You've finally saved up enough money to buy a gaming projector. Congratulations!
Whether you're looking for a large screen to enhance your viewing experience or you want to get that sweet, sweet immersion that can only come from playing games on a home theater setup, a gaming projector is a great investment.
But with so many options on the market, it can be tough to decide which projector is right for you. Not to worry, though—we're here to help. Here's what you should look for when shopping for a gaming projector.
Size Matters
One of the first things you'll want to consider when shopping for a gaming projector is the size of the image it can create. If you're looking for a big-screen experience, you'll obviously want a projector with a large projection area.
But even if you don't need a ton of space, it's still important to make sure that your projector can create an image large enough to meet your needs. After all, there's nothing worse than buying a projector and then realizing that it can only create tiny images!
Brightness Is Key
In addition to size, brightness is another important consideration when shopping for a gaming projector. After all, you're going to want to be able to see your game clearly, even if there's ambient light in the room.
A good rule of thumb is to look for projectors with at least 2,000 lumens of brightness. This will ensure that you'll be able to see your game clearly, even if the lights are on.
Choose Your Resolution Wisely
When it comes to resolution, more is almost always better—but not always. If you're projecting onto a large screen, you're going to want a high-resolution image so that everything looks crystal clear.
However, if you're only projecting onto a small screen or if you're sitting close to the projector, you might not need 4K resolution. Instead, 1080p resolution will probably suffice.
Just remember that the higher the resolution, the pricier the projector will be!
Don't Get Left Behind Due To Input Lag
Cinematic projectors may be good for movies with over 40ms of latency, but for competitive gaming, that would be unacceptable, especially for fast-paced shooters, racers, and sports titles.
Look for gaming projectors that achieve 4K 60Hz at 16ms and even lower for different resolutions. This is the same as what you’ll find on the best gaming TVs. Be mindful of this, as latency can ruin gaming experiences.
Rapid Refresh Rate
60Hz, like most cinema models have, is not good for gaming. What you should be looking for are models that do 4K in 60Hz and 1080p in up to 240Hz.
That would cover almost all types of games, from single-player to first-person multiplayer games like Call of Duty, where every second counts for images drawn on the screen.
HDR
High dynamic range, or HDR, is also important if you want the most vibrant image on the screen. Pretty much all gaming content and also all streaming titles going forward are formatted with HDR, so you don’t want to miss out on better colors and contrast.
Not all gaming projectors support HDR by default, and some claim HDR support but may not be bright enough to actually do it. Gaming projectors capable of more than 1500 lumens do HDR well, so look for that.
Audio
If possible, you should look for a projector that includes integrated speakers, which most do nowadays. You can get one without, but then you're looking at extra costs.
If you already have a speaker setup you want to use, you should also make sure one HDMI port has ARC (audio return channel) support. This way, you can connect the projector to an external sound setup, like a receiver, amp, or soundbar, and enjoy 7.1-channel surround plus Dolby Atmos if you have that setup available.
Conclusion:
There are a lot of factors to consider when shopping for a gaming projector—but size, brightness, refresh rate, input lag, and resolution are some of the most important ones.
Keep these things in mind as you shop around, and you'll be sure to find the perfect projector for your needs!
