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Introduction

The new generation of games consoles has finally arrived, with the launch of the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X/S consoles. With the new consoles comes a range of new features, specs and benefits, and to really make the most of them you are going to need your display to be up to scratch. We wanted to focus primarily on the things you would need from a desktop monitor in order to use the new games consoles and try and provide a buyers guide on what to look out for if you are going to purchase a new monitor and plan to use it for your console.

Above: Microsoft Xbox Series X

Above: Sony Playstation 5

Resolution

Above: Image courtesy of HDMI.org

The new consoles are capable of outputting 4K and even 8K resolutions, although initial launch support and content may be limited of course. If you want to take advantage of those resolutions you will need a monitor that can natively support them ideally, although their practical value may be more limited from a desktop-sized monitor. Note that while the PS5 and Xbox Series X can support gaming at 4K at 120HZ, the Xbox Series S will only support up to 1440p for gaming, but will allow upscaling to 4K for media streaming apps.

Above:

Let's cover 8K first. This is very niche right now and only really used in some professional grade monitors such as the Dell UP3218K. This is a 31.5" sized screen with a 7680 x 4320 resolution, but it only has DisplayPort connections and so is not even a viable option for console gaming anyway (which need HDMI - see below). Even if there were more choices, the value of 8K for console gaming on a desktop sized monitor is very questionable. You will likely be sat a little further way away from the screen for console gaming, and even some of the larger monitor sizes like this 31.5" model aren't really large enough then to make 8K worthwhile for that kind of viewing distance and usage. You aren't likely to see any resolution benefits of 8K on a screen this size, it's really only useful for TV's, and likely then only really on the very large sets like 60" and above. Anyway, we would forget about 8K support for a desktop monitor for console gaming right now, there's not much point.

4K resolution is far more viable though for a desktop monitor, and can offer some sensible benefits even in desktop monitor size in terms of image sharpness and picture quality. 27" models with 4K are very common nowadays, and there are also other models which are 28 - 32" in size that might provide a better option for console gaming for a bit of a size boost. If you want to take advantage of the next gen console resolution support, look for a screen ideally with 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 which is officially Ultra HD). The other good thing about a screen with 4K compared to worrying about one with 8K is that it opens the door to what is probably the most exciting feature of the new consoles, the high refresh rates up to 120Hz. We will discuss refresh rate in a moment.

Do you really need 4K though on these sized screens? This is debatable, and many people don't really see the value in 4K on something like a 27" screen. Our advice here is similar to what we would say for PC monitor usage. We feel that you're unlikely to notice a massive benefit at 4K on a 27" model, but it starts to become a bit more interesting and useful as you go up to say a 32" sized display. For PC usage up close also remember that 4K resolutions will need you to use Operating System scaling to make fonts and text a sensible size, but that doesn't always play nicely and can add complications in some software and applications. You probably also need to keep in mind what your viewing position and distance might be as well for when you're playing your console, as you are probably going to be sat a bit further away, and may therefore not really see the benefit of the higher resolution on a smaller screen like this. 4K would obviously be beneficial on a large TV like 50 - 60" for these consoles, but on desktop-sized monitors it becomes less important, and potentially creates complications for PC usage away from your console gaming.

If you want to broaden your options and potentially offer you lower budget display choices you could also consider those with 1440p (2560 x 1440) or 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolutions. These are available in smaller sizes as well like in the 21.5" - 27" range so if space is tight of you just prefer a smaller monitor, these are still viable. You don't have to have 4K resolution support to use the next generation consoles and on a smaller sized screen 1080p or 1440p might be perfectly fine. If you're after a smaller sized screen then 1080p or 1440p will be preferable anyway as 4K is unnecessary, and likely not even available on the smaller sized models anyway.

Above: The Xbox Series X/S can support 4K, 1440p and 1080p output resolutions making usage on a monitor simpler than the PS5 at the moment
The Playstation 5 lacks 1440p support which can make life a bit more difficult on a desktop monitor

One thing to keep in mind though is the output resolution options of the new consoles for non-4K resolutions. The Xbox Series X/S will support both 1080p and 1440p outputs if you need it, so that's nice and easy. If you want to use a smaller monitor or buy one that has a non-4K resolution, it's still perfectly usable.

