Gaming
The right television for PlayStation, Xbox and Switch
120 hertz, VRR, low lag: what a television needs for gaming, which brands do it best and which settings make the difference.
Consoles demand more of a television than films do. They deliver up to 120 frames per second and fluctuating frame rates, and they require the picture to arrive without noticeable delay. Not every television manages that – and the differences are not on the price tag.
The four requirements
- HDMI 2.1 with 4K at 120 Hz: mandatory for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, pleasant for the Switch.
- VRR: evens out fluctuating frame rates and prevents torn frames.
- ALLM: switches to game mode automatically when the console starts.
- Low input lag: good sets stay under ten milliseconds in game mode.
How many ports?
This is the most common annoyance after purchase. Many televisions have only two HDMI 2.1 ports, and one of them is the eARC port for the soundbar. Anyone with two consoles and a soundbar needs a set with four full ports – or a soundbar with HDMI pass-through.
OLED or Mini-LED for gaming?
OLED reacts fastest and shows motion without smearing. The worry about burnt-in graphics is unfounded on current sets for normal use; anyone who plays the same game with a fixed display for many hours every day is safer with Mini-LED. Mini-LED is also brighter – an advantage for daytime gaming in bright rooms.
The brands
LG has offered four HDMI 2.1 ports for years, a game menu with all the values and the widest choice of gaming functions. Samsung is on a par and has very bright sets, but forgoes Dolby Vision, which the Xbox uses. Sony has fewer ports but a particularly good picture and, on some models, functions tuned to the PlayStation. Philips, TCL and Hisense offer the essentials at lower prices, often with two ports.
Settings that make the difference
- Enable game mode or ALLM, otherwise lag exceeds 50 milliseconds.
- In the console, switch on 4K, 120 Hz, VRR and HDR; the television has to unlock the port for that ("enhanced HDMI format" or similar).
- Calibrate the console's HDR brightness on the television; most systems provide a test pattern for it.
- Check motion smoothing in game mode too – some sets leave it on.
Sound while gaming
Over eARC the sound goes losslessly to the soundbar; in games the delay of the sound matters as well. Good soundbars and amplifiers have a game mode or compensate the delay automatically. Headphones plugged straight into the console avoid the problem.
For families
A living room television has to do both: film in the evening, game in the afternoon. The current OLED sets from LG and Sony and the Mini-LED sets from Samsung do both. We set them up in your home with the console – your favourite game is the most honest test pattern.
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