Buying guide for best gaming TVs
Video games are one of the most popular forms of entertainment today. They provide hours of immersive play for gamers of all ages. In fact, many would argue that they prefer playing video games over watching TV or going to the movie theater.
While gaming computers hook up to gaming monitors and are played at gaming desks, the most complex and ambitious video games are often played on gaming consoles. These consoles often dwell in the living room, den, or game room. And instead of gaming monitors, they hook up to gaming TVs.
What is a gaming TV? It’s a television designed to keep up with the demands of video gameplay. When connected to a video gaming console, a gaming TV takes advantage of all the technologies gaming consoles offer. And with their fast, bright, vivid screens, gaming TVs are also great for watching TV shows and movies.
How to buy the best gaming TV
There are several factors to consider when shopping for a gaming TV. The most important of these are input lag, screen size, display technology, compatibility, and price.
Input lag or latency
The input lag, or latency, of a gaming TV may be considered the most important measure of how well it performs with games. A gaming TV’s input lag reflects the amount of time between a command being issued—a keyboard tap, mouse move, or controller twitch—and the screen response. Input lag is measured in milliseconds (ms). The lower the input lag, the lower the latency, and the faster and more responsive the action.
Size
Another key consideration when choosing a gaming TV is screen size. Console gamers usually sit much farther from their displays than desktop gamers, and the rules that apply to passive TV watching still apply to gaming TVs: The farther you sit from the screen, the bigger the screen needs to be.
The minimum diagonal screen size for a gaming TV is about 43 to 55 inches, with 77 on the high end. It’s commonly thought that the bigger a screen, the harder it is to drive the image, so huge-screen TVs might be too slow for fast-action console games.
Display technology
The majority of flatscreen TVs available use either LED or OLED displays. While the names sound different, these are two different technologies.
LED/QLED
LED (light-emitting diode) screens use an LED backlight to illuminate the pixels of an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen. LCD has been a ubiquitous display technology for decades, and LED screens can be considered part of LCD technology’s evolution.
A further advance in LED and LCD technology, developed and popularized by Samsung, is QLED (quantum dot LED TV), where the light from the LED backlight passes through a layer of so-called “quantum dots” that generate color before continuing on through an LCD and out to the eye. LED and QLED TVs are often brighter with more vivid color than OLED TVs.
OLED
OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens have pixels that emit their own colored light without the need for a backlight or LCD. OLED has sharper, clearer, and more defined contrast and black levels and essentially uniform viewing angles—the picture looks good from any angle, which is not often true of LED/LCD screens. OLED doesn’t currently get as bright as LED’s backlight, though, and can suffer from burn-in like old CRTs.
All things being equal, OLED is more often recommended for gaming TVs thanks to its speedier response to input, although QLED TVs can hold their own. A newer technology called microLED, with millions of microscopic individual OLEDs, avoids burn-in and may become more common in the near future.
Console
Game consoles have been known for pushing the envelope in terms of technological demands since their debut. The latest generation of gaming consoles, such as Sony’s PlayStation 5 or Microsoft’s Xbox X, have capabilities that would be wasted or unused if you were to connect them to a non-gaming-optimized TV or display.
Price
Despite the needs of cutting-edge consoles and the advanced technologies they use, it is possible to find gaming TVs that won’t break the bank. Remember that a good gaming TV is usually a good all-around TV, so you can think of it as an investment.
Gaming TV reviews often note the input lag at a specific resolution and refresh rate—for example, 10.5ms at 1080p/60 Hz. Higher resolutions can increase input lag or require lower refresh rates.
STAFF
BestReviews
Features of gaming TVs
Refresh rate
Refresh rate is the measure of how often the screen is updated. Look for gaming TVs with refresh rates that can go to 120 Hz or that advertise compatibility with variable refresh rate (VRR), where the display can change its refresh rate to match the frame rate (fps) of a console game. G-Sync, by Nvidia, and FreeSync, from AMD, are two variable refresh rate technologies you’re likely to see advertised on gaming TVs.
Response time
Response time refers to how fast a display’s pixels can change color. It’s measured in milliseconds gray-to-gray (ms GtG). A slow response time leads to ghosting, blurring, and smearing of the image in high-paced gameplay. A gaming TV should have a response time of below 6 ms GtG, and OLED TVs may have response times of 2 ms GtG or better.
