Latency, in the context of FPS (First-Person Shooter) video games, refers to the delay between a player’s action and the game’s response to that action. This delay is usually measured in milliseconds (ms) and is often referred to as “ping”.
For example, when you press the trigger button to fire a weapon in a game, latency is the time it takes for the game server to receive your action, process it, and then send back the response, such as the visual representation of your character firing the weapon.
Low latency (e.g., 20-40ms) means there’s a very short delay, leading to a smoother and more responsive gaming experience. High latency (e.g., 200ms or more) can result in noticeable delays or “lag”, which can make the game feel slow or unresponsive, and can significantly impact gameplay, especially in fast-paced FPS games where every millisecond counts.
Latency can be affected by various factors, including the quality of your internet connection, the distance between you and the game server, and the performance of your gaming hardware. Therefore, to achieve a low-latency gaming experience, it’s important to have a stable and fast internet connection, choose game servers close to your location, and use high-performance gaming hardware.