Ivan Berger recently tested using dual screens and found that is was not only easy to set up but it boosted his productivity. His article (via HowToWeb) in the New York Times also explains why dual screens are frequently used by gamers.
With a single monitor, I could jump between applications with a mouse click or a keyboard command (Alt-Tab, in Windows), but not nearly as fast - and small delays add up when you repeat them dozens or even hundreds of times a day. With my dual displays, I simply sweep my mouse from one screen to the other.
Speed is one reason computer game players use multiple monitors. "If you're trying to take over the world, it's rather helpful," says Bill Blomgren, a computer consultant in Charlotte, N.C.
Video game enthusiasts use as many monitors as they can find the money and the desk space for. "Some of my hard-core gamer buddies rock three, even four, monitors for really immersive 3-D shooters," says John Walsh, a writer and reporter for the cable channel G4TV in Los Angeles.
Many games, especially those that offer a choice of camera views (including Quake and Doom), are explicitly designed for multiple screens, but the option seems most popular for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Users of that program may use separate screens for the instrument panel, maps, panoramic views ahead, views to the side, and exterior views of their virtual aircraft. (A sampling is at www.wideview.it.)
The Wideview site says WidevieW can be used to "create virtual cockpits with multiple monitor support, using networked PCs." But dual monitors can be used for more than just Flight Simulator. Maybe you want your game on one monitor and work, news or a social network site on the other. Some helpful article about how to set-up dual monitors can be found at Lifehacker, Microsoft and PC World. Drew Dunn also has an article that explains how to set up multple monitors.
