Oh! Is that what those funny looking "hoods" are about? I thought for a second they might be functional, but I guess they're just decorative? "Gaming" equipment (monitors, chairs, mice, keyboards, etc.) rarely seems worth it to me, simply because they spend too much effort and cost on things that are non-functional, but make the thing look attractive to the target audience. I am not a part of that audience, so I find the esthetic rather garish most of the time.
The one exception for me is that I do like a couple of gaming mice. It's not so much for the hotkey functionality, but because they have a really high resolution, which makes mousing easier and more precise to me. Other than that, my setup is all really basic, office-style equipment, and I love it.
Hoods are for reducing reflections on the screen. They are functional, and are not (at least originally) a “gaming” feature. Somewhat common on high-end color-accurate displays. How useful they are depends on the lighting.
The monitors linked are actually quite good, the gaming styling they have is rather unfortunate.
> Oh! Is that what those funny looking "hoods" are about? I thought for a second they might be functional, but I guess they're just decorative?
The main use of those monitor hoods is to remove glare caused by ambient lighting.
They're common (and often included) accessories for displays intended to be used for photo editing, color grading, and similar types of work.
I was kind of surprised to see one on a "gaming" monitor though.
The one exception for me is that I do like a couple of gaming mice. It's not so much for the hotkey functionality, but because they have a really high resolution, which makes mousing easier and more precise to me. Other than that, my setup is all really basic, office-style equipment, and I love it.