Would I benefit from buying a 1080p monitor for gaming?

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leh18621

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This topic is probably not going to be about what you thought it was going to be. When playing FPS games and some RPG's, if the FOV is too small I get motion sickness extremely fast.

I did a test with BFBC2. I originally tried playing it on a 19" monitor at 1440x900 and couldn't play for even ten minutes before having to stop playing. At that point I started thinking maybe it was the FOV so I switched out my monitors and switched to my 20" 1680x1050. My thinking was that with the 1680x1050 it would actually increase the FOV and decrease my motion sickness. I was correct. The next day when I played I still got motion sickness, but it was not as severe and I was able to play longer.

I ended up finding out how to change the FOV in the game and changed it to around 100 I believe and could play indefinitely at that point.

So, If I got a monitor that allowed me to play at 1920x1080 shouldn't that give me an increase in FOV in any game compared to the 1680x1050? Or am I thinking about this all wrong?
 
It varies game-to-game whether your FOV changes with the aspect ratio of your monitor. Most either use a fixed horizontal or vertical FOV and stretch the other based on the dimensions of your monitor.

1440x900 and 1680x1050 are both 16:10 aspect ratios so you should get the same FOV in all games on either monitor.

I think your motion sickness is due to something other than FOV.
 
There's no guarantee that simply going to a widescreen aspect ratio will give you a wider field of view. The only way to guarantee this is for you to set it yourself, assuming the game lets you do this. In general, an aspect ratio that is "wider" will give you a wider FOV, but it is by no means dependent on the aspect ratio. There are many old games which were clearly developed with only one screen type in mind (in a time where widescreen monitors were uncommon) and they simply don't look nice on widescreen setups since they're still assuming 4:3 ratios.

It's usually not as bad these days, but many developers neglect FOV issues (aka - setting them to ridiculously low values), particularly if they're games that are cross platform.
 
Some motion sickness pills might be your best bet for long gaming sessions.
 
Like I said, it depends on the game. Many FPS games give me lot's of problems unless I can change the FOV. With RPG's it depends. I can play Oblivion or Gothic 3 with no problem. However, I recently tried to play Risen and I got sick right away.

As for the monitor's resolution. Let's say I had a 22" monitor. If I played a game at 1680x1050, and then switched to 1920x1080, wouldn't at 1920x1080 everything be smaller on the same size screen because of the higher resolution, thus increasing the FOV?
 
Was going to ask if it was FPS games that are giving you that feeling.

I know someone who has vertigo and can't play FPS games for that reason.
 
Depends on the game. Some will give you a wider FOV with a wider display, others won't and you will get less vertical information instead.
 
Everett1 said:
Was going to ask if it was FPS games that are giving you that feeling.

I know someone who has vertigo and can't play FPS games for that reason.
Click to expand...

Typically it's more so FPS than anything else. It just depends on how "close" the camera is and how large or small the FOV is.
 
leh18621 said:
Like I said, it depends on the game. Many FPS games give me lot's of problems unless I can change the FOV. With RPG's it depends. I can play Oblivion or Gothic 3 with no problem. However, I recently tried to play Risen and I got sick right away.

As for the monitor's resolution. Let's say I had a 22" monitor. If I played a game at 1680x1050, and then switched to 1920x1080, wouldn't at 1920x1080 everything be smaller on the same size screen because of the higher resolution, thus increasing the FOV?
Click to expand...

Yes, but no.

Going from 16:10 to 16:9 *may* give you a higher FOV, but it is not due to the resolution but the aspect ratio. By that logic, you could use a (theoretical) super high resolution 4:3 monitor but your FOV would not improve even with a 4000x3000 resolution.

Your best bet is to stick with games that let you change the FOV on your own, because you're a big boy and you like to decide what looks good to you. If a review says it's a narrow FOV and can't be changed, I wait for a confirmed FOV hack before I even consider buying it.
 
leh18621 said:
As for the monitor's resolution. Let's say I had a 22" monitor. If I played a game at 1680x1050, and then switched to 1920x1080, wouldn't at 1920x1080 everything be smaller on the same size screen because of the higher resolution, thus increasing the FOV?
Click to expand...

Resolution has no affect on FOV, only aspect ratio does. I think your problem is not caused by FOV because the two monitors you have experience with would result in the same FOV.

FOV, in relation to computer graphics, photography, etc., refers to how wide the angles are of what your character's eyes can see in the game.

A nice intro to the subject here. I HIGHLY recommend you read it.
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/FAQ
 
FOV is how much of the picture is displayed on the monitor, which is completely seperate from the size, resolution or aspect ratio of the monitor. Your 19" 1440x900 monitor and your 20" 1680x1050 monitor have the same aspect ratio (they are both 16:10) so you did not change the FOV of the game merely by switching out the monitors. Many games will display the same FOV on all monitors, whether they're a 19" 4:3 or a 27" 16:9.

FOV that is set too low does cause nausea and/or headaches for a lot of people. The solution is to fix the FOV on games that have it set too low. The WSGF Games List is probably the best source for info on how to make games properly display widescreen, and that usually involves setting FOV properly. Generally speaking for a single monitor setup, you want FOV between 90 and 100, while 75 or less will give you trouble.

Note: when I say "FOV" in this post, I mean horizontal FOV. A few games, such as B:BC2, use vertical FOV which makes it more complicated to calculate (see the B:BC2 FOV Calculator).
 
I appreciate all the responses. I will check out that site that evilsofa and Mozex linked to. Thanks again.
 
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