Buying a new television can be a stressful and confusing process these days as there are more options than ever. So let me help you with your upcoming TV purchase by giving you some tips on what to look for in a TV, what’s important, and a recommendation or two if you really don’t want to shop around.
I promise we’ll get you through this process and by the end you’ll have a new shiny TV to play video games on! Or at the very least, you’ll be more informed about what to look for when you or someone you know goes TV shopping.
3 Must-Have Features
In 2024, there will be a lot of features and options included on the box of all modern TVs. UHD this, VRR that, etc. However, not all of them are equally important to gamers. Here are the three big things to make sure your potential new TV has:
1. A 4K/120hz screen is a must
These days, you really should be investing in a 4K/UHD television set. While a 1080p/720p TV set is much, much cheaper in 2024, the price gap is getting smaller and the amount of content designed for 4K is growing rapidly.
Xbox Series X, PS5, and PS5 Pro all support 4K games and video. Even if you don’t own one of those consoles yet, future devices will all support 4K (or higher) so you’ll want to make sure your TV is future-proof.
Oh and make sure it’s at least 120HZ so you can play games like Fortnite and Call of Duty at a higher framerate than the standard 60 FPS. This will make your games look silky smooth. It will be hard to go back to 60FPS Fortnite once you play it at 120, trust me.
2. Plenty of HDMI 2.1 ports
Playing games at 4K/120 FPS is very awesome, but to do this you’ll need more than just a new fancy TV. You’ll also need to make sure your TV has HDMI 2.1 slots. And preferably more than just one.
HDMI 2.o only supports 4K/60FPS, meanwhile HDMI 2.1 will let you play games at 4K resolution at 120 FPS, assuming you have a 2.1 cable, too. (The HDMI cable included in your PS5 or Xbox Series console is 2.1 capable, in case you were wondering.) So make sure your next TV has 2.1 ports.
You might think all new TVs have tons of HDMI 2.1 ports, but you’d be wrong. Many cheaper sets include just two or three HDMI ports. And sometimes only one HDMI 2.1 slot. Or sometimes none! So make sure you look at the box closely and check online that the TV you are eyeing has the proper amount and type of input you need.
If you have more than two modern consoles and other devices that plug into a TV, like a Blu-Ray player or PC, a lack of HDMI 2.1 ports will quickly be a problem.
3. OLED Or Bust
Technically, you can still buy some nice LED/LCD TVs. (They are basically the same thing these days, as IGN explains in this very helpful guide.) However, I’d avoid these TVs if you are looking to upgrade your gaming screen.
LED/LCD screens can’t provide the same high brightness and deep, dark blacks as OLED TVs. Also, if you go too cheap with an LCD/LED TV, you’ll likely get a set that uses edge lighting which will create a halo effect on the outer ridge of your screen. These TVs also have trouble being seen in a bright room and during darker scenes you’ll notice the telltale grey-black in the night sky or in a dark room. OLED, on the other hand, will provide you with pure black night sky and shadows due to the way the pixels can be turned off completely, which provides a much better-looking image.
2 Nice-To-Have Features
Depending on how much you are willing to spend and what you want out of your new TV, here are two features that might be nice to have.
1. VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
If the idea of uncapping a game’s framerate or running it at over 30 but under 60 doesn’t sound appealing to you or confusing, you might not need VRR. If you play games and never notice framerate hiccups or screen tearing, then also, you probably don’t need VRR.
But if you do care about how smooth your image is and you do like to tinker with visual settings on console or PC games, then VRR is worth looking for in your next TV. The tech basically allows your TV’s display rate to change on the fly to match your content, providing a smoother image. It’s not a miracle worker and really poorly optimized games that drop frames all the time and bounce around from 20 FPS to 50 FPS won’t be smoothed over by VRR, but for many console games that just dip down from 60 FPS to 5oish FPS, this tech will make it harder to spot the drops.
2. A Nice TV Operating System
If you plan to only use your TV for gaming, then you’ll not really need to worry about the software it’s running as you’ll just turn it on, boot up your console, and move on with your day.
But if you plan on watching movies or using smart TV apps like YouTube or Max on your new television, then I’d recommend doing some research on the various OS different sets use.
Your best bet to figuring out what OS works best for you is to check Reddit and YouTube. Watch videos of people playing around with TV menus and read up on which operating systems are slow and if your desired television is too low-powered to properly run the TV’s software.
Of all the manufacturers, LG tends to have the best sets and best operating systems. It’s snappy, clean, easy to use, and offers up the options I care about. The LG app store isn’t as big as Roku or Google TV’s offerings, but it does include YouTube and most other “big” apps.
Some 4K TV Recommendations
Okay, maybe you don’t want to do any research and just want me to tell you which TV to buy. I can do that, but I still recommend checking out some basic facts on a TV before buying it. You might be spending $1,000 or more on this thing, so make sure it’s something you actually want!
Both of my recommendations are LG sets because in my experience (and talking to other TV freaks out there) the company really makes the best, easiest to use, and most reliable 4K televisions currently on the market.
Anyway, here are my two recommendations.
The “Cheap” Option
If you want a solid 4K/120FPS gaming TV and you don’t want to spend over $1,000, then your best bet is probably LG’s B4 48-inch OLED set. It comes with 4 HDMI 2.1 ports and supports VRR tech via Gsync. And LG’s software is nice and snappy. You can usually find this TV selling on Amazon and Best Buy for under $700 and it’s worth it.
The “Expensive” Option
If you want a bigger, better TV to play games on, and you don’t mind spending over $1,500 on a TV, then you should probably buy the LG C4 OLED set. So what does the extra $700+ get you over the B4 option above? Well, you get everything the B4 includes, plus a bigger screen as I recommend either the 55-inch or the 65-inch depending on your room. You also get a brighter picture with better contrast, too. And it features a better processor inside which should help with navigating menus, but will also allow the TV to upscale content better.
Ultimately, either TV is going to likely be a big upgrade over anything that’s been sitting in your gaming room for more than five years. Especially if that TV was a cheaper LCD you bought on a Black Friday sale years ago.
Really it just comes down to how much you care about little features and how much cash are you willing to spend. Either way, the B4 or the C4 are great options and worth hunting down this holiday season either for yourself or that gamer in your life who keeps complaining about their old TV.