So, the PS3 made its long overdue appearance and despite purported strong initial sales, the company is allegedly announcing redundancies…but that’s another story. We’re here because console gaming is going hand-in-hand with the HD revolution. With Microsoft confirming rumours of a next-gen Xbox 360, the battle for gaming on your living room HDTV is as fierce as ever. Buying a TV can be complicated to the uninitiated, especially when you have to mix console gaming in the equation, but I hope the following points will make your life a little easier…
If you are choosing between a plasma and a LCD, these are some of the things I would think about.
Plasma
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There is very little or no motion smearing with plasma, so games are crisp and detailed.
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Gamers may be put off by image retention in the early days after plasma installation. You always have to check that your health bar is not only full, but also not `burning’ into your TV.
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If you sit closer to a plasma TV, you may notice the annoying PWM `shimmering’ pixels and grid structure. (because plasma tend to have a lower resolution for the same size)
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Plasmas flicker at bright intensities, so games with a lot of bright scenes may be migraine-inducing.
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You can’t get 1:1 pixel mapping on current plasmas, so edges will look a little soft.
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If you are a Gears of War fan, you have another reason to hate plasmas…green trail from phosphor lag, shown below. (credit to choddo)
LCD
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LCDs exhibit motion smearing, so fast movements and panning shots look a little blurry.
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Input lag…This means you press a button (`pull your trigger’) but the action doesn’t seem to catch up on screen. This can mean life-or-death on deathmatches!
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1:1 mapping is easily implemented on most recent LCD, ensuring the sharpest pictures.
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LCD’s don’t flicker so you can go on playing without fatigue, skipping breakfast, lunch and toilet…
I was down at Arndale Centre in Manchester the other day and tried out the PS3 on a Sony LCD. Although I was a little rusty on the racing game, much to the amusement of a couple of schoolboys (?truant), I enjoyed myself so much that all the flaws vanished in the excitement. I suppose the last hurdle of motion smearing may be overcomed with the 100 Hz panels this year.
Personally I’d go with an LCD for gaming, but I have heard plasma fans gaming intensively on their latest panel with few complaints. Well….to each his own, I guess.
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