If you’re looking for a new TV, there are some things you should know about the visual quality of a gaming console. Many games look better on a TV than they do on a PC. In particular, new games support High-Dynamic Range (HDR), which is almost exclusively found on 4K TVs. Not all 4K TVs support HDR, so check the manufacturer’s website to find out if the TV you’re looking at supports the feature.
First, consider the resolution of the game. While PC games are designed for low-end computers, the resolution of console games is usually higher than the resolution of PC versions. The Xbox One X and PS4 Pro versions of games try to match the resolution of their PC counterparts. Still, PC gamers complain about slow framerates on console games. To fix this, look for a high-resolution version of the game.
Another major difference between PC and console game video resolutions is the number of pixels. The older games, like the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), use a display resolution of 256×224 pixels. By comparison, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have full HD resolutions. Older consoles are lower-res, so their images look pixelated. Similarly, older consoles use analog cables and their resolutions are limited.
Another difference between PC and console video game display resolutions is the lag between button presses and action on the screen. Modern televisions may perform a lot of post-processing to enhance the picture quality. For example, a 4K HDTV may perform motion interpolation when upconverting a game from a console to a screen. But this may not completely eliminate the lag between buttons and actions on the screen.