The Playstation 5 on the other hand rather oddly will only support 1080p or 4K output, and will not support 1440p (at least at the moment - let's hope Sony perhaps add this at some point if they can via a firmware update). If you're only buying a 1080p monitor that's fine of course and you can just select that as the output resolution from the PS5. If your monitor of choice is 1440p you are left with a bit of a dilemma. Sony say it is because they are focusing on TV support primarily, but there is growing pressure from consumers who want to game on their 1440p monitor as well.

If you're interested in the PS5 as your console and would rather buy a 1440p monitor instead of 4K, you might want to try and find one that features "Virtual 4K" support. You can check this by seeing if you can set your PC to 3840 x 2160 resolution without any custom resolutions being needed. Sometimes manufacturers will specifically list this feature in their specs too. The screen will still have a native resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, but will importantly accept a 4K input source. Screens with Virtual 4K support will downscale a 4K input to the native resolution of the 1440p panel still, but that is better than inputting the alternative, which on the PS5 is 1080p (that's already been downscaled by the console), and then letting the screen try and upscale that back to 1440p. Virtual 4K support on a 1440p resolution monitor can be useful for consoles. As we said, the Xbox Series X can support 1440p resolution output anyway so it's easier there and you don't need to worry about Virtual 4K support. In fact it would be better to just input 1440p from the Xbox Series X in those instances.
 

Refresh Rate

Above: 4K monitors like the LG 27GN950 are designed primarily for PC usage, and their support for the next gen consoles is restricted at the moment

For the first time the new PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles can support high refresh rates up to 120Hz. This has the benefit of significantly improved frame rates, doubling what was possible with the last generation. This also has the benefit of significantly improving motion clarity on LCD/OLED displays where the refresh rate has a direct relation to how the human eye tracks movement and perceives motion blur. The jump up to 120Hz will be a major step change when it comes to the gaming experience and clarity of motion.

Above: example real life motion clarity comparison examples at 60Hz and 120Hz, showing benefits
of 120Hz in practice. For illustrative purposes

To take advantage of this you will want a monitor with a high refresh rate. It doesn't matter if the monitor can do higher than the console 120Hz (144Hz for instance is far more common than a screen that is "only" 120Hz). As long as it can support 120Hz refresh rate or above, it should be fine for connecting the consoles and using them at 120Hz. There's plenty of 144Hz, 240Hz and even 360Hz desktop monitors available nowadays so you can enjoy any extra refresh rate from the monitor then for PC gaming! You won't be able to make use of those higher refresh rates for your console though, they are 120Hz maximum.

You might need to ensure that the screen can accept a 120Hz via a native timing over its HDMI connection but that should be pretty standard on many high refresh rate screens. You'd need to check the specs or try the screen from a PC over HDMI to see if 120Hz is listed as a native option from the graphics card and in the section for 'Ultra HD, HD, SD' resolutions which are automatic timings reported from the screen in the "TV" usage section as opposed to the "PC" section lower down. It seems the new consoles need to see the resolution and refresh rate in this TV space to detect it properly.

There are some monitors where it is not supported such as the LG 27GL850 for instance which will only accept maximum of 100Hz over HDMI even though the panel can support 144Hz over DisplayPort fine. On this screen you won't be able to use high refresh rate from the console. There are others such as the Dell S2719DGF which can support 144Hz over HDMI but do not have a native 120Hz timing, so cannot be used at 120Hz! Be careful of monitors that are advertised with a high refresh rate as that might just be over DisplayPort. Check the specs and user guides online to confirm if it can do 120Hz over its HDMI connection too.
 

High refresh rate is far more common on lower resolution monitors with 1080p or 1440p, with only a small number of screens offering this in the 4K space at the moment. Achieving high settings and performance will be easier anyway on a 1440p/1080p monitor at 120Hz so those are still very viable options, you just won't be able to support the console's native maximum 4K. Whether or not you really need to use 4K anyway on a desktop monitor sized screen which are commonly 24 - 30" in size is questionable as we discussed above. You can take advantage of these 1080p/1440p displays now for 120Hz gaming, without needing to wait for HDMI 2.1 as well which is useful. This gives you a lot more choices, you don't need to necessarily wait for an HDMI 2.1 screen if you're not going for 4K.

