Choosing a screen for the best console gaming experience can be a little confusing. Monitor vs TV which is better? Should you buy a 32inch, 24inch or even 16inch monitor? These are important questions that need to be answered before purchasing a new gaming screen.
What console gaming is?
A console is a device that connects to your TV or monitor and allows you to play video games on your screen. Consoles also have a built-in controller that you can use to control the action.
The most common console gaming devices are the Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Wii. It is possible to play console games on computers using emulators, but this is not as popular as it once was. Console gaming still has its place in the world of gaming as a whole though.
Console vs. PC Gaming
Consoles offer a much more convenient way of playing video games than PC gaming. You don’t have to worry about setting up your computer for gaming or downloading drivers for your graphics card and other components – everything just works out of the box with a console. There are also no technical issues like glitches or crashes when playing on a console (although this can vary from game to game).
What is the difference between a monitor and a TV?
The most obvious difference is that a monitor is designed to be pretty much always on, whereas a TV is designed to be off most of the time. But there are a lot more similarities than differences between these two devices.
Both monitors and TVs use liquid crystals (LCDs/plasma/LED) to display images. Both devices can be connected to computers via USB, HDMI or DisplayPort connections. Both have built-in speakers that produce sound when you turn them on (although your TV might also have an optical out connection for better audio quality).
On top of all this, TVs also have some extra features that monitors don’t have:
An HDMI connection allows you to connect directly to your cable or satellite box and use it as a source for video input. This means that if you get rid of your personal computer altogether, you won’t need any external boxes (like DVD players) anymore!
A tuner in the TV lets you watch digital broadcast channels such as ABC, NBC and CBS without having to buy an expensive box or tuner separately. You should be able to find these tuners in newer models of TVs.
What your experience should be like?
When it comes to console gaming, there are few things that can compare to a good monitor. While the experience may be better on a TV, the monitor has a lot more to offer.
First of all, a monitor gives you the ability to play on your own terms. You can set up your display however you like —angle it however you like, adjust contrast and brightness as needed and even adjust colour timings if you’re into that sort of thing. This is something that will never be possible with a TV unless you’re willing to spend a lot of money on a specialized gaming monitor.
Secondly, monitors come with a wider range of resolutions than TVs do. When using an HDMI connection between console and display, there are only two options: 720p or 1080p (or 2160p). However, when using VGA or DVI connections between console and display, there are several options available for resolution: 720p at 60Hz (default), 1080p at 60Hz and 1080p at 120Hz or 240Hz (in some cases). With these options in mind, it’s easy to see why 1080p at 120Hz or 240Hz looks better than 720p at 60Hz on an HDTV.
Size matters
The most important thing to consider when buying a monitor is size. If you’re planning on using your console for gaming, then you’ll need a screen that’s big enough to see all the action clearly.
The actual size of your screen depends on how far away you want it to be from your eyes and how much space you have available in your living room. The larger the screen, the more comfortable you’ll be sitting back and watching movies or playing games.
You can also opt for a curved display so that it fits in with your existing furniture or decor, which is especially useful if you have an entertainment system with curved edges.
Getting an image on your Monitor
The next important thing to consider when buying a monitor is its resolution. This refers to the number of pixels (pixels are little dots of colour) that make up an image on the screen – higher resolution means sharper images with less pixelation and better colour reproduction.
Most monitors these days support resolutions up to 1920×1080 pixels, but some offer even higher resolutions such as 2560×1440 pixels, which are perfect for viewing photos or big wallpapers across multiple screens at once (such as a TV and Monitor).
Better colour and contrast
Colour representation is important when choosing a device because it determines how well colours appear on your screen. The better the colour representation, the more vibrant colours look when displayed on your screen. This can make all the difference when playing games because it allows for better visibility in darker environments where things might appear darker than they actually look.
Response time and refresh rate
A monitor’s response time is the amount of time it takes for an image to appear on the screen. The ideal response time is 1 millisecond; anything less than that is considered slow.
Input lag
Input lag is the delay between when a button is pressed and when the action occurs on screen. It can be measured in milliseconds (ms), which is one-thousandth of a second. The lower the better, but some TVs have as much as 65 ms of input lag. Lowering your graphics settings can reduce input lag, but if you’re playing competitive games or streaming live gameplay, you’ll need fast response times.