This new NVIDIA technology can help reduce motion blur in games, but you must have the right monitor

In the framework of Computex 2023 event taking place today, NVIDIA has attracted attention when announcing a new generation image processing support feature for monitors using G-Sync technology called Ultra Low Motion. Blur 2 (ULMB 2). This feature is considered a major improvement over the original ULMB technology in minimizing motion blur issues in heavy PC games that require powerful hardware configuration.

NVIDIA first introduced ULMB technology in 2015. At that time, the gaming monitors on the market generally had a much lower average refresh rate than today. ULMB was then claimed to reduce the screen's backlight time by 75%, a phenomenon known as backlight flicker. Although the image is clearer, this feature also inadvertently reduces the overall brightness and causes the screen's refresh rate to decrease accordingly. Professional PC gamers always wanted a bright screen with a high refresh rate, so the first generation ULMB feature was rarely used and gradually fell into oblivion.

Now, with the new generation of ULMB technology, backlight flicker will be greatly reduced, while the screen can still keep good brightness and have a high refresh rate. Talking about this feature, NVIDIA states:

With ULMB 2, gamers will get effective motion clarity above 1000Hz thanks to new enhancements. This parameter is calculated as the monitor's refresh rate multiplied by one per duty cycle [Effective Motion Clarity = Refresh Rate * (1 / Duty Cycle)].

For example, for a 360 Hz display with ULMB 2, the effective motion clarity is actually 1440 Hz. That means to get the same level of motion clarity without ULMB 2, gamers will need a monitor capable of refreshing at 1440 Hz.

The bad news for gamers is that currently, there are only a handful of gaming monitors on the market that can support ULMB 2. Two typical products include Acer Predator XB273U F 27 inch 1440p 360 Hz and ASUS ROG Swift 360Hz PG27AQN 27 inches. Both will require a firmware update to enable the ULMB 2 feature.

The upcoming 25-inch ASUS ROG Swift Pro PG248QP and the upcoming 27-inch AOC AGON AG276QSG G-SYNC G-SYNC will also support ULMB 2.

Jessica Tanner

Update 27 June 2023