If you do want a 4K monitor though you will need to wait a little while. There have been quite a few 27" models with high refresh rate launched so far such as the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ, Asus ROG Strix XG27UQ and LG 27GN950 (currently being reviewed) for instance. However, these models are all built for PC gaming at 4K @ 120Hz/144Hz and over DisplayPort 1.4 connections which the consoles lack (see below for more information on this). As a result, there are at the time of writing currently no released 4K @ 120Hz monitors available that will support these new consoles fully, as they need HDMI 2.1 connections and current models have HDMI 2.0 maximum. We will talk more about HDMI 2.1 and the video connections in a moment.

There have also yet to be any larger 31.5 - 32" sized monitors released with 4K @ 120Hz, although there are plenty on the horizon and planned. 27" is arguably too small to really offer much benefit from the 4K resolution over 1440p, especially when you take in to account your likely viewing distance for a console. These larger screens are more interesting options for 4K @ 120Hz in the near future.
 

Getting the right input connection

Choosing a monitor for use with a PC is simple, as DisplayPort is widely used on graphics cards as the output, and it is the connection of choice for the monitors they will connect to. Like the older consoles, the next generation games models like the PS5 and Xbox Series X don't have a DisplayPort output so you will need to find a monitor that can handle the connection coming from the console. They have been built around the new HDMI 2.1 standard as a connection output. You can read a lot more about HDMI 2.1 in our recent guide.

So to take advantage of the new console features in full, like 4K @ 120Hz, a monitor needs to have an HDMI 2.1 input. Unfortunately there are currently no HDMI 2.1 monitors available, although a few have been officially announced and we would expect far more to emerge in the coming months now that these consoles are launched (see below).

You can thankfully still use the new consoles on an HDMI 2.0 screen though, just not at the full capabilities as the connections are backwards compatible and of the same physical type. More on this in a moment. Make sure it is at least 2.0 though, older HDMI 1.4 are going to leave you too limited in many cases and some HDMI 1.4 monitors won't work at high refresh rates above 60Hz, even though the connection has the bandwidth to support it. Most modern monitors will feature (and list in their specs) HDMI 2.0 anyway so it should give you plenty of choice.

Announced HDMI 2.1 capable monitors

Above: ViewSonic Elite XG320U coming soon with HDMI 2.1 input

In the desktop monitor market we have yet to see any displays officially launched and available to buy. A few have been announced so far that are expected to feature this new connection, but the desktop monitor market tends to lag a little behind the availability from a graphics card point of view - and HDMI 2.1 has only just appeared on graphics cards like the new NVIDIA 30 series. Which makes sense as they wait for the connection to even be available from PC’s before developing screens to make use of it. 

The following are expected to feature HDMI 2.1 connections, at least according to the currently available information: 

• Acer Nitro XV282K – expected Jan 2021 and according to Chinese retailer Taobao, will offer 2x HDMI 2.1. We have yet to see the official Acer spec confirmed

• ViewSonic Elite XG320U – listed on some ViewSonic regional pages including in Russia, where HDMI 2.1 is mentioned in the features. Expected in Q1 2021

• Philips 328M1R – the release of this has been pushed back to early 2021 to accommodate an HDMI 2.1update

There are also some updated Asus screens rumoured to be arriving at some point soon with an HDMI 2.1 update, although official confirmation and specs have yet to appear. These include possibly the Asus XG27UQR, XG32UQR and PG43UQR. More info on those or any other options when we get it, so keep an eye on our news pages.

Using HDMI 2.0 on an older monitor

HDMI 2.0 doesn't have the sufficient bandwidth to support the full capabilities of these consoles like 4K @ 120Hz for instance. You might notice that the above listed forthcoming HDMI 2.1 screens all offer a 3840 x 2160 "4K" resolution. We expect the 4K models to be the priority for monitor manufacturers to provide HDMI 2.1 connectivity, where it is needed to offer this support. Note also that all of the above early announced models feature high refresh rates as well.

