BenQ AK900ST Golf Sim Projector: First Look
Quick summary· AI-generated
Reid Colson attended a BenQ press event where the AK900ST was side-by-side tested against a Panasonic VMQ65BU commercial projector on identical golf sim content. Key observations include superior grass texture rendering without visible noise, more natural turf color grading across different course types (Augusta Zoysia vs. Torrey Pines ryegrass, etc.), and stronger depth perception that preserves the illusion of water hazards and green separation — critical for realism in simulator play. BenQ emphasized color fidelity as a core differentiator, with a presentation on how different famous courses use different grass species that require distinct rendering.
Excerpt from Yardstick Golf
Two projectors, both 4K, both showing the same stretch of fairway. Within a few seconds I could tell the difference between them.
That was the setup at the Westin Dallas Stonebriar Golf resort last week, where BenQ gathered about twenty golf sim content creators — along with people from Uneekor and Carl’s Place — to introduce the AK900ST, its new golf simulator projector. Rather than lead with a slide deck, BenQ put the new unit next to a Panasonic VMQ65BU, a 6,500-lumen 4K laser LCD projector that is a legitimately strong commercial unit — which is exactly why the comparison means something. Both machines were fed the same course from the same software, on the same screen, under the same room lighting. The projector was the only variable.
BenQ AK900ST (left) vs. Panasonic VMQ65BU (right). Same content, same screen, same lighting — the only variable was the projector.
What I saw
I went to the tall grass around the tee box first, because that’s where sim images usually give themselves away. On the Panasonic, the tall grass had a faint fizz to it: the moving grass shimmered with noise, like static sitting on top of the fairway. On the BenQ, the same blades waved in the wind without any noise and looked very natural. Color was the next tell. While both were very bright the BenQ’s colors read brighter and more like turf under real sun. And the detail separation was better: I could pick out details around the green with ease.
The thing I didn’t expect was depth. The BenQ image had a stronger sense that the water was down there and the green was out there . The exact depth cue that usually dies the moment a real course gets flattened onto a screen. If a sim’s whole job is to feel like golf from your mat, that’s the difference that matters most, and it’s why I kept drifting back to the left side of the wall.
We also got to see the projector in a brightly lit room as well. There were two bays setup. One with a curved screen and one with a flat screen. We had a long drive and closest to the pin contest. Sadly, I did not win either. . .
The color story
BenQ’s color pitch got its own slide, and it was a good one: “What Color Green?” with five turf swatches from five famous courses (Zoysia at Augusta, ryegrass at Torrey Pines, Bermuda at Pinehurst, bent grass at Oakmont, Kentucky bluegrass at Aronimink). All green. None the same. That was the point: a projector that flattens green into one shade makes every course look like the same course.
The AK900ST is…
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