Why Every Millisecond Counts in Competitive Games
In competitive gaming, every move can be the difference between win or loss, that's why high input lag is definitely something to be concerned about.
What is input lag?
It is defined as the delay of time from when a command is executed to when it is reflected on the screen. It makes a noticeable impact in the competitive performance of a player, which often gets overlooked. Take a look at the video below (courtesy of NVIDIA).
Unpacking Input Lag
Latency takes shape in many forms such as Peripheral Latency, PC Latency (including Game and Render latency) and Display Latency. This means that latency exists at almost every corner, ranging from your game, monitor, keyboard, mice, PC and network. At the core of every smooth gaming experience lies the battle against input lag. Whether you play FPS (first-person shooters), combat games, or any fast-paced esports titles, responsiveness is key. High input lag can turn enjoyable gameplay into sluggish and unresponsive, also putting you at a severe disadvantage in competitive. Let's say you press a button to fire at the enemy, but due to the high input lag, your button-press registers too late, leading to defeat. That's input lag for you.
(Source: NVIDIA)
What can cause latency?
Latency exists almost everywhere, your keyboard, mice, monitor, system, network, you name it. Having low FPS in a game can also cause you to experience high latency, unstable network connection, 60 Hz Monitors along with peripherals that are dated, are all responsible for high latency.
(Source: NVIDIA)
How to tackle Input Lag
Understanding input lag leads to better decision-making when it comes to hardware. Here are some ways to reduce input lag, making it's impact negligible.
Your GPU (Graphics Card) can be synchronized with gaming displays for maximum efficiency, where technologies like NVIDIA's G-SYNC or AMD's FreeSync come into
play to minimize display lag.
144 is the way to go: Jumping from 60 hz to 144 hz does not only make a significant different visually, it also drastically reduces your latency, upgrading to a high refresh-rate monitor is something you will not regret.
Stable internet: If your connection is often unstable, you are at a severe disadvantage when it comes to competitive games as each action you take is registered late.
Wired is better (for input lag): Using wired connections for controllers, internet connection, and keyboard/mouse to ensuring HDMI cables are up to current standards can help drastically in achieving the lowest possible latency.
Use Hone to optimize your windows settings: Hone can reduce your input lag marginally with the use of it's optimizations that improve your Windows' settings for the lowest input lag possible. All optimizations provided contribute in some form to reducing input lag.
Why Settle When You Can Optimize?
In the unforgiving arenas of esports and competitive gaming, where rankings, reputations, and sponsorships are at stake, input lag is not just a technical issue, it's also the base of your decision-making and skills. We hope this article helps you in some way or another in achieving those ultra-fast response times.