NVIDIA Reflex vows to make input lag a thing of the past

By JC Torres/Sept. 2, 2020 1:28 am EST

Computer games are primarily graphics-focused, with developers, publishers, and hardware makers talking a lot about refresh rates, GtG times, color gamut, and the like. In fast-paced, twitch-based competitive games, however, it isn't just the graphics lag that can make or break the game. Input lag is equally just as critical to victory or defeat, and NVIDIA's new suite of tools and technologies under the Reflex brand promises to make the fight against input lag more accessible and affordable.

Input lag, sometimes called system lag, is commonly described as the time it takes between clicking a mouse button to shoot to the time the graphics reflect that action. Unlike display refresh or response rates, however, input latency is harder to quantify and measure, at least not without expensive equipment that only big game developers and publishers can afford. With NVIDIA Reflex, however, you only need a GeForce RTX 30 series GPU and a compatible monitor.

NVIDIA Reflex isn't actually a single thing but more like a suite of related tools designed to make measuring and optimizing input latency more accessible. There's the Reflex Latency Analyzer that, as the name suggests, is meant to measure system responsiveness so that they can tweak their PCs properly.

Gamers, however, might be more interested in the Reflex Low Latency Mode as it immediately tweaks supported games' settings for the best input latency possible. That said, it does require that game developers add this mode into games and the list of supported titles is currently limited to Fortnite, Valorant, Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Destiny 2.

NVIDIA Reflex, however, isn't just a one-company team as NVIDIA also has to work with display makers to pull it off, just like with its G-SYNC technology. That means you'll need to also have a Reflex-compatible display, specifically a 360 Hz NVIDIA G-SYNC gaming monitor, which is still coming later this Fall.