What about lower resolution displays like 1080p and 1440p though, do they really need HDMI 2.1 for these consoles for high refresh rates? Not really as HDMI 2.0 has sufficient bandwidth to handle 1440p at 120Hz or 1080p at 120Hz and so can accommodate the new games consoles. So if you have a monitor with those lower resolutions or are intending to buy one, HDMI 2.0 will be fine to support the high refresh rate output from the console. Keep in mind 1080p and 1440p resolution monitors are also far more widely available, affordable and popular right now. You will have a much bigger choice. You won't be able to use the full 4K resolution output from the console of course, but a 1080p/1440p monitor isn't capable of displaying it anyway and as we said earlier there may be questionable benefits on a monitor-sized display. So the high refresh rate side of things should be fine even from older HDMI 2.0 displays if you aren't looking for 4K support. Keep in mind our earlier comments though about the PS5 not supporting a 1440p output signal.

So high refresh rates are fine over HDMI 2.0 as long as you have a lower resolution screen. There are a couple of other things to consider though if you're thinking about a lower resolution display with HDMI 2.0. VRR being probably the main one.

Variable Refresh Rates (VRR)

The new consoles will also support VRR, something that has been widespread in the PC gaming market for a long time via NVIDIA's G-sync and AMD's FreeSync technologies. In the console space these new features will help handle the high 120Hz refresh rates, variable frame rates and avoid tearing and lag like VRR does on PCs. What about variable refresh rates and the different HDMI versions? This depends on which console you are going to use.

Above: Currently only the Xbox Series X supports FreeSync over HDMI 2.0, and in fact VRR in general!

HDMI 2.0 can support FreeSync over HDMI and this is available on many FreeSync monitors already. FreeSync is available from the Xbox Series X like it was on the One X and One S. That means if you are buying an Xbox Series X and have a monitor with HDMI 2.0 that is capable of supporting FreeSync over HDMI, you can use VRR fine and don't need to even have HDMI 2.1. If you have an HDMI 2.1 screen to connect to that will work fine as well from the Xbox Series X.

Some early user reports suggest that on some HDMI 2.0 monitors there is a problem using 120Hz and FreeSync at the same time from the Xbox Series X, although this appears to be an issue with the console as it will work fine from an AMD graphic card PC. This could well be addressed through a future console update, and it's not 100% clear how many screens suffer from this issue.

Above: at the moment the PS5 doesn't support any VRR, even HDMI-org VRR although this is likely to be added later

HDMI 2.0 cannot support the separate "HDMI-org VRR" standard though. That is a part of HDMI 2.1. The Sony PS5 is unfortunately a bit more limited, and as far as we can tell it will only feature HDMI Org-VRR. This means VRR that if you bought a PS5 and connected it to an HDMI 2.0 monitor you could use the high refresh rate fine, but you wouldn't have VRR support. Right now it looks like HDMI 2.1 will likely be a must for any monitor to support the PS5 VRR capabilities properly. Early reviews from placed like Eurogamer.net confirmed that VRR support for PS5 is not even available yet, which seems an odd omission, but will appear with a later firmware update according to Sony. The official PS5 FAQ has been updated to confirm that VRR support will arrive at some point:

"PS5 hardware supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) through HDMI 2.1. After a future system software update, PS5 owners will be able to use the VRR feature of compatible TVs when playing games that support VRR". When it does it is expected to only use HDMI org-VRR and not FreeSync over HDMI though so if you want to use it you will need an HDMI 2.1 display.

What if I want a Monitor with a Native G-sync hardware module?

You may want to try and find a monitor with a Native G-sync hardware module as well, which can offer decent benefits for PC gaming like variable overdrive, super low input lag and often other useful technologies like ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur) mode. Where does that leave you if you also want to connect a next gen console?

The first wave of HDMI 2.1-ready monitors listed above will all feature traditional scalers and adaptive-sync support for VRR, as opposed to any with a Native hardware G-sync module. It remains to be seen what will be supported for future Native G-sync screens, as at the moment the latest v2 hardware module only has DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 connections (1 of each). An updated module from NVIDIA would be needed if they plan to offer HDMI 2.1 from Native G-sync screens, which you would expect they’d want to. NVIDIA didn’t have any official information they could share with us on this at the moment but it would seem logical to expect an update at some point given their ongoing investment in G-sync and the benefits it brings to gamers.