Resolution
Resolution refers to the number of pixels in a display screen. When it comes to gaming, a very high resolution may not always be best, as high resolution often has higher input lag, lower refresh rates, and slower response times. For gaming resolution, 1080p remains a standard. However, 4K resolution TVs for gaming are becoming not just common but also capable thanks to advances in console power and connectivity.
HDMI 2.1
Gaming TVs connect to consoles typically by HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface). The version of HDMI a gaming TV uses allows it to take advantage of more recent features. Look for TVs with HDMI connections marked HDMI 2.1, which allows for huge amounts of information and commands to pass through its cables.
Gaming mode
If your TV has a gaming mode, activate it. Gaming mode is a setting that activates all the features and adjustments available for gameplay optimization. Resolution, refresh rate, variable refresh, input lag and latency, color, brightness, and more can be set to gaming-optimized values in a single command with gaming mode. In fact, some gaming TVs have the ability to switch to their gaming modes automatically when commanded by a console. This is called auto low-latency mode (ALLM).
DID YOU KNOW?
The human eye sees only up to 60 fps (frames per second), but the brain seems to be able to perceive information even faster. Frame rates of 120 fps with refresh rates to match supply that “unseen” information.
STAFF
BestReviews
Gaming TV accessories
HDMI 2.1 cables
Good HDMI cables can transmit big data loads between high-end consoles and gaming TVs. Get quality HDMI cables that match the inputs and outputs of your TV and console. If you have a gaming TV and a console that both support HDMI 2.1, get HDMI 2.1 cables.
Headsets and speakers
The display and images of a video game are enhanced by the ability to really hear and appreciate a game’s sounds, its sound FX, dialogue, and score. A good gaming headset, sound bar, floorstanding speakers, or surround sound system compatible with your gaming TV or console goes a long way toward creating a completely immersive gaming experience.
How much do gaming TVs cost?
Inexpensive
The most affordable gaming TVs cost between $300 and $600. Gaming TVs in this price range have smaller screen sizes and lack QLED or OLED screens, but they still have good input lag and response times and solid performance in refresh rates and resolutions. Some are highly competitive in terms of game mode features, ALLM, and VRR standards, not to mention good picture quality.
Mid-range
The mid-range of gaming TVs cost between $600 and $1,200. In this price range, you’ll find the best and most popular gaming TVs with high-quality QLED and OLED screens, low latency, variable refresh rates with G-Sync, FrameSync, or even both, HDMI 2.1 and ALLM, and more, at 1080p and 4K resolutions and generous screen sizes. These are excellent all-around TVs as well.
Expensive
Expensive gaming TVs cost $1,200 and above. Look for exceptional latency numbers, high refresh rates at high resolutions, and high-end features in picture and audio quality, including 8K resolutions and Micro-LED technology.
In professional video game tournaments, monitor screens are standardized at 24 inches in size and 1080p resolution. These settings allow for extremely fast frame rates.
STAFF
BestReviews
Gaming TV tips
- Turn your sharpness all the way down. High sharpness settings on a TV can add unpleasant artifacts to sharp edges in games.
- Keep your brightness medium. Games may have their own brightness settings that interact with your TV’s brightness, so keep your brightness in the middle until you perceive what level works best for you.
- Unlock your frame rate. Some TVs keep the frame rate consistent or locked to upgrade the look of older media, but in gameplay, this may increase lag.
- Turn off dynamic or auto-contrast to maximize visual detail in realistic games.
FAQ
Q. Is it better to use a monitor or TV for gaming?
A. Whether a monitor or a TV is better for gaming greatly depends on how you game—at a desk or on the couch. Monitors tend to offer better pure game performance than TVs, but TVs have better image quality and larger sizes. Desktop gamers should use game monitors, and console gamers will get the most bang for their buck with gaming TVs.
Q. Why do TVs cost less than monitors?
A. While monitors are specialized peripherals that emphasize display accuracy, and TVs are entertainment devices, a big factor in price disparity is simply having different markets. TVs, as mass consumer products, are often priced less than monitors at similar screen sizes because that’s what the market expects and can support.
Q. What are the disadvantages of using a TV as a monitor?
A. To date, TVs have had bigger pixels than monitors. A 55-inch TV and a 24-inch monitor may have the same 1080p resolution, but on a monitor, it’s sharper due to having more dots per inch (DPI) than the TV. Refresh rate and input lag are also typically better on monitors.
