The Pros and Cons of Using OLED Monitors for Gaming

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One of the most common myths about OLED TVs is that this type of screen is not suitable for gaming. However, this misconception hardly applies to desktop monitors designed specifically for high-end PCs. In fact, OLED technology in general has come a long way. While there are certainly pros and cons, using an OLED monitor for gaming is a perfectly viable decision.

But what if you want to make sure you’re getting the best display for your gaming setup? Let’s go over the outstanding advantages and potential disadvantages that gamers will encounter with OLED monitors. Many arguments for both sides overlap with the pros and cons of buying a used OLED TV, but there are unique considerations gamers should keep in mind when shopping for monitors. These are the factors that will make or break the immersive and practical nature of the next panel you buy.

The diodes in an OLED display emit their own light when powered by an electric current, so there is no need for a backlight in the panel. The result is a high-contrast image with deeper blacks and a lower likelihood of “color bleeding” that can occur on other monitors. Also known as “light bleed,” this phenomenon causes blurring of colors on the screen due to the backlight seeping through. In comparison, OLED monitors reliably produce a sharper image.

If you’re playing an open-world exploration game, you want to experience the full majesty of each artfully designed vista you discover throughout the adventure. If you’re immersing yourself in a thrilling horror game, nothing will immerse you deeper into the experience than a monitor that conveys true darkness. OLED monitors can deliver these kinds of experiences, and they also tend to have excellent viewing angles that impart the full quality of the image even when you’re not looking directly at the screen.

A sharp image is more than just a feast for the eyes. Visual clarity is also important to facilitate good gaming performance. Whether searching for hidden objects or looking at a virtual weapon, having a crisp image on screen is an advantage. Of course, this quality comes at a price, which is why OLED TVs are so expensive.

Due to the lack of backlighting, OLED displays have always been less bright. This is still true today; Last year’s Samsung S95F OLED TV boasted brightness below 400 nits (via TechRadar), while high-end mini-LED TVs reached up to 600 nits last year. Additionally, the light-emitting elements of an OLED panel are made of organic components that degrade over time and will therefore continue to dim over the years. High brightness is crucial for visibility in well-lit spaces and for maximizing picture quality in video games, which is part of the reason why some people rightly believe that OLED TVs aren’t always worth it.

Certainly, if you’ve ever used an OLED monitor, you may not have noticed that it’s less bright than the alternatives. This is because our eyes perceive OLED displays as brighter due to higher contrast, even though their luminance is technically lower. This means that the perceived clarity of an OLED monitor may still be high, but its lower luminance may make it more susceptible to glare in bright environments. Opting for a monitor with a matte finish rather than glossy could alleviate the problem to some extent.

Response time is the time it takes for pixels on a monitor to change color. A faster response time means that the screen displays a current frame of the action, while a slow response time means that there may be a tiny lag between what is happening in the game and what is displayed on the screen.

OLED panels can feature a response time of less than 0.1 milliseconds, putting them ahead of even twisted nematic LCD monitors. This is because OLED pixels are self-luminous and do not rely on other components, such as backlighting and liquid crystals, to generate light. The entire photon emission generation process for an OLED pixel is typically 1,000 times faster than the response time of a typical LCD pixel.

This results in a direct benefit and overall a more enjoyable experience for players. In a competitive setting, the fighter with a faster screen will have better situational awareness. Even if it’s just a split second, sometimes that brief moment can be the deciding factor.

Screen burn-in has always been the biggest chip on every OLED monitor’s shoulder. Nowadays, major monitor brands offer OLED burn-in protection. Even so, nothing can completely change the fact that OLED pixels are organic compounds that degrade further the harder they work. If there is a persistent image on the screen, the pixel remains constantly lit in that color until it “burns out”, and a ghostly silhouette of the image is left on the screen.

Burn-in can be especially bothersome for dedicated gamers. Video games tend to have many static elements that remain on screen for the duration of a gaming session: a mini-map in the top corner, a heads-up display along the bottom edge, or a player character permanently fixed in the middle of the screen, to name a few. If you remember the main ways to avoid OLED screen burn-in, it becomes less of a problem. Still, it’s worth keeping in mind if you’re buying a monitor that you plan to use for a long time.