BenQ on Thursday announced the AK900ST and AK800ST, two 4K laser short-throw projectors built specifically for golf simulators. The AK900ST is priced at $5,999 and the AK800ST at $3,999. BenQ says both will be available later this month from BenQ.com and authorized resellers.

The AK900ST becomes the top model in BenQ’s golf simulator range, with the AK800ST one step below. Both use a built-in camera to fit the image to flat or curved impact screens automatically, add motorized autofocus, and introduce what BenQ calls Golf Mode 2.0, a picture mode that uses AI video processing to tune color and contrast for simulator software.

01 First Look Video

Golf Simulator Videos, the YouTube channel run by Lasco Press publisher Jay Lasco, was at BenQ’s launch event and filmed a first look with Bob Wudeck, BenQ’s senior director of business development, beside a working AK800ST. The projector in the video is running GSPro on a new curved impact screen from Carl’s Place, in a room with the lights on.

02 First Impressions From the Demo Room

Two things stood out to Lasco at the event. The first was curved-screen setup. BenQ said it advanced the algorithm from the original Auto Screen Fit for these models, and Wudeck says in the video that the new version “makes setting up a curved screen a breeze.”

The second was a side-by-side comparison BenQ ran in another room, with the AK900ST next to a projector of nearly the same lumen rating. “The BenQ 900 ST looked brighter. It looked sharper,” Lasco says in the video. He also pointed to color separation: grass that looks right without pulling the other colors in the scene along with it.

That comparison was BenQ’s own demonstration, and the other projector is not named in the video. It is a first impression, not a controlled test. Golf Simulator Videos says a full unboxing, installation and setup video of the AK900ST will follow.

03 The Two Models

BenQ positions the AK900ST as the larger, brighter unit for big rooms and commercial bays, and the AK800ST as the smaller one for home simulator rooms that double as theaters.

BenQ AK900ST

$5,999

6,000 lumens • 4K UHD laser • lens shift

• Throw ratio 0.81 to 0.89 with 1.1x zoom
• Lens shift: ±60% vertical, ±23% horizontal
• 22.5 lb (10.2 kg)
• BenQ’s pick for ceilings over 9.5 ft

Email for AK900ST Pricing

Full AK900ST details at BenQ

BenQ AK800ST

$3,999

5,000 lumens • 4K UHD laser • wider throw range

• Throw ratio 0.69 to 0.83 with 1.2x zoom
• No lens shift listed
• 13.0 lb (5.9 kg)
• BenQ’s pick for 8.5 to 9.5 ft ceilings

Email for AK800ST Pricing

Full AK800ST details at BenQ

Feature for feature the two are close. Both are DLP laser projectors with 4K UHD resolution, the same 3,000,000:1 claimed contrast, 97% Rec. 709 color coverage, and the same setup tools. The price difference comes down to brightness, optics and size.

04 AK900ST vs AK800ST Specs

05 Throw Distance and Room Fit

Throw ratio is the distance from lens to screen divided by image width, so it decides where the projector has to hang. The AK800ST’s 0.69 to 0.83 range gives more freedom in shallower rooms. The AK900ST’s 0.81 to 0.89 range needs more depth for the same image.

What the AK900ST gives back is lens shift: ±60% vertical and ±23% horizontal. That lets the projector hang higher or off-center while the image is moved optically. BenQ says lens shift preserves full optical 4K quality. Digital keystone and warping, by contrast, rescale the image.

BenQ’s spec sheet lists no lens shift for the AK800ST, only a fixed 102.5% offset. Image position on that model comes from where it is mounted, with keystone and Auto Screen Fit handling the rest.

Both models keep the optics of the projectors they sit above. BenQ’s spec sheets list the same 0.81 to 0.89 throw ratio, 1.1x zoom and lens shift range for the AK900ST and the older LK936ST, and the same 0.69 to 0.83 ratio, 1.2x zoom and 102.5% offset for the AK800ST and the AK700ST. An owner moving up from either older model should be able to keep roughly the same mounting distance.

06 Setup: The Camera Does the Alignment

Lining up a projector on an impact screen, especially a curved one, is usually the slowest part of a simulator build. Most of what is new on these two models is aimed at that job.

07 Golf Mode 2.0 and the AI Claims

Golf Mode is BenQ’s simulator picture preset, tuned for course greens, sand and sky. Version 2.0 on the new models adds what BenQ describes as frame-based AI video processing, which adjusts color, contrast and detail as the image changes.

BenQ said at the event that the processing runs on the projector itself, not on the simulator PC. Wudeck described it as working on textures and lighting in the incoming image, paired with a wider color space, and named newer simulator software such as Uneekor GameDay as the reason for building it.

BenQ’s case for 4K is that simulator images are mostly static, so soft detail is easier to spot than in a fast-moving film. It says both projectors put 8.3 million addressable pixels on screen. At the event Wudeck set that against roughly 2 million pixels for 1080p and about 4 million for projectors that use what he called 4K enhancement.

In Europe, where the projectors were first announced on August 31, BenQ markets the same processing as AI Sim Sense and calls the pair the world’s first AI golf projectors. That is BenQ’s claim. How much the processing improves on the existing Golf Mode is something only side-by-side testing will show.

08 After the Round: Movies and Gaming

BenQ cites a February 2026 survey of 500 U.S. respondents in which two-thirds of simulator owners said they also use the room for movies, sports or gaming. Both projectors support HDR10 and HLG, include a Cinema mode with 24p playback, and switch to low-latency mode automatically when a console is connected.

Scene Memory is what makes the switch practical. Lasco’s example in the video is one saved profile for GSPro, another for Uneekor GameDay and a third for movies, each recalled with one button.

Listed input lag is 18.1 ms at 4K/60Hz, 9.7 ms at 1080p/120Hz and 4.8 ms at 1080p/240Hz. Wudeck put the 1080p gaming figure at “under 5 milliseconds,” which lines up with the spec sheet. 4K is displayed at 60Hz, and the higher refresh rates run at 1080p. Each projector has three HDMI inputs, with eARC on one for passing audio to a receiver or soundbar. Both spec sheets also list two USB-A ports, LAN, RS-232 and a 3.5 mm audio output.

09 Where They Fit in BenQ’s Lineup

BenQ describes the AK900ST as its new flagship, building on the LK936ST. On BenQ’s golf product hub it joins that 5,100-lumen model in the tier for large rooms. The AK800ST sits above the 4,000-lumen AK700ST among the auto-setup models for medium rooms. The earlier models remain listed on BenQ’s site.

For how the wider field compares, Golf Simulator Videos keeps a running guide to the best golf simulator projectors.

10 Price and Availability

The AK900ST is $5,999 and the AK800ST is $3,999 in the United States. BenQ’s October 1 announcement says both will be available “later this month” at BenQ.com and through authorized BenQ resellers. As of publication neither is on sale in the United States yet. A remote is included. BenQ lists the universal ceiling mount and the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth dongle as optional accessories.

For the best current pricing and help choosing between the two, email Jay Lasco of Golf Simulator Videos at a98cr125@gmail.com.

11 What We Do Not Know Yet

• Measured performance. The brightness, color and input lag figures above are BenQ’s, and Golf Simulator Videos has so far seen the projectors only at BenQ’s event. Independent measurements have not been published.
• The on-sale date. BenQ has said only that both arrive later in October.
• How much Golf Mode 2.0 adds. BenQ has not published a comparison against the first-generation Golf Mode.
• Regional differences. BenQ’s European announcement mentions dual-source picture-in-picture. We did not find it in the US release or on the US product pages.

12 Frequently Asked Questions