Console makers are perpetually one upping each other to make the best, most cutting edge gaming machines possible with the best sound and graphics possible. A lot of people don’t think about that these machines depend on secondary technology for them to reach their potential, though. A game will only sound as good as the speakers the system is hooked up to, and a game will only look as good as the TV it’s showing on. It’s a shame when someone invest a lot of time and money into a gaming set up that’s at the razor’s edge of technology, only for it to be bottle necked by appliances that aren’t up to par. The most important secondary piece of technology for any gaming system is the TV it’s hooked up to.

Your TV is More Important than Ever Before for Gaming

TVs have evolved rapidly in just the last ten years: much like a smart-phone is so much more than just a telephone to people, so too is a smart TV so much more than just a device to flip through channels and hook up to a gaming console. What’s more important is that with the advent of competitive online console gaming, there are factors with a TV that can give you a competitive advantage. The last thing you want to happen is to be getting owned solely because your TV isn’t getting the job done in the thicket of an e-battle. Lets talk about what you should specifically consider when reading product reviews.

Contrast Ratio & Black Levels

A very basic description of contrast ratio is how bright and full the various colors are, and how distinguishable they are from each other. The black levels compound on this by making what’s supposed to be black as dark as possible, rather than there being washed out gray. In terms of picture quality in a TV, this is important for content to look good. For gaming in particular, though, this is especially important because you need to be able to see what’s going on. You want to easily be able to distinguish a weapon on the ground, or any other item that needs to be picked up. When time is of the essence, don’t let your TVs poor picture quality be the Achilles heel to your skills.

Resolution & Refresh Rate

These two things compound on the former point. Resolution and refresh rate are the cornerstone visual specs of any new generation smart TV. The resolution means how many pixels a TV has, which dictates how detailed the picture will be. The Refresh rate dictates how smooth and accurate the movement will be. For a gaming TV, you should aim for a 1080 p vertical resolution, and a 120 Hz refresh rate at a minimum. Any respectable authority tech site, for example www.smarttvreviews4u.net, will list all of these important benchmark visual specs in their smart tv reviews.

Latency

If you’re even just a somewhat serious online gamer, you are probably already very familiar with this term. A lot of people are cognizant of internet connection latency, as well as gaming machine latency, but TV latency is also an important factor that is often overlooked. You want to make sure that whichever TV you decide has good latency so that you don’t lag when you play, especially if you’re competing online. Certain smart TVs have better computing hardware than others, so you should be sure to investigate this when choosing a product. For example, the Panasonic ST60 is widely regarded as the best TV on currently on the market, but it has an unusually large latency and might not be great for gaming. A small delay is not an issue when watching regular TV, but it could make all the difference between winning and losing a gaming match.

Are you ready to play your favorite game? Gather your friends, some munchies and pop in the newest title for your gaming console. Have to connected to the Internet and your foreign gaming friends? Stop! Closely examine this article to improve your gaming experience.

If a demo is available for a game, download it and try it out. You can see if you like it and if it’s worth the price being charged. You should always be cautious when downloading anything, however. Only allow downloads from reputable sites.

ESRB ratings are key to anyone with kids. The game might appear child-friendly, but then a whole new can of worms opens up once the game is played. Check the rating and read some reviews to see what others say.

When playing video games online, be cautious. Some online gaming websites will require you to pay a fee on a monthly basis. If your children want to start playing an online game, you should review it first. You want to be aware of any costs associated with the site and decide if the fees are worth it.

Make gaming something you do with your children. This lets you bond with your child and learn more about what they like to do. Sharing a common interest with your children is a great way to get the conversation flowing. If you choose the right games to play with your child, you can also foster his physical and intellectual development.

Figure out how to operate the safety and parental controls of any gaming system that comes into your home. Some consoles provide the option of blocking inappropriate content from children. You may even be able to customize content restrictions for each member of the household.

Often, you can check out games from the library for free, or rent it from a video store. The public library offers a number of game titles that you are able to play for free. Call and see if your library offers video games and systems for rental and check out their selection.

Hang onto those old video games you used to play. You can trade them in at many video game retailers. Using old games to fund new game purchases just makes good sense.

There, you’re now ready to get back to worldwide domination or even neighborhood supremacy. With these hits you will be able to beat your competition easily. A small amount of knowledge can help you tremendously in the world of video games.

A lot of attention goes to the graphics of a video game, but the quality of sound is often an underrated yet important aspect of quality game play. Video game music has come a long way since the 8 bit tracks of the Atari and Nintendo days. Video game music and sound is on par with feature motion pictures, and you’ll need a good set of speakers to truly enjoy it.

What makes a good speaker?

A lot of people who try to search for speaker equipment will find a vast array of products, often spouting technical specs that the layperson doesn’t understand, and suspiciously sound like they are only listed to make the speakers sound cooler than they are. So, what actually matters? Here’s what you need to know:

Power: Measured in Watts, this is how much electricity a speaker can take in to power it’s components. But, more doesn’t necessarily mean better. the quality and design of the speaker will affect how well it can project sound. Look for the RMS power – this is the maximum amount of power a speaker can operate at over the long run, as opposed to peak power, which is the absolute maximum power a speaker can take in short infrequent bursts. Be wary of products that only advertise peak power, because it’s misleading.

Frequency Response Range: This is the range of sound that a speaker can project. the human ear can detect frequencies of 20hz -20,000hz, so speakers that cover this range will typically sound better and be more well rounded.

Warranty: The warranty of a product says a lot about the company that produces it. Many companies like Niles and Klipsch have lifetime warranties for some of their products. This means you know that they back up the quality of their product.

Price: More expensive is not necessarily better. A good set of 30w speakers with a big FR range can definitely retail for under $100 dollars. Don’t let a big price tag fool you into thinking a product is automatically amazing.

For more information on speaker comparisons, you can check out outdoorspeakersreview.net and see what their top picks are.