• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Do you think 40fps is the way forward for consoles and handhelds rather than 60fps?

  • Yes

    Votes: 449 36.3%
  • No

    Votes: 787 63.7%

  • Total voters
    1,236

bes.gen

Member
Nov 24, 2017
3,382
ill take it for res modes, its pretty significant jump from 30 actually.
weird that it isnt supported more, i guess the 120hz screen numbers are not there yet.
 

AAION

Member
Dec 28, 2018
1,609
Idk why people want to experience lower refresh rates than the average office worker checking outlook on a $120 Dell monitor

We set minimum standards decades ago and ppl actively trying lower the bar smh
 

LCGeek

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,859
Sorry but that simply isn't true. Tekken 3 or Tobal (first or second) on PS1, you could feel the 60FPS difference in how smooth it was. 60FPS was absolutely a selling point for games that could handle it at the time.

I'm saying CRTs had better tech with natural VRR and didn't need VRR not that 60fps doesn't matter.
 

parski

It's Pronounced "Aerith"
Member
Nov 13, 2017
670
I think the poll results are misleading as both the "30 fps is fine" camp and "no, I want more than 40" are in the No category.
 

astroturfing

Member
Nov 1, 2017
6,467
Suomi Finland
40fps felt like magic to me in Miles Morales, i had to triple check it wasnt the 60fps mode, because i couldnt notice a difference.

so yes give us that option please devs. especially Rockstar i hope you're listening, GTAVI with a 40fps mode would be amazing.. smooth but not having to sacrifice much detail or image quality. i'd pay extra for it, seriously.
 

kimbo99

Member
Feb 21, 2021
4,801
I only say no because not all monitors/displays support it. Locked frame rate is more important than just targeting a number imo
 

Noisepurge

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,519
make it the standard, if you don't have a VRR 120 screen, too bad. It's a good reason to get one. Like when HD resolutions became the standard over SD, just gotta upgrade to get the best of it.
 

Frag Waffles

Member
Apr 7, 2018
1,071
For handhelds maybe? I dunno about that.

But for everything else, nah. I'm not interested in supporting or advocating for a standard of less than 60. Just target 60 and if it's unachievable, then we'll take it case by case.
 

LCGeek

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,859
make it the standard, if you don't have a VRR 120 screen, too bad. It's a good reason to get one. Like when HD resolutions became the standard over SD, just gotta upgrade to get the best of it.

most people upgraded cause it was worth it, same for ghosting you're asking them to go beyond what they already have.
 

headspawn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,626
I'd rather advocate for more options across the board.

Have their resolution mode, quality mode or RT mode, idgaf but IMO all hard caps should be optional and selectable, whether its 30fps, 40fps, 60fps, 120fps or no cap at all to take advantage of VRR etc etc... it just makes way more sense than nonforward thinking hard caps and then calling gamers entitled for asking them to update their titles on new hardware to take advantage of the power. Console only problem here but when you have devs charging for upgrades, making you buy a new unrelated game you don't want and tying updated versions to it, releasing new versions you have to pay for when some would be happy enough with just a selecting a new cap, it's pretty shit situation IMO. If I could opt to avoid shenanigans, that seems like a better move for consumers.
 
Last edited:

Mass Effect

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 31, 2017
16,827
It should definitely become more common at the very least. Obviously it doesn't have to be the default mode, but there are enough 120hz displays out there in 2023 to give people the option. And theoretically, with enough time, most modern displays should eventually support 120hz anyway because of increasing standards — though that's likely a decade away or more.

But there's literally no reason handhelds can't have 40fps though. The worry about variation in consumer displays isn't there since the hardware manufacturer is in complete control.
 

Lant_War

Classic Anus Game
Banned
Jul 14, 2018
23,601
Depends, if you mean 40FPS is the floor (for quality modes or something) sure. If 40FPS is the celling, no.
 
May 24, 2021
1,419
At the very least, 40fps modes should be an option. It felt really good in Rift Apart, and I've used it a bit on Steam Deck too.
 

Dupr Dog

Alt-Account
Banned
Dec 16, 2022
654
I will still always choose 60 over 40fps.

