For Your Gaming Pleasure – What Should Gamer’s be Looking for when Buying a TV?

Buying a new TV can be tricky and if you are a gamer, it could be even a more head scratching experience.

Gaming has grown as a powerhouse industry over the years, with a predication that the revenue gained in 2020 is set to top $159 billion, which is a 9.3% growth from last year.

This large growth in some part can be accredited to COVID-19, as many people turned to gaming as an option to overcome the monotony of day to day life.

Gaming includes not only console games, but mobile games as well, with an estimated total of 2.5 billion gamers worldwide.

Jaco Joubert, SKYWORTH brand manager says the question is not always what game to play, but how to make gaming more exciting, and it all comes down to the screen you are playing on.

“Gamers are always looking for an immersive experience when playing their favourite games, and when it comes to how the visuals are depicted on the screen, an experience needs to be created.

So, what should a gamer be looking for when purchasing a TV?

Lag time

This is the most important feature of any gaming TV. Simply put this refers to the amount of time between the press of a button on the console controller and the in-game action reaction on the television. When measuring the corresponding lag time anything under 50ms is considered good, and anything under 25ms deemed excellent, which is recommended for multi-player games. If your lag time is too high this puts the gamer at a disadvantage and can be extremely off-putting while immersed in a game.

Resolution

Right now most newer console games on the market support 4K and have an output of 1080p which works well with all current recent TV models. However, as mentioned before, newer consoles are to be launched soon and this is where your current TV may fall short. If gaming is a huge part of your life, buying a future proof TV is the best option. “When purchasing a 4K TV choose one that is 45” or more – anything smaller will dull the effects and the gaming experience,” comments Joubert. An HDR TV is also a brilliant choice as it creates lifelike images which are noticeable on any screen size. HDR creates an image with dark blacks, bright whites and well-defined details, and is already supported on current gaming consoles.

OLED vs LCD

There is the debate whether OLED is better than LCD for the purpose of gaming, although, there are pros and cons for both. OLED TVs can turn off individual pixels and does not use a backlight, therefore transmitting images that are crisp and high-contrasted. OLED’s with a 120Hz refresh rate is the perfect choice for gaming, especially if you are looking for high quality images and a fast response time. However, there is the worry that OLED TV’s are more prone to burn-in, whereas an LCD option can allow gamers to spend longer hours playing without worrying.

Connectivity

Most current consoles need an HDMI port to be able to work. However, the new consoles coming onto the market may shake up the industry. One of the requirements to play games in 4K using one of the soon to be launched consoles is a HDMI2.0 cable and port to ensure 60fps performance at 4K Ultra HD resolution. If you are purchasing a TV to game on make sure that the correct ports are available for your console of choice.

Now that you have all the technical knowledge to make an informed decision, look at the Skyworth brand.

With its high refresh rate, high response rate and optimal lag time, the SKYWORTH S9A OLED TV is the perfect companion for gamers, a 4K HDR TV with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Combined with the fast response of an OLED Panel, the Chameleon Extreme picture enhancement uses AI technology to detect, recognise and reconstruct individual images to reproduce the best picture quality and can attain up to a 1ms response rates in order to achieve a full range of anti-blur effects.

While burn in was a common problem when OLED TVs first launched, technology has since improved to avoid this happening.

Joubert says the S9A is perfect for gamers to indulge in their gaming experience and is a future-proof purchase when it comes to the development of gaming consoles and gaming as a whole.