Gaming Monitors- A Guide to Next-Generation Gaming Monitors

Introduction

A gaming monitor is an output device that is built specifically for virtual gaming. They are built to maximise the visual quality of the GPU (graphics processing unit) and CPU (central processing unit) output while playing games. They are crucial in any gaming computer in order to provide the most immersive and rich experience possible. Today’s gaming monitors are imbued with all the features a gamer can dream of - high colour range, eye protection technology and high refresh rates that take gaming up a notch. Therefore, gaming monitors with different features are widely used among gamers for virtual gaming. As per our analysis, the shipments of gaming monitors reached more than 19 million in the year 2022.

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Display Technologies Used in Gaming Monitors

Previously, computer monitors and even televisions used cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays. They were extremely bulky in size and used up a lot more energy than the monitors of today.

Let’s look at some of the latest display technologies being used in gaming monitors.

• LCD- A flat-panel display that makes use of polarizers and the light-modulating capabilities of liquid crystals is known as a liquid-crystal display (LCD). These crystals create images in colour or monochrome using a backlight or reflector. LCD has evolved over time and is now available in various types such as IPS, VA and TN panels.
• IPS Panel Technology- In IPS (in-plane switching) panels, two glass surfaces are bonded with a film of liquid crystals. The liquid crystal particles are arranged in specified directions parallel to those surfaces (in-plane). An electric field is applied, which causes the molecules to reposition themselves while essentially remaining parallel to the surfaces, creating a picture. IPS Panels have a better and wider viewing angle, meaning that people can watch the screen without being directly in front of it. They also are more vibrant and offer better contrast than TN (twisted nematic) panels. Moreover, their excellent colour accuracy and consistency on the screen make them a perfect choice for most users today. Owing to these features, they are offered at a higher price point than other TN and VA (Vertical Alignment) panels.
• VA (Vertical alignment) Panel Technology- VA panels are frequently used by TV manufacturers because they provide the best contrast ratios. VAs fall short of IPS panels' capability in terms of viewing angles, and screen brightness can change depending on the angle from which it’s being watched. In comparison to TNs and the more recent Nano IPS panels with their one-millisecond reaction speeds, VAs have longer response times. High refresh rates (240 Hz) VA monitors are available, although the added delay may make motion blur and ghosting worse. Hence they are ideal for casual gamers, but not for professional gaming displays.
• TN (Twisted Nematic) Panel Technology- TN monitors often cost the least and are regarded as the original LCD, making them the panel type with the oldest history. Their speed of response is their greatest asset. TN panels can achieve 240Hz while the frequency of most other displays is 130–210Hz. Keep in mind that if the display component responds slowly, games will have poor motion blur, smearing, and ghosting. The TN panels' constrained viewing angles are their main flaw. This implies that seeing something from a wide angle will reveal a significant colour change and a minor visual fading. In a nutshell, TN Panels are ideal for gamers who want the fastest response time, especially in multiplayer games, and are willing to compromise a bit on image quality.
• OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode)- An organic light-emitting diode has an organic compound film that generates light in response to electric current. This organic layer is placed between two electrodes, of which at least one is a transparent electrode. OLED displays don't require backlights as they produce their own visible light. As a result, they may show deep black depths and be more compact and lightweight than an LCD panel.
• Active-Matrix (AMOLED)- In the light-emitting and thin-film display technology known as the active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), organic electroluminescent chemicals are deposited on a base layer. It is preferred in displays for battery-powered devices and portable electronic gadgets due to its much lower power consumption and lack of backlight requirement.
• Passive-Matrix (PMOLED)- In a Passive Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode, the OLED material is sandwiched between an array of horizontal and vertical conductors. A pixel is created at the intersection of these vertical and horizontal conductors.

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Display – Does Size Matter?

The most widely used gaming displays are in the 25" to 35" size range. Over the past six years, resolutions have stabilised, resting on 1920 x 1080 (full HD 1080p), 2560 x 1440 (QHD or 2K), and 3840 x 2160. (4K or UHD). A prevalent illusion is that larger screen sizes are always preferable. While this is primarily true for televisions, most users agree that gaming is best at sizes between 24" and 27". A monitor in this size bracket lets one see everything at once, which is essential for competitive gaming. However, bigger displays, such as TVs are also becoming quite popular in today’s gaming scenario.

Aspect Ratio

Displays frequently have the following aspect ratios: 5:4, 4:3, 16:10, and 16:9. Widescreen (16:9) and a few ultrawide (21:9, 32:9, 32:10) aspect ratios have largely taken the place of older aspect ratios. Most contemporary video games support several aspect ratios, ranging from widescreen to ultrawide. This may be modified through the game's options menu. The vast majority of web information, including YouTube videos, is likewise widescreen by default. Hence, it is best to consider a monitor that is at least 16:9. Some first-person game players want a broader field of view (FOV) to make it easier to see opponents or become fully immersed in the game world.

Contrast Ratio

One of the simplest ways to evaluate a monitor's performance is to look at its contrast ratio, which compares and contrasts the black and white colours that the screen can display. A picture with a base contrast ratio of 1,000:1 has white areas that are 1,000 times brighter than its black areas. The best contrast ratios are those with greater numbers. When the contrast ratio is great, like in the case of 4,000:1, it indicates that details can still be seen in the darkest places and in the brightest highlights.

Colour Depth

Colour depth describes how many slightly distinct colours a monitor can display without banding or accuracy issues. The colour depth describes how much information, in bits, the screen may employ to create a single pixel's colour.

Some common colour depths are:

• 8-bit colour
• 15- or 16-bit colour (high colour)
• 24-bit colour (true colour)
• 30-, 36-, or 48-bit colour (deep colour)

The accuracy with which the degree of each colour may be displayed is simply one facet of colour representation; the other is the extent to which a variety of colours can be portrayed, called the colour gamut. The colour gamut is the full subset of colours used in colour reproduction. Colour gamut like sRGB and Adobe RGB are often used in output devices. While Adobe RGB is mostly utilized by experts in the picture and video editing industry, sRGB is a widely used display standard in digital products like monitors. When a monitor advertises "99% sRGB," it implies that it covers 99% of the sRGB colour gamut. This means that the monitor strives to display almost all the colours as they were intended by the creator of that particular digital product used in digital gaming, or industry.

Refresh Rate

Refresh rate is the frequency at which the image on the screen is updated. The onscreen motion appears smoother at higher refresh rates because the screen refreshes each object's location more quickly, which improves its responsiveness. Often expressed in hertz (Hz), a display with a 120Hz refresh rate would refresh each pixel 120 times per second. Although 60Hz used to be the industry norm, still more and more manufacturers are using higher refresh rates. When the refresh rate is faster, it's simpler to follow moving items and aim at targets in games, especially competitive ones. The computer graphics card must be able to keep up with the higher refresh rates to provide a seamless gaming experience. There has been a recent analysis, that showed 53 per cent of men and 47 per cent of women are game players across the globe.