4k gaming on a TV is a scam

I'm a console gamer (strictly) and I never sit 8 feet away from the TV, let alone the "+", so I definitely see a difference.

Diminishing returns are a thing somewhere between 1080 and 2160 is the sweet spot.

excellent post once again, 4k makes absolutely no sense for console gaming. High res gaming really only makes sense for PC's.

the funny thing is, I used to connect my XsX to the 4k hdmi port on my tv. Now though, after not noticing a single difference from where I was sitting, I switched it over to the regular 1080p hdmi port.

I'm kind of regretting getting the XsX over the XsS now, but I'm guessing that extra juice will come in handy in the future.

I have a 55'' 4k smart TV with HDR and 120hz that sits about 5-6 feet away, with a silly 1080p backup monitor 2-3 feet from me on the desk for light reading or out of game material.

The difference is incredibly obvious.

Get eyes.

That's why I have a 75".

Higher pixel density in large screens makes a difference

I have a poor eyesight, but even with my dusty, dirty glasses on, I can still see a difference when gaming on my 4K TV. Try to play an Xbox One X game in 4K, for example Far Cry 5. Then record your gameplay in 1080p and watch the video. Are you seriously telling me that you can't see a difference.

This "4k is not better" BS has a counterpart in the hifi world, where some people claim that CD-quality sound (16-bit) is perfect and that humans don't need 24-bit sound, because they can't spot the difference anyway. Which is clearly BS, because 24 bit DOES sound better for the most part.

Science has proven that the human eye can't see the difference in anything above a 1895 projector.

I remember around the 360/PS3 era, console gamers would say that often here on SW forum.

@pelvist: yup, it came up a lot. Definitely a thing

So at what distance can you still see the pixels on a 1080p screen?

I replace my 65 1080 to 65 4K Oled. I sit around 7 to 8 feet away. Yeah there is a different.

Yeah, almost a refrain from the console masses.

"Oh, it's OK the FPS are less, human eye can't see anything faster anyway."

1080p/4K is the least noticeable aspect in my opinion and I used a 55-65 inch up close, less than 3 feet.

The other are more noticeable to me, IPS, VA, OLED, uniformity problems, reflection handling, etc.

@blaznwiipspman1: You've been doing all this research and yet you are completely clueless?

20/20 is far from being perfect, in fact it is merely average vision.

I have 20/15 vision which is far superior and means that chart has a hell of a lot more blue for me.

Second, I sit 1.7m from my 55" OLED and apparently, according to your change people with average vision can discern the difference between 1080p and 4K at 2.3m from a 55".

At 1.7m with my vision 1080p looks like absolute dogshit.

4K looks great and is razor sharp, but it could be better.

Can't wait to game on a 65" 8K OLED.

@Random_Matt:

Not at all. If you have regular vision you can still tell the difference from 2K and 4K at 120cm (2.5x longer distance than what you stated) at 50cm would benefit from an 8K display...

People sit across the room from their old 42" TVs and wonder why we need 4K resolution lol.

20/15 vision? Its pretty rare so its not even worth mentioning. Theres even rarer people with 20/10 vision. I guess in your case, the chart doesn't work, but theres also a cutoff point for you. If you're sitting lets say 9-10 ft away from a 65inch tv, and that is average sitting distance, then you won't be able to tell the difference between 1080p and 4k.

Also my eyes are pretty bad, I wear glasses, and sit around 8ft away from my 65 inch TV. I'm not able to see the difference between 1080p and 4k. Thats why I don't even bother hooking up my xbox series x to the 4k hdmi port.

My tv strangely outputs at 1440p when I set it on Xbox. 4k is a huge difference when gaming on console.

lmao, don't forget low fps and low settings. NathanDrake is a budget gamer.

@blaznwiipspman1: Yeah but I'm not sitting 10 feet from a 65". I am sitting 6 feet from a 65".

So how is 4K gaming a scam?

Resolution is easily the least impactful feature when it comes to making a game look good. That doesn't mean 4K displays are worthless for gaming tho.

Variable resolution that upscales to 4K is the way to go. Performance is more important than resolution, we are playing games not watching movies. Pixel quality is more important than quantity - sharp edges are not as immersive as details and accurate lighting.

Native 4K is a a console scam - and what do you get? 30 fps with dips and low details and other features so they can sell you a fancy-looking screenshot. Wake up. Your console still can't do 4K without heavy compromise to performance, details, and lighting. Better luck next gen, in 2026.

Well, I'm playing on an 85" at 10 ft. away or less... guess I didn't get scammed huh?

I've said this before, but there's only so much a naked eye can see and register, and TV's will advance to the point where it becomes completely redundant yet they'll still try to sell you on it.

Yeah.. 4K HDR is a game changer if you never had it to that point. It really makes the details pop and the colors much more vivid. I don't stand behind people telling me what I can or can't see... lol.

I once had a professor tell me that pink mist was a myth because his claim was that as soon as blood hits the air it oxygenates and turns dark red. I told him that was wrong and he almost lost it.. he asked me in front of the whole class how I knew he was wrong and for proof. I asked him if he had ever seen someone shot in the head from about 10ft away with a 50 cal. sniper rifle like I had. He was silent for a few seconds and then continued teaching the class again.. lol.

Anyways though, long story short, I too can tell a huge difference in many different areas including framerate, brightness, color quality, detail, depth, shading, crispness, less jaggies, less banding, etc. There is a huge difference, and like I always say, the haters can hate.