Up until now, NVIDIA has taken small steps over the past 11 years since it introduced its original G-SYNC technology. Developments are slow because they require both the company’s hardware and the collaboration of monitor manufacturers as well as part of other related standards. Therefore, debuting at CES 2024, NVIDIA has unveiled G-SYNC Pulsar, the latest innovation for gaming monitors that promises two things: the best fluidity and the best clarity in your games. But how does it achieve this, and is it as revolutionary as NVIDIA claims?
Jensen Huang’s team claims that this technology is the next evolution for gaming, arguing that it sets a new standard for all gamers, whether casual or professional, in terms of visual clarity and fidelity. Undoubtedly, it responds to the pleas of many gamers, myself included, who must choose between the two main technologies currently available.
G-SYNC Pulsar finally brings together VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ULMB2 (Ultra Low Motion Blur, second version) to launch the ultimate gaming technology.
Yes, the headline is very grandiose but accurate at the same time because what NVIDIA has shown ultimately resolves the three problems we experienced before 2012 that have persisted for over 11 years.
Tearing, stuttering, and lack of visual clarity and sharpness are now things of the past. The question remains how does it accomplish this?
G-SYNC Pulsar combines VRR through its variable refresh rate hardware update with the ULMB2 technology, which was previously impossible.
While Variable Overdrive partially solved this, synchronizing the monitor’s refresh rate with FPS and doing so dynamically isn’t linked to the transition of pixel color changes. So you had to choose between VRR and ULMB (or the proprietary technologies of panel and monitor manufacturers), but not both.
G-SYNC Pulsar changes this by synchronizing FPS with the monitor’s refresh rate and the pixel change speed simultaneously, getting the best of both worlds.
This is achieved through a novel algorithm that is tied to the hardware. It has a specific function that dynamically adjusts the strobe patterns to different rendering speeds from the GPU.
G-SYNC Pulsar modulates the overdrive based on the current screen location and synchronizes it with the panel’s refresh rate. According to NVIDIA, this guarantees the highest clarity and the most significant reduction in motion blur while maintaining synchronized panel speed.
But it goes even further. G-SYNC Pulsar ensures there is intelligent control of brightness and pulse duration between pixel changes, preventing flickering issues.
Interestingly, you may not need to buy a new monitor or GPU. The downside is that, as NVIDIA says, engineering behind the hardware and software had to be reinterpreted. This implies “new” monitors, new drivers, and control firmware. It is expected to be compatible with a large portion of NVIDIA’s hardware in terms of GPUs, so there might be no need for a graphics card change unless NVIDIA limits support to certain generations or models.
That said, some existing monitors will be able to enable G-SYNC Pulsar with a firmware update since they meet NVIDIA’s requirements. It is unclear exactly which ones will be compatible, but the fact that none presented at CES 2024 were certified gives hope that a broader range of models will support the new technology and that software plays a more significant role than hardware.
In conclusion, NVIDIA G-SYNC Pulsar is a revolutionary gaming technology that combines VRR and ULMB2 to enhance fluidity and clarity in games.
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