If you are looking for a monitor that supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) announced today that it is making it easier to figure out which models you should consider.
VESA's Adaptive-Sync Display Compliance Test Specification (also known as Adaptive-Sync Display CTS) is a new certification program that puts VRR displays through a series of tests to examine the raw performance of a monitor's VRR technology, looking for things such as judder, dropped frames, and flicker.
As a refresher, Variable Refresh Rate is a technology that syncs the display's refresh rate to the game's output, allowing games to run at a lower or higher FPS than the display and alleviating issues such as screen tearing.
This would not be the first time VESA stepped in to make a certification program. Back in 2017, VESA announced an HDR certification program that focused on things like peak brightness on HDR-capable displays.
VESA is transparent about the testing it will put monitors through, going as far as making criteria and the official document of the test specifications public. In addition to a new AdaptiveSync program, VESA also announced a new MediaSync program; the big difference between them is that AdaptiveSync focuses more on displays optimized for gaming, while MediaSync focuses on monitors designed for content creation or video playback.
Similar to monitors that go through testing for things like G-Sync and FreeSync, if a monitor passes either the MediaSync or AdaptiveSync tests, VESA will award the monitor with a sticker, as seen in the image below.
The list of AdaptiveSync certified products is currently small, with only nine displays, such as the LG UltraGear GP950 27-inch 4K gaming monitor. It’s more than likely that monitors from other display manufacturers will be on the list down the road.
Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
