Come with me to the ultrawide gang: This curved gaming monitor is still on sale, and a Cyber Monday steal at this price

Shortly after getting my first ultrawide monitor several years ago, I became a proud member of the "ultrawide gang" — a group of truly cultured PC gamers that enthusiastically use and sing the praises of the wider display form factor. As much as I've come to strongly prefer the 21:9 aspect ratio, though, there's always been one problem that tends to make it a tough sell: pricing. These days, it's difficult to find an ultrawide gaming monitor that's under $500, and many high-end options have price tags that exceed $1,000.

For many players, that means taking advantage of things like the Cyber Monday holiday shopping sales event is absolutely crucial if you want to invest in an ultrawide without breaking the bank. There are lots of great deals on 21:9 monitors available right now, but by far, the best one I've seen is this huge 37% off markdown on the HP OMEN 34c that cuts the price down to just $299.99 on Amazon. That's a significant $180 taken off its $479.99 MSRP, making this an absolute steal of a discount.

Join the Ultrawide Gang

HP OMEN 34c Curved Gaming Monitor
Was: $479.99
Now: $349.99 at HP

"The HP OMEN 34c is on the pricier side of gaming monitors, but the fact that it offers that sweet 1500R curved screen, a 165Hz refresh rate, and a 1ms response time keeps it from being overpriced. Its speed allows it to keep up with your gaming needs while providing great color accuracy and solid contrast (as long as you have the display in Gaming or Native mode)." — Rebecca Spear, Gaming Editor

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

✅Perfect for: PC gamers that want a large, high-quality ultrawide curved gaming monitor with great colors, solid contrast, a 1ms response time, and an easy setup process

❌Avoid if: You don't like ultrawide, want a display brighter than 400 nits, need USB ports or a webcam, or are planning to rely on your monitor for sound

Features: 34-inch WQHD (3440x1440) VA display w/ 165Hz, 1ms GtG, HDR, 1500R curvature, AMD FreeSync Premium; 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4 ports; 23.35 lb (10.59 kg) weight
Warranty: One-Year Warranty
Launch date: 2023

👉See at: HP

Return period: 30 days. Price match? No. Free shipping: Yes. Membership: Various HP memberships offer a variety of discounts.

Ultrawide gaming for just $350 is fantastic

Playing games at 21:9 ultrawide will likely take some time to get used to, especially if you've never tried it out before and have gamed exclusively on 16:9 screens for many years. With that said, I quickly ended up falling in love with the wider peripheral vision that 3440x1440 resolution affords you, and can't imagine going back. Not only does a broader view give you a noteworthy advantage in games like shooters where being acutely aware of your surroundings is important, but it also allows you to take in more of a game's world at once and bask in the Immersion™. I find that I appreciate that aspect of ultrawide the most when playing single player RPGs, but it enhances my experience across many different genres.

But why get this ultrawide monitor? Well, aside from the fact that $350 is a fantastic price for one, it's 34 inches — this is generally considered to be the ideal size for ultrawide gaming — with a subtle 1500R curve, great colors, support for HDR, solid contrast, AMD FreeSync Premium for eliminating screen tearing, a speedy low-lag 1ms response time, and a sweet refresh rate of 165Hz. Put simply, it looks awesome, has most of the bells and whistles gamers are looking for these days, and can support gaming at up to 144 FPS as long as you've got a PC with hardware capable of pushing your framerates that high.

Of course, it's not without its drawbacks. As my colleague Rebecca Spear touched on in her 4/5 review of the HP OMEN 34c, the lack of USB ports on the monitor's chassis means that you can't hook up PC gaming peripherals through it; many other monitors have slots like these. There's not a webcam, either, and the display's speakers leave much to be desired as well. I'll also note that a peak brightness of 400 nits may be too dim for you if your setup is in a room with lots of bright, natural lightning.

Ultimately, though, the absence of USB ports isn't a huge problem since your PC tower will have several of its own, and I'm sure most people use a headset or dedicated speakers instead of their monitor's when enjoying their games. If you can look past those issues and aren't affected much by the other ones, you'll have a crazy affordable high-quality ultrawide gaming monitor on your hands. Just make sure to take advantage of HP's $350 Cyber Monday price for the OMEN 34c ASAP, as it's impossible to know how long the offer will stick around. Alternatively, have a look at the best Cyber Monday gaming monitor deals we've found on other panels for some additional options to consider.