Nvidia unveils G-Sync Pulsar technology to address motion blur in gaming monitors
Gaming hardware has made huge strides in the past decade in pushing pixels quickly across screens. However, the eye’s unique ability to retain colors of pixels for fractions of a second longer than what is optimal for gaming has always led to complications. To address this issue, Nvidia has announced its latest G-Sync offering, Pulsar, aimed at tackling motion blur in gaming monitors.
Motion blur is often caused by the persistence of an image on the retina, as the eyes track movement on the screen. While previous display tech improvements have helped with hardware causes, the persistence of images on the retina is a challenge. Nvidia claims to have solved this issue with its G-Sync Pulsar tech, using a novel algorithm to synergize variable refresh smoothing and monitor pulsing. This feature reduces motion blur and pixel ghosting by transitioning pixels from one color to another at a rate that optimizes visual quality.
Nvidia has stated that Pulsar also addresses visual discomfort caused by some strobing effects by intelligently controlling the pulse’s brightness and duration. To accommodate this technology, monitors will need Nvidia’s own chips built-in. Asus ROG Swift PG27 Series G-Sync with a 360 Hz refresh rate is expected to be released later this year, but the price has not yet been revealed.
While it’s challenging to verify the effectiveness of Pulsar without hands-on experience, PC Gamer has confirmed Nvidia’s claims by testing Pulsar at CES this week. The publication verified that Pulsar makes it easier to read text while strafing left and right at an incredibly high refresh rate.
Furthermore, Nvidia has announced that G-Sync Pulsar will only be offered on monitors with a G-Sync Ultimate badge and will not be cross-compatible with other standards. In the meantime, Nvidia’s GeForce Now game streaming service will offer G-Sync capabilities to Ultimate or Priority members, coupled with its Reflex offering, to create cloud gaming experiences nearly indistinguishable from local ones.