Anyone better playing on a monitor close up?

[evil_ash_xero]

I've noticed since I hooked my Xbox 360 into my PC monitor, that my shmupping is better. I'm not sure if it's because I'm sitting right up to the monitor, or if it's because it's in HD, and I can see the bullets better. I'm kind of thinking both.

But some games I am just much worse on, when I'm playing on my CRT, from a normal viewing distance. Mushihimesama for one. I was awful with that game, and now I can 1cc normal.

Anyone else have this issue?

[trap15]

I tend to play better on a cab instead of MAME/port, and I think that's generally due to:
1) No more shitty MAME/port
2) Closer viewing distance
3) Larger visible area

So yes, I am better closer to the monitor

[SuperPang]

Infinitely so. I always buy the Cave ports but can't get anywhere playing Yoko on a 50" plasma at normal distance so I barely play them despite the improved graphics and extra modes, plus playing on a cab makes you feel like a boss.

[SuperSoaker360]

Definitely. Playing on a monitor feels easier for me. I think it's the distance.

[KAI]

ShMUPS are not meant to be played on a 50" plasma or on a 14” CRT monitor as I do.
These games just require practice.

[AntiFritz]

I have my xbox connected to my 23inch monitor which I am able to rotate. I noticed an improvement with my playing as soon as i started doing that i think.

[louisg]

For manics, that makes perfect sense. I remember I used to play Mars Matrix on a 15" screen and could never get past the phoenix boss because I couldn't easily see the gaps between his shots. Anything that needs some degree of scraping will benefit a ton from a larger image.

[Kollision]

Closer to the TV/monitor is where it's at.

[Mortificator]

But some games I am just much worse on, when I'm playing on my CRT, from a normal viewing distance. Mushihimesama for one. I was awful with that game, and now I can 1cc normal.

I can't argue with results, but if the monitor's LCD, aren't you going to experience some latency that doesn't exist with CRT?

[moh]

I find that it depends on the screen size. For small screens, 15"-20" I can play right against the monitor since everything is still in my field of view, But playing games like mars matrix on my cab, I feel like I have to rotate my head to see everything on the 29" screen.

Not to say that it not tolerable, but I feel like having the entire screen in my field of view is nicer.

[emphatic]

I get distracted really easily when I play, so having less stuff on the sides of the playing area that my eyes can wander off to, the better I play. Cabinet FTW.

[Obiwanshinobi]

It's about how big part of your field of vision is occupied by the picture, whether you are short- or far-sighted... Also, your habits (shmups and other games putting quite a strain on the optic nerve are good for one's eyesight, but I assume other things you do in life might have the opposite effect as well).

[chempop]

I was amazed at how I improved once I jumped from a 20"->27", the extra size made a world of difference for me.
What I find interesting is how some of the best players here actually prefer smaller setups so they can really take in everything on the screen at once without having to shift their focus at all... some don't even tate...

[Obiwanshinobi]

From the distance I look at my 17'' CRT computer monitor, tate don't make great deal of difference in Raiden III (although the picture is much bigger, the benefit is purely aesthetical).
I play Sonic Wings Special (Hard) on a 14'' CRT in tate and am doing well enough.
Both are shmups of FAST bullets you're supposed to stay the hell away from. I don't play games of slower, thickier patterns frequently enough to have much to say about those.

[xavierjesus]

If not on cab, I always try & ensure my eyes are as close to the monitor as they would be if I was on a cab - so yeah, closer for the win. I need as much of my field of vision filled with danmaku shit as possible.

Though I aint' played seriously in ages as my eyes are so fucked (borderline legal for driving) & I been too lazy to get glasses over the last year or so.

Sitting halfway across a lounge, hitting some stg action, seems ridiculous to me.

Doesn't matter shit though these days, even if my eyes are glued to the screen - a Cave stage 2 would rape me...

Blind as fuck = no shooting!

[To Far Away Times]

A typical computer desk setup works just fine for me. It's harder for me to focus if I'm sitting on a couch looking at the TV from a distance.

[Softdrink 117]

I can't argue with results, but if the monitor's LCD, aren't you going to experience some latency that doesn't exist with CRT?

Not necessarily. I can't speak as to what kind of monitor he uses, but certain types of LCD monitors have extremely good response times. I use an IPS panel myself, and notice no difference at all when playing on it compared to my cab at home.

Theoretically you're correct in that all LCDs have latency, but there's a reachable margin within which the human eye can't actually perceive the difference.

Regarding the overall topic: Bigger screen, closer, is better for me (to an extent. I once played on my friend's plasma, which is like a 70" diagonal, and I had to sit back from the screen because it was just too big, even in Yoko). Cabs FTW!

[Erppo]

some don't even tate...

I don't see much need for tate on a 5:4 monitor even though I have a rotating base. Having the monitor a bit closer has the exact same effect and saves you from the annoying task of trying to get the screen completely straight after rotating.

Only two games I remember rotating for were the XBL Guwange with its stupid screen size limitations and the new Under Defeat port for the extra slowdown in tate mode.

[evil_ash_xero]

But some games I am just much worse on, when I'm playing on my CRT, from a normal viewing distance. Mushihimesama for one. I was awful with that game, and now I can 1cc normal.

I can't argue with results, but if the monitor's LCD, aren't you going to experience some latency that doesn't exist with CRT?

It's a L227WTG, which from what I understand is basically latency free. It certainly SEEMS it.

[Giest118]

It sort of depends on the game, in my experience.

For games like Touhou, which rely on absurd bullet density with really slow bullets, it's better to have the screen fill as much of your field of vision as possible. For other games, such as Mushi/Futari Original, it's better to distance yourself from the screen a bit so the bullet speed isn't quite so blindingly fast.

Of course, sometimes a single game can change it up at the drop of a hat. There's one moment of Blue Wish Resurrection (the TLB's opener) where I'll actually pull my head back from the screen a few inches because it's easier to read the fast bullets that way.

[Ed Oscuro]

I tend to use my PC monitor at about arm's length, so three feet. 26" 16:10 screen, unrotated. Rotating a TN panel would make me sad.

It gives just as much viewing space as a 17" CRT (or other 4:3 monitor) rotated would.

A screen is too big if you can't scan from the top to the bottom with just a slight motion of your eyes. My eyes will come to "rest" at the base of the screen, and the top will just be a motion. If you had to move your eyes from a resting position to go up or down, that's probably too much screen real estate to cover. I never had trouble with a 27" CRT TV (in normal orientation) at about the same distance as the computer monitor, though.

[Wenchang]

With video games in general, I almost have to sit very close to a monitor/television screen to be able to keep up with the action. I remember the first time I played Vanquish I was completely inept and couldn't keep up with the game even at the first boss. I don't know what it is, it's not like my eye sight is so bad that I can't see individual objects, but I have a hard time focusing on specific objects quick enough to be able to play manic games. The general image of a video gamer sitting on a couch a large distance away from a giant sized HD TV is just not something I can do well. I generally prefer either sitting in a computer chair or standing up and in both cases I do it close to smaller, non-HDTV screens that don't hurt my eyes and are not too big that my eyes have a greater distance to scan.