I'm cranking up the difficulty setting.
Have a great Monday... and may it extend to the rest of the week. Mask up, keep the drama at a minimum, and... game on!
Laoshu 505000 was a talented polyglot with over 20 languages under his belt. He spoke on a native level which blew the minds of most people he came in contact with, and he will be missed.
The critically acclaimed action-RPG series returns to the Nintendo Switch™!
Set in the ninja-inspired land of Kamura Village, explore lush ecosystems and battle fearsome monsters to become the ultimate hunter. It's been half a century since the last calamity struck, but a terrifying new monster has reared its head and threatens to plunge the land into chaos once again.
Hunt solo or in a party with friends to earn rewards that you can use to craft a huge variety of weapons and armor. Brand new gameplay systems such as the high-flying ‘Wire Action' and your canine companion ‘Palamute' will add exciting new layers to the already robust combat that Monster Hunter is known for.
Whether it's at home, on the go, online or offline - you'll always be ready for your next hunt on the Nintendo Switch™!
Shout out to First Home Interactive for supplying a copy of this game so that I can get my butt kicked on... SDGT Live for your viewing pleasure. Curse Of The Dead Gods is an incredibly unforgiving rogue-lite game... that may tempt you to slam your control on the floor, but take a deep breath and try... try again! Here is one of my attempts... (which can technically be a First 30, because it's one of the initial temples) so... check it out:
Taking an L in Curse Of The Dead Gods is just part of the experience, so... get as much experience as you can. I do see an opening with this particular champion see in the First 30, but... what's interesting about this game is... you never know what condition you'll be in when you reach the champion. The curses will either jack you up or put you in the position of potentially owning a champion.
The character ended up in this situation seeking riches, eternal life, and divine powers. Not much of a story here, but... every game won't require it. That basically brings you up to speed... and you ultimately determine the outcome (granted... that's with any game). It would've been great to see more of a story to increase the depth of the game... but I don't know, maybe that would slow down the pace. The one thing they could do is... add some victory cut scenes to sweeten the wins, because... the struggle is real.
Collect mystical Relics and an arsenal of weapons to make yourself unstoppable. Battle through hordes of enemies in dark, cavernous passages filled with traps and secrets of all sorts - fire-spewing statues, explosives, hidden spikes, and worse.
Corruption builds in you with every step - encourage or ignore it, but each powerful curse can be a double-edged sword.
Your greed will lead you to death, but that is not an escape. Rise to fight again. Delve deeper again. Defy the malignant deities that linger in this place.
MAIN FEATURES
A skill-based roguelike exploring a cruel, dark temple made of endless rooms and corridors
Swords, spears, bows, guns - wield these and many more
Light and fire will be your best allies to overcome the threats that lie in the shadows
Unique curses influence each attempt, putting a twist on every action
Dozens of enemies, with powerful champions and deadly bosses to face off against
Shout out to WB for providing a copy of this product for the review. My opinions are my own.
Rick And Morty is a show about... a seldomly sober scientist (Rick) and his awkward grandson, Morty. I think what grabbed my attention about this show initially (which some of you may agree), is the fact that it gave me this... Back To The Future'ish vibe.
If Back To The Future had a cousin packed with dark humor, booze, aliens, simulations... within simulations... of simulations that make you believe they're truly the only real simulation so you don't speculate anything + other insane adventures, you'd get... Rick and Morty. Run-on sentence for the win!
Before I jump in... I just want to give props to the team, because they've released complete seasons in collections. The complete seasons 1 - 3, have now be followed by the complete seasons 1 - 4 (no season left behind!). Anyway... let's dive into a small unboxing!
Story:In Rick and Morty... you follow the dysfunctional duo on their intergalactic misadventures through the multi-verse. Even when they weren't somewhere in space, it felt that way... like when Morty was sent into the body of a guy dressed like Santa, that old grandpa/scientist/drunkard Rick had on life support. Rick didn't have the guy on life support for the sake of helping him, he used the guy's body as an amusement park... which didn't work out that well. It's action-packed, to say the least.
What grounds this show for me is the fact that they have a home to go back to, and... normalizes it (as much as it can be normalized). How did Rick end up in the house with Morty and the family? Well, Rick Sanchez actually popped up on his daughter's doorstep after 20 years or so. Which was welcomed by Beth, but clearly it was a major... WTF for her hubby, Jerry.
He pops up after 20 years, he's clearly a sociopath... who can't keep a bottle of booze out of his hand + he transformed their garage into a lab, and there are children in the home (Morty and Summer). Clearly, the show is titled Rick and Morty, so he often has his grandson as the plus one on these death-defying adventures. If it were real life, I'd be concerned, but... it's not. It's just a crazy ride from one episode to the next with situational comedy added in here and there (which the comedy can hit differently from one person to the next).
Believe it or not there is substance in there (i.e. Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind), and certain situations actually come with consequences (i.e. Rick's Potion #9). Wubba Lubba Dub Dub!
