Online gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry and is one of the most popular pastimes for people worldwide, and there are many factors that go into ensuring that each online gaming session flows as smoothly as possible for each player.Â
One of the most notable factors is your latency, which is essentially how well connected you are to the game’s servers.
If you suffer from high latency, then the chances are you’re going to experience one of a gamer’s worst nightmares during online play: lag. No one likes lag, but thankfully, there are a few steps you can take to resolve it.
When discussing latency, one of the most common abbreviations you’ll see is MS, which if you’re unsure of what it means, can be rather confusing.
In this guide, we’ll discuss what MS means in a gaming context, as well as what you can do to help resolve your latency issues.Â
What Is Latency?
For a more detailed definition, Latency is the total amount of time it takes for whatever gaming console you’re using to send data to the main server, and for the main server to send it back.
Latency is also commonly referred to as ping, and the two terms are interchangeable, although if you’re new to gaming it can be quite confusing if you didn’t know that beforehand.
What Does MS Mean Then?
Alongside the terms Latency and Ping, you’ll often see the abbreviation “MS†used, usually with a number in front of it.
MS in this instance stands for Milliseconds and is used to measure the Latency or Ping that you’re experiencing.
When you think about it, it’s amazing how much of a difference a matter of milliseconds makes on your gameplay experience, and a high ms in game can cause a lot of lag, which is extremely frustrating!
What Causes High Latency/Ping?
There are quite a few reasons why you might be experiencing such a bad latency/high ping, so if you’re unsure as to what is causing your lag in-game, then have a look through some of these reasons, as it’s likely to be one of these!
Your router is one of the possible issues, it might require an update, be placed in a bad location, or might require a firmware update.
Computers: If you’re using a computer to game, then it might possibly have outdated hardware, be un-optimized for gaming, or require cleaning.
If your router has multiple devices connected to it, this is likely to slow it down significantly.
Background applications and programs can be problematic and should be shut if you find your ping is too high.
The game’s settings might be poorly optimized and could be putting too much of a strain on your device, which is then causing the high ping.
Your router or modem’s cache might be full, in which case you should look into a way of clearing it.
If you suffer from a high ping in your game and are wondering how you could possibly resolve it, then read on!
And we’ll provide you with all of the answers you need to help your gameplay become smooth and responsive again!Â
How Can I Improve My Latency?
The first step to trying to resolve your lag issue before you try anything else is to run a speed test for your internet.
This can be done using any mobile device and should provide you with a clear understanding of what sort of speeds your internet connection is running at.Â
If your speed test is showing that your internet speed is incredibly slow, then it might be worth getting into contact with your internet provider, as they will then be able to send an engineer in order to figure out what the problem is.
If your speed test is showing that your connection is fine, then it could be a problem regarding the connection between your console and your router, in which case, here are some things you can do to try and resolve this.
Try a wired connection: By using an ethernet cable running directly from your internet router to your console, it ensures a better signal is provided between the two and might make a massive difference in your ping’s ms. If your router is used by multiple devices, this is a good option too, as it ensures that your games console is the device getting the best signal.
Change distance from the router: If your router is far away from your console, then the likelihood is that this is the problem that’s causing you to suffer from such awful lag. Wifi can struggle to navigate its way through walls, which means that a lot of things can get between your router and console.
Router: The issue could be your router itself, if you’ve had your router for a particularly long time, now might be the time for an upgrade, contact your router provider and see if they can offer you a deal on a new one.
Check the server: If you’re playing online, you might want to make sure that you’re playing on the right server for your region. If you like in North America but are playing on a European server, then the chances are you’re going to suffer from a bad connection as a result of it.
What Is A Good Number Of MS For Gaming?
The optimum number of MS when gaming is anything below 20MS.
Ideally, you want to try and get your MS to be as close to 0 as possible, but as long as it’s lower than 20MS, then you should experience no issues with lag whilst gaming.Â
40-60ms is an okay number, but anything higher than that, especially if it reaches over 100ms, and the likelihood is that you’ll suffer from lag quite a lot throughout your gaming session.
My name is Ashley Newby and I want to put integrity back into esports and get the hype surrounding them paramount once more. During my teenage years, I happened to stumble across a Street Fighter tournament online and I was hooked.
From that day, I have kept up with and watched many tournaments including Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and League of Legends. I even got to compete in my first one earlier this year!