So right now with the lack of HDMI 2.1 that means you could not buy a Native G-sync screen which has 4K resolution and 120Hz and be able to use that from your new console. You could of course use the HDMI 2.0 connection and send 1440p/1080p at 120Hz from the console, but you are not going to be able to take proper advantage of the 4K resolution support you have on both the console and the monitor. You could also buy a Native G-sync screen with a lower 1080p/1440p resolution and use that at 120Hz over HDMI 2.0, so there are some options if you are looking for one of these displays.

You will be lacking VRR support from the console in all likelihood though if you are using a Native G-sync screen. PS5 definitely won't support VRR until HDMI 2.1 is featured on the monitor/G-sync module, and only if Sony update their firmware to support it too.

For an Xbox you may be able to use VRR but finding a suitable screen with a Native G-sync module that supports it might be difficult! Unless it's a rare Native G-sync screen that has the firmware update to allow AMD FreeSync use, AND allows that over HDMI 2.0 as well. We've seen a few Native G-sync screens support FreeSync over DisplayPort now, but only the LG 38GL950G which also allowed that to be used over HDMI. That's potentially ok for the Xbox Series X which as we said earlier can support FreeSync over HDMI 2.0. So at the moment with only HDMI 2.0 available from the Native G-sync modules, it's unlikely you'd be able to use VRR from your new console.

Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)

ALLM is a feature of HDMI 2.1 and allows in theory the console to send a signal to the display which can allow it to automatically enter a lower lag 'game' mode for the optimal gaming experience. Saving you the need to manually switch between different preset modes and settings for all your different uses. This feature appears on quite a few TV's nowadays including the LG CX OLED we reviewed recently for instance. If a gaming signal is detected from an ALLM compatible console, the screen will switch to the relevant preset mode which normally has a much lower input lag than the normal viewing modes for movies and TVs.

This feature is probably more useful on TV's though than on monitors, as it's pretty rare for a desktop monitor to have different lag modes in the same way, and they don't have the same image processing and enhancement features that TVs do, that add all the lag in the first place. Desktop monitors will typically have much lower input lag than any TV as a result.

Because ALLM is a feature of HDMI 2.1 it is not available on HDMI 2.0 displays, and so it cannot be used anyway if you were using a desktop monitor with HDMI 2.0 input only. Even if you waited for a monitor with HDMI 2.1 this feature is unlikely to be of any major benefit for a monitor, and may not even be used by the screen as most of the time a desktop monitor has the same lag in all the preset modes anyway. Maybe it would be useful if the screen detected the ALLM input and could switch to a certain game preset mode which you had set up perhaps slightly differently for gaming. Something maybe brighter or more vivid than your normal day to day usage perhaps.

Above: Currently the Xbox Series X supports ALLM but the Playstation 5 doesn't. Not that it is as useful for a monitor

Adding further complication to the ALLM conversation is the fact that the PS5 appears not to utilise it anyway. Perhaps this will be added in a firmware update at a later date or maybe they will only provide compatibility with Sony's own version which works on Sony TV's but not on many other brands. Xbox Series X does feature ALLM already though which should work on any compatible HDMI 2.1 display. The low latency element of it is unlikely to be useful on desktop monitors though, and it's not a big enough reason to hold out for HDMI 2.1 certainly.

HDR considerations

The PS5 and Xbox Series X can both support HDR gaming as well. Both support the most common HDR10 format which is also the most widely used format in the monitor market which helps. FlatpanelsHD has a useful article about the HDR format support from the new consoles too which is worth keeping up to date on. For desktop monitor usage the main thing is that both consoles support HDR10 though.

From the display side of things the same advice applies here as if you were selecting a desktop monitor for HDR from a PC. You may want to read our detailed HDR article for more information. There are varying levels of support and performance of HDR though. At the moment there's no OLED monitor options so we are left with LCD monitors with various local dimming options. If you want to be able to take advantage of HDR gaming from the new consoles and create at least some kind of improvements to the dynamic range (contrast) of the image, look for a monitor with at least HDR600 certification or above. Forget about all the many HDR400 monitors out there, they don't feature any local dimming (so no improved dynamic range) and won't even guarantee that the screen has a wide colour gamut (DCI-P3) or 10-bit colour depth support that go in to creating a decent HDR image. HDR600 and above on the other hand require some form of local dimming which might only be edge lit and may have limited numbers of zones, but is still better than HDR 400 which has none. Look for details of how many dimming zones the screen has if you can. The HDR600 standard and above also required wide colour gamut and 10-bit colour depth support which are needed for HDR content too. As a side note, if you aren't bothered about HDR so much we would still recommend finding a screen with a wide colour gamut at least to give you the colour boost and to handle new console games fully. Look for specs listing a high DCI-P3 colour space as opposed to standard gamut screens which list sRGB coverage.

