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Do you think you’re suffering from input lag? This guide provides crucial details that could save your gaming experience!
Input lag is one of the more annoying obstacles to navigate while trying to enjoy a PC or console game. Let’s set the stage: you’re in the middle of a heated match trying to close out the round. You press a button on your controller or keyboard, but a seemingly phantom delay causes your team to lose.
That may or may not be input lag rearing its ugly head, but what is it, and how can I fix it? This article aims to ease all your pain while improving your gaming experience.
What is input lag?
Input lag is the delay that occurs between the moment you press a button on your controller or keyboard and the action appearing on your screen. For example, let’s say you have to push your right trigger to shoot at an enemy. The input delay would take place after clicking the right trigger and before the weapon fires.
This issue affects thousands of gamers worldwide, with some possibly unaware of it. Another typical case affects those who play on large TVs. A non-gaming monitor often results in input lag because it has a lower response time than gaming monitors, which are optimized for this purpose.
If any of these examples sound like something you have experienced, you may be suffering from the dreaded input lag. So, how do you fix it? We will outline some potential fixes to hopefully alleviate that annoyance.
How to fix input delay issues
There is no definitive cure-all solution, as many factors could be at play. First, you need to determine if the issue lies within your controller, monitor, settings, or somewhere else. Either way, we have provided a few separate categories with steps to follow that can help mitigate the issue.
Controller input delay
This section is specific to anyoneusing a controllerfor their gaming sessions. While it can happen on consoles, controller input delay commonly affects PC players. If you think you’re experiencing controller issues, review the tips below.
Related articles
Input lag on monitors and/or TVs
This section applies to anyone experiencing input delay specific to their monitor or TV screen. These issues are more universal, affecting both console and PC gamers alike.
Hardware issues and settings to change that can improve input issues
How can I test input lag on my PC?
Several tools are available to test input lag, includingNvidia Reflex Latency AnalyzerandNvidia FrameViewfor those using Nvidia products. The video above explains what the Reflex program provides. FrameView works along the same lines, but Reflex is more robust.
If you’re an AMD user, your best option is to use theAMD Frame Latency Meter (FLM). This works similarly to Nvidia Reflex and should give you a better idea of your input lag.
Hopefully, all the information provided above will help you find the right solution to fix any input delays you’re experiencing on PC, console, monitors, or controllers.
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