What I noticed early on and appreciate about the show is that the other family members got their fair share of... shine. They weren't just in the background, and... this continued from season 1 to four. I wasn't hating at all, but I was curious if the show was going to lose steam after season 1 and... it didn't go down. You even had episodes that continued where season 1 progress left off (Ricksy Business to Total Rickall), I like that even if it wasn't a consistent thing for the season... it still gave me confidence that it was moving forward... somewhere.
Outside of Season 2 holding it's own, we also saw some character growth in there... especially Rick. I won't say that Morty didn't grow, because Rick would say that he's begun growing a pair. That's bound to happen tagging along with someone who can cause you to attend your own funeral.
Season 3 didn't slow things up, it starts off with Rick's here, Rick's there, Rick's every flippingwhere... after that hook in Season 2! They also ventured back to something that occurred in season 1, which helped Morty and the ever evolving badass... Summer get access to Rick's portal gun. They didn't start off light in S3S1, I've watched that episode like 4 or 5 times.
I don't want to drop a spoiler on you, but... I'm glad that Jerry ended up getting his own space. Jerry can be annoying sometimes, but he is basically the chopped liver of Rick and Morty (kind of like Meg from Family Guy). It was good to see him get some sort of break from the rag fest, and it goes back to Rick... because he really jacked up any resemblance to a normal relationship. Beth chose daddy because she didn't want him out of her life again, which didn't mean that he had to be... but I was thinking about the same thing occurring with their children. Regardless, I'm glad he has his own space. I won't dish on Season 3 in full, but... The Rickchurian Mortydate was comical and brought things back down to earth (on the home front) as the hook going into season 4.
I give the team props, because they've been going hard... season after season with Tyson style uppercuts in the season openers. Season 4's opener was no different, I like the Akira concept and Rick actually tried to talk some sense into Morty. Yes... that Rick.
You go from sitting back in your seat wondering what the show's about in the first season... but then you sit up a few episodes in. You slide to the edge of your seat in season 2, falling on the floor in season 3, before you end up on a pillow on the floor in season 4... possibly wondering if your family judges you for watching such a crazy show. Rick literally fights a freaking God in a particular episode in season 4... acting as the stepdad of a civilization (which also showcased more of that unspoken tug of war between Rick & Jerry where the family often sides with Rick... just because).
That's not even the final episode of Season 4, but I won't even speak on the finale that gears you up for the latest season. It's just a weird crazy partially sexy good show... where family is still the centerpiece, even if you're unsure if they're clones of the originals, versions from other universes, or even... bots.
Since the creators don't limit themselves to what makes sense, sci fi could keep this show chugging for quite some time. I just hope the team knows how to take their bow whenever that time comes.
Visuals:Visuals are delivered in full 1080p HD video. The characters have sort of a plain look to them that reminds me of a really clean... doodle (that's the first thing that came to mind). This art style works for the show and doesn't put the show in a plain category at all, there is a lot going on here with crap-tons of eye catching visuals. Lazers, beautifully animated explosions, creepy looking aliens, and other visual effects.
The show intro is a perfect mesh of the art you can expect on the show... and once you get your hands on Rick And Morty: The Complete Seasons 1 - 4, you will notice how the intro is tweaked to reflect the new season.
Speaking of visuals... here's some Rick and Morty vs. Genocider love directed by Takashi Sano.
Audio + Extras:The audio is... solid and interesting. You definitely get the sci-fi vibe and these cool sound effects that sound sweet with the Blu-Ray 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
Before you check out the extras... check out this Rick & Morty X Run The Jewels love. Hit It!
Extras include:
Season 1:
Commentaries for Every Episode
Animatics for Every Spisode
Behind the Scenes
Deleted Scenes
Season 2:
Commentaries for Every Episode
Animatics for Every Episode
Deleted Animatic Sketches
Rick and Morty Season 2 Premier Party Featuring Chaos Chaos
Season 3: Commentaries for Every Episode Animatics for Every Episode "Inside the Episode" for Every Episode Exclusive "Inside the Recording Booth" Origins of Rick and Morty Part 1 & 2
Season 4: A Day at Rick and Morty: Inside Season 4 "Inside the Episode" for Every Episode Creating Snake Jazz Directing Rick and Morty Samurai and Shogun Prop Process Character Creation Animation Challenges
As you this is a pure fanfest... and I usually see content stuffed in collections when teams want you to get more than a small dose of the extras they have to offer. I'll continue my thoughts on this in the price category because... (hmmm) let's just get to the price.
Price: Pricewise... Rick And Morty: The Complete Seasons 1 - 4 comes in at an SRP of $79.99 SRP on DVD and $89.99 SRP on Blu-Ray (add $10 on that for Canada). The single season DVD and Blu-Ray + Digital Copy are similar in price... so I can't say that it's overpriced, but if you want to save... grab it here. The total runtime of Rick and Morty action is over 900 minutes plus the poster!
Rick and Morty: The Complete Seasons 1 - 4 is a damn good time, and the extras feel like the backstage pass that includes a trip to the studio. So if you're a fan of the show, you have more than enough extras to indulge in.