I was originally planning to review the cheap Chinese projector I recently bought for this article, but I immediately realized that I am not willing to scrutinize this seventy-five dollar miracle in a way that would satisfy even the most casual reader. I plugged the thing in, fired up Nazi Zombies, and instantly fell in love. The End.

But I realized that perhaps a lot of my readers have not discovered the joys of gaming with a projector, and having recently purchased my third one, I thought I could offer some advice for those on the fence, or those who have never even given it a thought. So, where to begin?



Do you have a room that you can make mostly dark? Most people do, but it's an extra bonus if you have a room that you can completely darken during the day. With the first projector I bought, I used it in a room with one small window, which I was able to black out completely with just a bath towel.  My first projector was the Optoma DS303, and I loved that thing!

Along with a dark room, you'll also need about six feet of clearance from wall to wall. I've always put my projectors on a bookshelf in the back of the room, but if you want to get fancy, you can mount it on the ceiling. How far away you can get the projector from the wall will dictate the size of the screen. I have never felt that I was short on space, but if you're fortunate enough to have a huge room, keep in mind the maximum screen size for your projector. My current projector is only eight feet away from the wall, but I am able to get an 85 inch picture from it.

Next, you'll need to decide what you are going to project the image onto. I have always projected onto a plain wall, which I am completely satisfied with. However if you want a sharper image, you can buy or assemble your own screen. You can also buy projector screen paint, which will supposedly reflect the image brighter than normal paint for a better picture. I have never seen screen paint in action, but I'd love to hear from anyone who has.

The next thing to figure out is your sound. Unlike televisions, most projectors don't have satisfying speakers. The one I just bought is only a little better than a cell phone speaker and the previous two that I owned didn't have internal speakers at all. Currently, I use an old-school stereo amplifier with two, old Kenmore speakers. If you have a more sophisticated sound system than that, you're probably good to go. An alternative to makeshift (or actual) surround sound would be headphones, if you're cool with that.

The last thing you have to decide, and this is a biggie, is whether or not you want to go for a high-definition or standard picture. The trade off for a considerable improvement in picture quality is a massive increase in price. As I mentioned above, the projector I just bought ran me a paltry seventy-five dollars, while the two previous projectors I owned, (both HD) were $550 and $400. When those puppies break beyond their warranty period, as both of mine did, that really hurts financially. I'm not saying I'd be happy if my cheap projector failed right away, but it would be an easier pill to swallow than the dead pixels that plagued my second projector only two years after installing it. The projector I use now down-samples an HD signal (from an HDMI cable) into standard definition, but to me it still looks sharp and crisp and I am very happy with the picture I'm getting for the money.


So by this point in the article, you might be thinking that I'm really glazing over all kinds of technical details, and you'd be correct. This is because my projector set-up has always been my secondary gaming set-up, and thus I've always approached my projector set-up with a slap-it-together-and-go type of attitude. If you've been thinking about trying a projector, grab a cheap one to decide if it's right for you, your family, and your set-up. Then, you can think about upgrading to a more expensive HD model. Either way, gaming with a projector is a unique and fun way to supplement your time with an actual television. With even the cheapest set-up, you can feel like you're playing your favorite games in a movie theater!

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