Summary: this article is for console gamers looking for a monitor to enjoy 4k-content games on. Gamers focus on response time, refresh rate, color performance and connectivity to have a great console gaming experience.
Whether you're a PC gamer or a console gamer, the monitor you use can mean the difference between life and death in a game. To get the most out of your console games, you don’t only need a gaming PC with a powerful graphics solution, you'll also need a monitor that displays great visual effects without blurry images, flickering, tearing, and artifacts. We'll help you choose a good monitor that will deliver a smooth, immersive gaming experience.
If you’re a gamer, a bigger monitor is not necessarily better. Finding a monitor of the right size, with a suitable resolution, and within your budget is much more important. A 28-inch monitor offering enough screen real estate is essential, with a resolution of at least 1920 by 1080 pixels. If you have enough budget, a 4K monitor with an amazing 3,840 x 2,160 resolution (four times the resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels), will definitely give you a much better viewing/gaming experience. And, if you have ample budget, you can go for a larger curved monitor; that is a standard wide-screen monitor (the usual 16: 9 aspect ratio) which might take up a lot of room. Different from a flat panel, a curved monitor has a curve to make you feel a bit closer to the action, and make you more immersed in the game.
Every type of display technology has its advantages and disadvantages. Twisted Nematic (TN) panels are the most affordable panel type. Gamers love to use it because of the fast response time and refresh rates. But when you look at the monitor from a different angle, you’ll discover some color shifting. The best way to use this monitor is to sit in the front of the monitor when playing a game. Vertical Alignment (VA) panels have high contrast ratio, solid colors, and the ability to display deep blacks, but with one weakness: they might produce noticeable ghosting effects. Therefore, when choosing the VA panel, consumers need to make sure that their monitor is FreeSync- or Freesync 2-compatible to eliminate these ghosting effects. (*FreeSync and FreeSync 2 can only be supported by a FreeSync-compatible AMD Radeon GPU.) In-Plane Switching (IPS) panels have the best encompassing color quality, robust gray-scale performance, and wide viewing angles. They just cannot match the response time a TN monitor can provide and are prone to motion artifacts. Therefore, besides panel types, gamers also need to figure out what other specs they need to enjoy games to the fullest.
* To get the best console gaming experience, look for HDR monitors. HDR monitors can show details more clearly and vividly and achieve a more natural-looking image. With HDR technology, monitors will have Freesync and Freesync 2 implemented to get the best console-gaming experience. It does this by enhancing the brightness/darkness of signals and color range. FreeSync 2 can run both adaptive sync and HDR at the same time for an optimal gaming experience.
If you want to have better gaming experience, find a monitor equipped with a fast response time and a high refresh rate. Measured in milliseconds, the response time signifies the time a pixel needs to transition from one shade of gray to another (gray to gray, GtG); a fast response time helps remove the smearing of moving images, providing a smoother picture. A response time of 4 milliseconds is enough. Nowadays you can even find monitors with a 1ms response time, enhancing your gaming experience to the fullest.
The refresh rate of a monitor is the time (per second) it takes to update images on the screen; it is measured in Hertz (Hz). Most LCD monitors have a 60Hz refresh rate, meaning it can be refreshed 60 times per second. What is noteworthy is that fast moving images may appear blurry at this rate. To have a better gaming experience, go for a monitor with a 100Hz or the higher refresh rate, such as 144Hz, which will help reduce blurry images and eliminate tearing; this is a must if gamers would like to go for active 3D technology.
Note: game consoles like Xbox can adjust the refresh rate up to 120Hz. Choosing a monitor with higher refresh rates ensures that the refresh rate of consoles and monitors are consistent and gamers can enjoy the game without interference of smearing in pictures.
For gamers who value picture quality and smoothness, response time is the top priority. However, gamers who pay attention to an immersive gaming experience, may find color performance more essential. Color performance refers to a wider color space and the best visualization of dark areas. If a monitor has a wider color space, with at least 100% sRGB coverage, it can reproduce richer colors on the screen. If monitors can offer a wider color gamut, such as at least 90% of DCI-P3, games like the Last of Us will be much more enjoyable for its cinematic visual effect. Vibrant colors will render a more real gaming world and guarantees better immersion into the game. One more factor which may affect gaming is darker areas. VA panels are recommended for their great ability to display deep blacks; whether gaming under ambient light or in a dimly lit room, gaming will be more enjoyable with a VA panel.
A gaming monitor should be equipped with a variety of digital video inputs, so you can get connected to your PC and gaming consoles: the PS4 and Xbox. It’s ideal for a monitor to provide the below features:
It’s also important to choose a gaming monitor with a stand; such a design will offer ergonomic comfort with height, tilt, and swivel adjustments for gamers pulling all-nighters. If you’re not one of those, at least find a monitor with tilt adjustment; tilting your monitor from -5 to 15 degree will guarantee better viewing comfort.
After reviewing the basic specs a console gaming monitor requires: response time, refresh rate, color performance and also connectivity, you, as a gamer, must know how to pick your dream monitor to obtain an optimal gaming experience. If further features are required to enjoy console games, be sure to buy one with eye protection features. These will bring you excellent viewing comfort, free from digital eye strain.
* BenQ’s Premium Models with best specs to provide gamers with Excellent Console-gaming Experience
EL2870U |
EW3270U |
EX3203R |
EX3501R |
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Size and Resonlution | EL2870U 28" 3840x2160 | EW3270U 31.5" 3840x2160 | EX3203R 31.5" 2560x1440 | EX3501R 35" 3440x1440 |
Panel Type | EL2870U TN | EW3270U VA | EX3203R VA | EX3501R VA |
Response Time | EL2870U 1 ms | EW3270U 4 ms | EX3203R 4 ms | EX3501R 4 ms |
Color Gamut | EL2870U 72% NTSC | EW3270U 93% DCI-P3 | EX3203R 90% DCI-P3 | EX3501R 100% SRGB |
HDR | EL2870U HDR10 | EW3270U HDR10 | EX3203R DisplayHDR400 HDR10 | EX3501R HDR10 |
Console Games Recommended | EL2870U Battlefield/ Call of Duty / Halo | EW3270U Resident Evil / Tomb Raider /Anthem | EX3203R Forza / Need for speed/ | EX3501R GTA5/ Assasin’s Creed |