Electronic Gaming Monthly: Larger Than Life

Sure, your 20-inch Zenith has stuck with you since Mario dropped his first ’shroom, but you know deep down it’s time to experience your games on a screen wider than a yard stick. Before you hightail it to your local electronics store to drop serious cash on a massive high-definition boob tube, have you thought about a projector? They’re cheaper, easier to lug around, and will give you a screen, oh, about 6 feet across. We break down three popular models, coupled with games that demand to be played large.

InFocus ScreenPlay 4805

www.infocushome.com

Price: $1,500

Ratio: 16:9 and 4:3

Perfect for: GTA: San Andreas

GTA’s thug-life story and visuals deserve your living room wall. Rolling down the casino strip and gawking at the neon—or just cruising in your jump jet—will seem all too real when your pimped-out low-rider or plane is 5 feet across on this decked-out, first-class projector. The only drawback? You’ll have to crank up the volume on your hi-fi to drown out the hum of this unit’s somewhat noisy fan. Nothing a little Cypress Hill and a shotgun can’t fix (begging the lyric “how

I could just kill

a fan”).

Mitsubishi SE2U

www.mitsubishi-presentations.com

Price: $995

Ratio: 16:9 and 4:3

Perfect for: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Mitsubishi has won awards for its high-end business projectors, so we’re jazzed to see its first consumer model come in at an entry-level price—and just in time for Metroid Prime 2. If the game is all about creating ambience by wrapping you in Samus’ suit and dropping you on an alien world, then why not bring that be-there feeling right to your living room? The projector’s robust package of features will have you soiling your spacesuit when the action seems a bit too in your face.

Screening Room

If you go the projector route, you better save some wall space. Like all projectors, a reflective surface will make your games and movies look oh so nice. Those of you who own a home (or have a really nice landlord) should nab a jug of special paint called Screen Goo ($50, goosystems.com) and paint the area of the wall that will act as your screen, being sure to mask it off for a clean rectangular edge. Or you can drop an extra $250 for a screen from Da-Lite (da-litehometheater.com) or Draper (www.draperinc.com). They come in all varieties, but we figure an average user will want a high-contrast white screen at least 6 feet across with a theater-style 16:9 ratio, and that can be mounted to the wall or ceiling and tucked away as needed.

Boxlight Raven

xbox.boxlight.com

Price: $980

Ratio: 16:9 and 4:3

Perfect for: Halo 2

If you wanna play big on Xbox, might as well go with a projector created to match the system’s look. And experiencing Halo 2 6 feet high on this sexy HDTV-ready projector is better than sex. If the single-player experience blown out in super-sharp progressive scan isn’t enough to jump-start your heart, invite your chums over for splitscreen, where each of you will have the equivalent of a 32-inch TV for your quarter section of the screen. Quite literally: killer. Even better: the unit is selling for under a grand for a limited time.

Projector 101

We wish owning a projector was as easy as owning a TV, but it ain’t. So take a minute or two and read these helpful tips.

Is wider better?

Most TVs are nearly square in shape, or 4:3 ratio. Theaters are more rectangular, or 16:9 ratio. Projectors come in both sizes, so ask yourself, “How many widescreen games do you play? How many movies will you watch?” These days, 16:9-ratio projectors are a safe bet, since they can also handle 4:3.

Bulbous pricing

Before you go hog wild leaving your projector on all day and night, listen up: Projector bulbs cost about $350 a pop. Thankfully, the average life for a bulb is around 4,000 hours. That means if you use your projector about 10 hours per week, you’ll only need to buy a new bulb once every few years or so.

You down with DLP?

Projectors have different technology inside to make them work, basically between LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and DLP (Digital Light Projection). While each has its pros and cons, for average consumer use there aren’t a ton of differences. Just keep in mind DLP projectors are usually cheaper, so if you’re on a budget, it’s the way to go.

Follow the lumens

Since brighter bulbs make for crisper imagery, you’ll want to nab a projector with around 1,000 lumens.

Sound off

Although projectors come with audio inputs and built-in speakers, they often pump out tinny sound that in no way matches the grandiose visuals. You’re best off hooking your consoles into a proper surround-sound system.

High def in da house

Most projectors above a grand are HDTV-compatible and support progressive scan, which makes for sharper visuals in XB games, most GC titles, and a few PS2 games. Just make sure you spring for component cables. P