LG study highlights improved hit-rates with 480Hz OLED monitors
LG Display research uncovers a 38% accuracy improvement with 480Hz OLED displays
In a blind test with 31 gamers, LG Display researched how high-refresh-rate (up to 480Hz) OLED monitors affected gamers’ experience. Based on their results, fast OLED monitors deliver both quantitative and qualitative improvements for gamers. In FPS games, player hit their targets more often, and gamers reported smoother scene transitions and easier target tracking.
LG’s test had gamers play an FPS game at 60Hz, 240Hz, 360Hz, and 480Hz. Compared with 60 Hz, 480 Hz players experienced a 38% increase in hit score. LG also noted a 10% increase in win rate when moving from 240 Hz to 480 Hz. LG says this result implies that gaming performance improves continuously with refresh rate.
Overall, participants also reported increased satisfaction when playing at higher refresh rates. They reported smoother gameplay and easier tracking for moving enemies. LG also reports an input latency reduction of 10 ms when moving from 60 Hz to 480 Hz, making games feel more responsive.
Quantitative metrics measured the hit score and event interval time, while qualitative metrics investigated screen transition smoothness, target tracking ease, and overall preference (on a 5-point scale).
As a result, it was found that the win rate for a hit score that accurately hits the target improved by 38% at the highest level of 480Hz compared to the lowest level of 60Hz.
Of particular note is that the win rate improved by an additional 10% at 480Hz compared to 240Hz, which had already shown significant improvement. This can be interpreted to mean that gaming performance continuously improves as the refresh rate increases.
Qualitative satisfaction also increased. Gamers evaluated that higher refresh rates result in a smoother screen and make it easier to track moving enemies, and analysis showed that overall preference improved accordingly.
These improvements in gaming performance are attributed to the physical advantages of OLED monitors. A high refresh rate significantly reduces input lag—the time it takes for an input signal to be reflected on the screen—and motion blur, where fast-moving objects appear hazy .
In this experiment as well, input latency was reduced by more than 10ms in a 480Hz environment compared to 60Hz, and thanks to the relatively reduced input latency, the location of fast-moving enemies could be identified more accurately.
– LG Display
LG’s press release on their research is light on details. It did not detail the monitors used or the FPS game that they used for testing. Regardless, LG’s results and message are clear. Gaming on faster displays at high refresh rates enables the best possible gaming experience. For competitive games, this speed matters.
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