Introduction
You might have already done a lot of your own research and noticed that there’s strong opinions on whether or not a projector is good for gaming or not. By the end of this article, you’ll have a solid understanding of why projectors are in-fact, great for gaming. I’ve been gaming on a projector for years now and I am so glad I made the shift. I can understand some reasons why people don’t like it which I’ll cover in this article.
I first switched to gaming on my Epson Projector in 2018 and I wish someone told me about this sooner. As I’m in the process of moving to a new house (yet again), I’m looking at purchasing another gaming projector because my old one is at my parents house.
But are projectors really good for gaming? Projectors are a great option for non-competitive gamers. They offer immersive gameplay, reduce eyestrain, and give you exceptional image quality at a more cost-effective price. Competitive gamers prefer not to use them because many do not reduce lag fast enough to where they can eliminate other players at warp speed. But for everyone else, gaming on a projector is a great way to play.
This article will help you make an informed decision about what choice is right for you as well as some additional resources at the end of the article. Whether you play Switch, PS5, XBOX, or even gaming PCs, you’ll find something valuable in here! Let’s get started.
1. Projectors Reduce Eyestrain on Gamers
For gamers this is a big deal. Games involve fast moving images across the screen and we like to play for hours on end, often surpassing that of an average movie. We also like to sit closer to the screen so we can really see what’s going on in a fast paced match.
Projectors, by their nature, reduce eyestrain because you’re not staring directly at the pixels that are being displayed by the LED lights. This is not the case for TVs as you know. I’m sure all of you have been to a movie theater at some point, but I encourage you to demo a video game on a projector for 10 minutes next time you go to Best Buy, you’ll definitely notice the ease placed on your eyes compared to TV.
2. Projectors allow you to sit further away from the screen. This is another huge health benefit. You’ll further reduce eyestrain just by sitting farther away from any light-emitting device. The added benefit with a projector is that they’ll cover such a large area in your room so you won’t feel the need to sit any closer than you naturally want to.
3. They all come with brightness and blue-light settings. TVs sometimes do, but projectors will always be better at this because their performance primarily has to do with brightness. If you get a good projector (2,000 lumens or brighter), you can easily turn it up or down if you feel like your eyes need that adjustment.
4. Projectors can change their screen output size, TVs can’t. No matter how expensive of a TV you get, you simply cannot make it bigger or smaller! Projectors can increase or decrease the image size they output and they can be employed from an unlimited amount of angles and positions in your home theater or living room.
If you need to reduce or adjust the viewing angle, you can do so either by physically adjusting your projector or even going into their built-in features.
5. Projectors are 10x More Immersive for Video Games
Think of the last time you played multiplayer split screen on a TV? Was it not frustrating that you were only granted a tiny sliver of the screen? Wouldn’t you wish there was someway to have the whole screen to yourself while gaming with a friend?
Because of how large of a surface projector screens display, split screen games are even more fun than on a TV! My wife and I love to play Star Wars Battlefront II on the projector because we feel like we’re getting our own TV sized portion of the screen!
Projectors thrive in a dark room. Keeping light out of your room when gaming on a projector makes the experience so much better- and immersive. When the large screen in front of you is all that you’re focusing on, you actually feel like you are in the game and it’s a great feeling.
6. You can more easily implement surround sound on a projector. Projectors typically sit in the back of the room, so connecting them to your surround sound receiver its much easier when it comes to cord management.
I made this video shortly after purchasing my Epson Projector. I still and love it to this day and this is the one I’ve been talking about. It’s great for gaming, as I play more video games on it than I do watching movies. Even the most high end- graphically demanding games look spectacular on it. I also noticed no input lag on it at all.
7. Projectors are More Cost Efficient for Gamers
If you do any additional research, you’ll notice that good projectors and 4k tvs are actually the same price for most of their products. It’s easier to produce a projector with incredible resolution on much larger surface than it is to produce a TV at 4k resolution for anywhere near the same size.
Example: LG OLED TV vs BENQ 4k
LG’s OLED TV is 77 inches compared to one of the Sony Vava 4k Projector. If you put the two side by side, you’ll notice that the Sony Projector can create a 122 inch 4k image with ease (and from a short throwing distance). Families and friends will much prefer the larger image size of same quality compared to an OLED TV.
And the better news is that it’s $500 less expensive. This is only a single example, there are plenty of other projectors that perform the same as a TV for even cheaper than these 2!
4k on a TV isn’t really 4k yet. While you’ll see TVs labeled as 4k producing, more than half the time you’re not really viewing 4k when you watch movies, YouTube or play video games. There aren’t that many games that support 4k even on the PS4 pro. There’s also a lot of people that complain that 4k gaming places an enormous demand on PCs, many of which can’t provide you with smooth 60fps gaming. In short: it’s going to be a few more years before we start seeing 4k gaming on TVs become more enjoyable and noticeable.
8. Projectors are easy to pack up and move. You’ll be able to enjoy projectors for years to come no matter where you go. My family can move our projector and screen outdoors in less than 10 Minutes! It’s great for having movie nights for friends and family, and it’s unique in its own way because not many people choose to own a projector. It really does make you feel like you’re in the movie theaters. They’re more versatile in how you can set them up.