From early reviews and user testing it seems that the PS5 can thankfully support HDR at both 4K and 1080p output resolutions. The Xbox Series X on the other hand appears to only support HDR when using 4K output currently. Perhaps this will be changed in a future update.

Summary

There's a lot to take in here so we will try and summarise the key points as best we can here. It's important to note also that the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X have only just been released, and while there are quite a few things that might not be supported now or are proving problematic, these may well change over the coming months as Sony/Microsoft roll out new updates and firmware revisions. We are in no way trying to promote one console over the other, that's your choice and we would recommend reading reviews from reputable sites that deal in console gaming if you want help trying to decide which console is right for you. We are just trying to lay out the facts about what is and isn't supported, and provide a guide on how to buy a PC monitor for your console if you need one. Again it's tricky to get in to actual monitor recommendations here as there's so many possible options out there, this is more intended to guide you on what to look out for and what to consider.

If you're after a desktop monitor for console gaming there are a few key areas you need to consider really.

Resolution - If you're wanting to game at 4K from your new console on your monitor then our view is that you will probably want to get a larger screen in the 32" size range when they become available to make that 4K resolution worthwhile and see some practical benefit on it given the comparatively smaller screen size (relative to a TV). If you are going for a smaller screen than this, 4K feels a bit unnecessary and so you can just as easily get a lower cost, more readily available 1440p or 1080p model, depending on your size preference. If you are going for a smaller 21.5 - 24" sized screen, 1080p will be perfectly fine. If it's more in the 27 - 30" range then 1440p would be better. 4K support is less important if you're buying a desktop monitor for the console than it might be if you were buying a much larger TV. Be careful about the PS5's lack of 1440p resolution support as discussed in this article.

Refresh Rates - you definitely want a screen with at least 120Hz refresh rate, which should be easy enough to find in the desktop monitor market and available in a range of sizes and budgets. Be careful to check that it will support 120Hz natively over its HDMI connection though, don't assume as this can sometimes be different to what it will accept over its DisplayPort input.

Connections - If you've decided that you want a 4K screen and consider it worthwhile for the size of display you are after (probably the larger models only), you are currently limited by there being no monitors with HDMI 2.1 connections, so you will need to hang on until some become available if you want to use 120Hz (and you should!). If you decide you don't really need 4K and it's unnecessary on the size of monitor you want, you have far more options available with 1080p (21.5 - 24" sized screens) and 1440p (25 - 30" sized). This will give you a wider range of high refresh rate options at more affordable prices. You won't need HDMI 2.1 to take advantage of the high refresh rate either, HDMI 2.0 will suffice there. Although it may be lacking some other functionality unfortunately (discussed below).

Variable Refresh Rate - this is currently supported well from the Xbox Series X including for old HDMI 2.0 screens which can support FreeSync over HDMI. At the moment VRR isn't support on the PS5 at all. If and when it is, it's very likely to only work over HDMI 2.1 via HDMI-org VRR support.

ALLM and HDR - ALLM is less likely to be of value in the desktop monitor market, but if you do want it (perhaps to switch to a gamer mode setup automatically) then it will only work over HDMI 2.1 so you will have to wait for a supported monitor. The Xbox Series X will already support it, the PS5 doesn't have this yet. HDR works fine on the PS5 at 1080p and 4K resolutions, but on the Xbox Series X it's only available at 4K currently. HDR is less mature in the desktop monitor space, but if you want your screen to offer some benefits we would recommend ignoring HDR400 certified screens, and instead look for HDR600 or above to at least give you some local dimming capability, wide colour gamut and 10-bit colour depth.

We have also tried to summarise some of the key areas in to the table below. We will try and keep this article up to date as and when there are changes or updates: