ARTICLE
Best TVs For Gaming
May 4, 2023-4 min read
Calling all Fortnite, Minecraft and Call of Duty gamers, it’s time to upgrade your gaming experience. Here is our guide featuring the best TVs for your Xbox, PlayStation, and other gaming consoles. Power-up your reaction time with a high refresh rate, never lose a valuable second with low input lag and envisage yourself in the game with Ultra High Definition.
What TV Features Are Best For Gaming?
Low Input Lag
If you play high-intensity action games like Call of Duty or Fortnite, you know that missing half a millisecond due to a TV lag can be detrimental to your gaming performance and can often mean the difference between virtual life and death. Therefore, you need a TV with low input lag.
Input lag is the time between your TV receiving a signal and displaying it on the screen. It generally ranges from 15-80 milliseconds with -40 deemed as low and -20 outstanding.
High Refresh Rate
The images that your game displays on the TV screen are a series of still picture frames refreshing at an extreme rate. A 60Hz TV will refresh your game’s picture frames at 60 times per second, and a 120Hz TV at 120 times per second and so on.
OLED TV technology works to diffuse motion blur and produce a clearer and smoother picture. QLED TV technology is also extremely reactive and has an almost instant response time, making either an OLED or QLED TV a quality choice for avid gamers.
“OLED TV technology works to diffuse motion blur and produce a clearer and smoother picture. QLED TV technology is also extremely reactive and has an almost instant response time.”
Ultra High Definition
Envisage yourself in the game with the sharp, lifelike detail of a 4K or 8K TV. The Ultra High Definition (UHD) that features in a 4K or 8K TV offers a vibrant colour range and a crisp picture quality so that you can say goodbye to pixelated TV imaging and hello to the ultimate gaming experience.
Introducing HDR (High-Dynamic-Range)
By far one of the biggest advances in video game console technology has been the shift to HDR. To take full advantage of game graphics and console features, you’ll likely need to have a HDR compatible TV.Essentially, HDR is what makes games look so darn great these days. It allows for more visual detail to be packed into each scene – details that are typically lost due to the contrast of light and dark on a normal TV. Pretty cool, huh?When you choose your 4K TV, make sure you ask to make sure it's HDR compatible. Future you will thank you when they’re sinking hoop after hoop playing NBA 2K20.ⓘ TIP: To ensure your game looks and feels its best, it's important to ensure your console has a 4K or HDR output, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 are most compatible for this.
Stream Your Games
Open up a new world of games with a Smart TV. With internet connectivity, your Smart TV can stream games from various online apps and websites, so that you will never be limited to just your physical game collection.Explore a wide range of online games, including anything from ancient tombs and outer space to race car tracks and tennis courts, so that no matter what games you like to play, there will always be something fun and new for you to try.
4K TVs
First, What Is 4K? To help you understand just how crisp a 4K TV is, you first need to wrap your mind around the screen resolution. 4K refers to the screen’s horizontal display resolution and it’s around 4,000 pixels. So, when it comes to looking at anything on screen, the higher the resolution, the more information can be displayed, which is what gives you a better image.The screen resolution of a 4K television isn’t the only perk. These TVs are built for gamers and it’s virtually impossible not to find a good one. If you want to know which 4K TV is best for gaming, look no further – we’ve got it covered.
What To Look For In A 4K TV For Gaming
Is a 4K TV worth it for gaming? Absolutely! And the best part? There’s a stack of choices when it comes to 4K TVs, and it will largely come down to your budget and how much space you have at home.To get started, let’s take a look at a few things you need to consider before you buy.Response TimeThis is probably the biggest factor when it comes to choosing a 4K TV for gaming. Response time – or your TV’s input lag – is the time it takes from when you press a button on your controller to when the action appears on your screen. The longer it takes your TV to register the action, the longer the lag (and the greater your frustration, we bet!). An input lag rating below 25ms is best so make sure you do some research.Refresh RateSimply put, the refresh rate is how many times per second the image on a TV changes. It’s a number in hertz (or Hz) and the higher the number, the less motion blur you’ll see. This is ideal for gaming because there’s so much action happening on the screen ALL the time. A smooth and crisp picture means you are less likely to miss any hidden (or not so hidden) details of the game you’re playing.ConnectivityTo connect your PS4 or other gaming console to your 4K TV, you’re likely going to need a HDMI cable. Plus, the newer consoles are always shaking things up when it comes to connectivity, mostly to make your gaming experience better than ever. So, it’s important to check that the TV you’re looking at has the right built-in ports.
Intergalactic Sound
Match your cinematic gaming imagery with quality immersive sound and look for a TV that has Dolby Atmos. Dolby Atmos is a speaker system built into a wide range of brand’s TVs, and it can help to transform gaming into a lifelike, virtual reality experience.
If you already have a TV but are looking to upgrade your audio, try a Dolby Atmos sound bar. Sound bars are external sound systems that can adjust your TVs sound based on your gaming needs, ensuring you always feel part of the action.
Shop Gaming TVs
Sony 65" X90L 4K BRAVIA XR Full Array LED TV
Samsung 77" S90C 4K OLED Smart TV
Hisense 85" A7KAU 4K UHD Smart TV
Our team at The Good Guys are always happy to provide expert advice on the best TV to cater your needs. Feel free to come in-store or explore more online. Don’t forget to check out our other tips on finding the best TV for watching sport and best TV for streaming movies.
