The term "gaming" encompasses everyone from the casual mobile gamer passing the time on the bus to the hardcore enthusiast with a beastly rig and rigorous expectations. While there are many factors involved in determining the best display, we'll focus here on what matters most to the tech-savvy enthusiast who enjoys cutting-edge gaming and the amazing experience that only hardware can provide.

Important developments have changed the definition of the gaming experience. One such development is the benefits that HDMI® gaming technology brings with the latest HDMI 2.1 specification.

Until recently, advanced gaming displays were associated with special gaming monitors. Today, HDMI 2.1 compatible TVs support powerful gaming features and provide a first-class experience with immersive audio and visual capabilities, not only at your desk but also in your living room. Besides, smaller TV screen sizes can now also be used for gaming desktops. In addition, PC monitors that support HDMI 2.1 gaming capabilities continue to appear on the market, giving gamers a wealth of options to choose from.

"Having the option to use your TV for extreme gaming changes everything," said Karim "Sanchovies" Sanchovies, a gaming pro and HDMI gaming ambassador, in an interview.

"With games that support Dolby Atmos, this is also an easy way to get the most from your audio.

HDMI 2.1 compatible TVs that support gaming implement variable refresh rate (VRR) and automatic low-latency mode (ALLM).

VRR was typically associated only with NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync, but HDMI VRR-enabled TVs, monitors, graphics cards, and game consoles have made the benefits of VRR more widely available VRR can reduce or eliminate lag, judder, frame tearing, and enables smoother, better-looking gameplay; VRR allows displays to match the amount of frames they receive from a source device, such as a console or computer, with a commensurate refresh rate on the fly.

Automatic low-latency mode automatically enables ideal latency settings, allowing for smooth, latency-free viewing and interactivity. Often this is referred to as "game mode" and usually must be set manually. This is a simple process and requires a few menus and settings to toggle on and off.

HDMI 2.1 also supports 8K@60Hz and 4K@120Hz, both of which are widely available commercially. Many TV manufacturers have released 4K@120Hz TVs along with VRR and ALLM, which are ready for advanced gaming right now. They also support both static and dynamic HDR and can enhance the visuals of games by extending the contrast range and color space.

Let's not forget that audio completes the gaming experience, and HDMI 2.1 brings Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) support for up to 192 kHz, 24-bit audio, including support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X including support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Many TVs are now equipped with eARC, and AVRs and soundbars are also available. Several games support these advanced audio formats, and more are coming out all the time.

What is the best HDMI cable for gaming?' To support all the gaming features of HDMI 2.1 (including 48 Gbps bandwidth!) ), you should try the newer Ultra High Speed HDMI® cables that support Certified cables are required to display the Ultra High Speed HDMI® certification label, so check the certification label before purchasing.

With the new Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 coming soon and powerful new graphics cards like the GeForce RTX 3080, these HDMI 2.1 devices have TVs, monitors to take full advantage of their gaming capabilities, sound options galore.

For more information, see HDMI FOR GAMING.

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