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This is what it’s like to game on an 85-inch TV

It’s said that size isn’t everything, and in most cases, that’s true.

When it comes to TVs, however, size counts quite for a bit. We found that out when a monstrous 85-inch Hisense UHD 3D LED TV made its way to our offices, took over one of our work areas and made us all wish we had R150 000 to spend on one for our respective homes.

Homes that we’d have to renovate in order to fit the thing in, that is: this TV is so big, it couldn’t fit anywhere but what would be the dining area if our home-office wasn’t being used as business premises.

So we did what any self-respecting professional tech writers would do, and hooked up a PlayStation 4 and spent some time playing games on it, just to see what a difference those extra 30 inches make.

Let me just say, the difference is dramatic.

Initially, I thought that 85 inches was too big, but the more I played, the more I liked it.

Running through scenery in Dragon Age: Inquisition, I felt far more like I was there than I have ever felt playing on my 40-inch TV at home. Somehow, with the bigger screen taking up more space in my field of view and characters appearing to be a significant percentage of a real-world human’s size, I felt like the game almost surrounded me, making it far easier to suspend my disbelief that this was nothing more than a digital construct. I even experienced a bit of vertigo at times, so taken in was I by the convincing movement of the scene.

You can imagine, then, how playing The Evil Within nearly gave me a heart attack on several occasions as I tested this newfound experience. Immersion is what game developers go for when they make worlds for us to play in, but being immersed in the bloody, gory and downright creepy world of The Evil Within to a greater extent than delivered by a smaller screen is utterly petrifying. It also made the claustrophobic viewpoint of sitting just over Detective Castellanos’s shoulder even more so, adding to the tension. In short, if you want to get the full Evil Within effect, play it on a huge screen.

On the other hand, playing 1080p games on a screen that big does tend to show up their graphics a bit. Textures often appeared a bit muddy in both games, and edges a little fuzzy in places. That could be rectified by taking more steps back, of course, so it’s no biggie, but if you want the full “Oh my God I’m surrounded” effect you have to get closer than the recommended 3 metres to the TV, which is where the flaws become apparent.

Even so, it’s still better than playing on a smaller screen.

This is a monster TV, both in stature and price, so the average South African probably won’t be grabbing one any time soon. But if you get the chance, I highly recommend taking one out for a spin because really, it’s brilliant. Just be aware that you may return home afterwards and throw something at your far-smaller TV in a fit of envy.

Want to know more about the TV? Here’s the deets.

  • Model: Hisense T910 85″ Ultra High Definition TV
  • Size: 85 inches measured diagonally
  • Screen technology:
  • Resolution: 3 840×2 160 (UHD)
  • Refresh Rate: 100Hz
  • Operating System: Android 4.2.2 (Jellybean)
  • Functions: TV, Digital Media Player, Digital High Definition Tuner
  • Connectivity: Built-in WiFi, Ethernet
  • Inputs: 4 x HDMI, 3 x USB
  • Price: R150 000
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