Finding a suitable TV for your PlayStation or Xbox used to require a careful look at spec sheets. But that's not the case these days as the best TVs for gaming are usually the best TVs you can buy, period. While nobody needs a fancy TV to enjoy a good video game, the right set can help you maximize your gaming hardware's potential. If you're unsure of where to start, we've laid out some helpful advice for buying the right model below, along with a few recommendations for the best gaming TVs you can buy today. Whether you use it for gaming or not, all good TVs are built on the same foundations.

You're not the first person who's wondered what it would be like to have a giant desktop monitor. Think of all the multi-tasking and immersive gaming you could manage if you had a 50- or 60-inch monitor instead of a standard 24-inch monitor! But you've probably noticed that as monitors get bigger, they also tend to get prohibitively expensive. You've probably already got a big screen in your house, though--a high-definition television. While you can use a TV as a computer monitor in most cases, that doesn't mean it's the best option.

TVs are more complicated than they've ever been. Basic picture settings like brightness, color, and tint are nothing new, but now, there are dozens of parameters to fiddle with, and they don't always play well with video games. Game consoles are subject to a potential problem called input lag. In short, Luigi jumps a few milliseconds after you tell him to. This is a huge problem in games that require split-second reaction time, and it's even worse if you're playing online.

Whether you're gaming on a PC or console, you want to be swept up in the action. Picture quality, size, and sound are all important, but what happens when your TV simply can't react as fast as you can? The most exciting, fast-paced games--like shooters, fighters, or racing sims--are built around the assumption that split-second reactions will actually happen within a split-second on your screen. When they don't, it's a major immersion breaker, and input lag is usually the culprit. But with a brand-new new batch of consoles, ever more powerful PCs, and the rise of affordable 4K TVs, where do you even begin?