You can mount them to the ceiling, purchase a short throw projector, or place them on a shelf behind everyone.
9. They will last as long as your TV. The only thing you’ll need to be aware of 5-6 years down the line is that you’ll need to replace the bulb for LED projectors only (laser projectors will never burn out because they don’t use bulbs). LED Projector bulbs only cost a couple hundred dollars to replace and all you do is contact the original manufacturer.
Laser projectors are becoming more advanced but they’re still infinitely more expensive. They’re designed to run all day and night like an actual movie theater so I would stick with an LED Projector especially for gaming.
What should I look for in a gaming projector?
Don’t just pay attention to if the product title has “gaming” mentioned in it. You want a projector that ultimately has Low Input Lag. As a seasoned gamer, you’ll notice a little bit more input lag on a projector if you’re aiming your HUD all over the place and notice there’s more of a blur on the screen compared to a TV.
A good projector will have an input lag of around 16-23 millisecond response time.
Of course, this is no where near what a gaming monitor can give you, but this only matters to pro gamers who plan on winning every single ranked match they play. For everyone else, you won’t notice a difference.
Planning Considerations for Your Projector Setup
- You’ll need a room at least 9ft in length. Unless you’re getting a short throw projector, you’ll need at least 9 ft from the screen to the projector’s location to produce a 122 inch image. Almost any room can accommodate this type of setup.
. - You’ll need a dedicated projector screen. I don’t recommend just using a white sheet and stapling it to the wall. My family did that for years and we enjoyed it but getting an actually screen improved our experience 10 fold.
Playing Far Cry 5 outside on this screen was truly enjoyable in every way. The projector screen below is the one I still use and absolutely love. You can use it for indoor and outdoor setups and they’re equally enjoyable.
Important Note: I recommend setting up your projector in a way where it can have good ventilation. If you can stick it where there’s an AC vent that’s going to be even more ideal. Projectors get hot during the summer months and keeping AC going in the room will keep the fan noise down.
You’ll need to hook up your projector to external speakers and manage your cords. Every solution to this is different for each set up, but you’ll want to find a convenient and organized way to route your cords from the projector to your speakers. A lot of people use Home Theater Receivers to organize all their connections. We just got a really long aux cord and ran it around the side of our room where no one could see it.
Recommended Products
Note: I’m not sponsored by any of these companies. I’ve either tried or personally used the following:
- Epson 2040: The gaming projector I use and absolutely love. It’s extremely cost efficient compared to any TV you’ll get for this price range! If you have any questions on this you can reach me at entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to respond. I use it for PC gaming and for PS4 gaming as well. It performs great especially with The Last of Us II and other AAA titles.
- Optoma UHD38. This company has always been a well reviewed one for projectors that are good for gaming. It comes with extremely low input lag, so competitive gamers will really appreciate this feature. Casual and single player gamers will absolutely love the high quality graphics this thing will produce in games like Horizon Zero Dawn or Call of Duty.
. - Epson 5050 4k Pro HDR. For gamers that want to go all in on their projector set up. This would be the equivalent to getting a 55 inch 4k OLED TV but for a way bigger picture and enjoyable experience! At this price, you’re basically paying for a 122inch TV with how good of quality this thing is! It comes with a brightness of 2600 lumens which is more than enough for your set. You could even play this thing with considerable ambient light in the room.
. - EpiqVision Ultra LS500 Laser. A fantastic short throw distance that all the serious home theater enthusiasts praise about. Short throw projectors are even easier to setup and for this price range and model type (laser), this will last you for literally decades, providing you the enjoyment of video games for years upon years to come.
What If I’ve Decided to Get A TV?
The best TVs that I’m going to purchase for my living room gaming set up will either be the LG OLED or the SAMSUNG Q70. They’re both fantastic at producing color contrast and ulta-high definition graphics, something I know my gaming PC is really going to appreciate. PS4s and PS5’s also have increased graphics on these because it activates their HDR Settings that a lot of games are rendered in.
You can’t adjust the graphics on the PS4/PS5 unless you’re routing your HDMI cord to HDR compatible TV such as the one above.
LG OLED
Additional Resources
How Long Does a Home Theater Projector Last? A super quick and easy read that will tell you exactly what you want to know. I gave a call to Best Buy when I was writing this article to get the most accurate information and data. I’ve personally owned a projector for 4 years for my home theater setup and still haven’t needed to change the bulb yet (just to give you an idea).
Do Projector Screens Actually Matter? [Spoiler: Yes, they do] I highly recommend this one if you’re in the process of looking to set up a home theater with a projector and screen. There’s a ton of screens out there, this article gives you a perfectly consolidated resource to make the best purchase decision with ease! And you can email me about it if you have questions!
Projector vs. OLED TV: How Do You Make The Choice? I made a super helpful Decision Tree to give you the fastest answer. This article is for anyone who’s also considering using one or the other primarily for movie watching and other entertainment. It’s tailored less to gamers but definitely has some other useful information there as well.
Thanks for reading! If you have any last minute questions, comments, or just want to reach out and say thanks- feel free to email entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to respond.
As noted in the last article, I’m currently taking article suggestions if you have any. Thanks again for reading and be sure to check back ever so often for the next article!