I've tried the 40fps modes in Ratchet and Uncharted on my PS5 and they're still very clearly inferior to 60fps.
Now if a dev has prioritized visuals over gameplay, and the only option is 40fps, I'll certainly take that over 30, but 60 will still always be my first desire.
 

luij

Member
May 15, 2022
42
I hear people stating 60fps should be standard/"floor", as if it had no relevant impact on visuals/physics or any other asset that requires processing. And who gets to decide 30fps makes gameplay IMPOSSIBLE? Since when?

As I said a few days ago elsewhere:

SYD-TOY-STORY-4-K.jpg
 

Shaqnificent

Member
Aug 1, 2022
738
I think the option is worthwhile, but not really feasible for folks because 120hz TVs aren't exactly cheap.

Developers making sure their 60 fps modes are working properly should absolutely be the standard and everything else can be an option, though.
 

LCGeek

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,859
I hear people stating 60fps should be standard/"floor", as if it had no relevant impact on visuals/physics or any other asset that requires processing. And who gets to decide 30fps makes gameplay IMPOSSIBLE? Since when?

As I said a few days ago elsewhere:

SYD-TOY-STORY-4-K.jpg

Why are you bringing up a movie when it is completely rendered as a whole vs a game which is real time.
 

LCGeek

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,859
Because that's how it feels regarding visuals/animations whenever I hear this 30/60 fps conversation. It's an analogy mixed with a little bit of hyperbole.

Feels and is are two different things.

This debate has always had hyperbole fueling it though especially in the age of image construction where both sides could be appeased doing things better. I thought this gen would settle it but decent consoles and IC won't end a debate steeped in ignorant tribalism at this point.
 

Fahro

Member
Oct 27, 2017
149
I have a LG C2 and G2 (where I game most of the time).

40fps is the absolute minimum and a good compromise and I prefer it actually sometimes if the resolution difference between 40 and 60fps is significant like in Insomniac games, but I love that they give you the option to have RT and 60fps. Thank you!

This was the way I played through R&C before I got my first Oled TV. Nowdays LCD look simply awful even though I have an LCD with FALD and a VA panel, with an comparatively decent contrast ratio for an LCD, that is now in my guest room.

I get that the devs want to give us as much eye candy as possible, but why don't enable an unlocked framerate mode with VRR and LFC as an option for the enthusiasists that have a compatible TV?

40fps are actually quite ok on an oled. 30fps are not
 
Last edited:

LossAversion

The Merchant of ERA
Member
Oct 28, 2017
10,728
The con should read that MOST tvs do not support it. Gonna be a while before this is viable.
 

alpha

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,023
40 FPS is alright, but we should still be going for 60 FPS standard. 30 will likely always be the floor but I really, really wish it would die forever.
 

LCGeek

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,859
40 FPS is alright, but we should still be going for 60 FPS standard. 30 will likely always be the floor but I really, really wish it would die forever.

Maybe in 20 years when cpus have enough ipc that minimums don't matter. a lot of devs don't enjoy the luxury of aiming for 60fps cause it will always get in the way of bigger goals. It's a luxury that requires overhead and a well made engine along with many other caveats. I play on 240hz screen and drive most of my pc games to 80-120 before the final peak.

I'm not against it but I enjoy it on platforms like pc where I paid for vs an expectation on cheap apus that were never built for it.

If you got a solution I'm sure any AAA will want to see it same for the makers and how it could help them design their firmware or sdk tools.
 

Vector

Member
Feb 28, 2018
6,658
Don't get me wrong, it's better than 30fps. But it's no substitute for 60fps.

I tried Ratchet and Clank at 40fps on my 120hz TV and 60fps still looks far better in motion.

I'm never picking 40fps if 60fps is an option.
 

Fawz

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,670
Montreal
I'll gladly take 40FPS over 30FPS on Consoles, especially with 120hz VRR Displays, but I still think all games should aim to at least offer a 60FPS performance mode and I'm not ready to give up on that any time soon.

Last game I made an exception to play at 30FPS was Red Dead Redemption 2 because there was no PC version at launch. Of currently announced titles nothing would make me make a similar exception
 

Hasney

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
18,687
More is better. I'm half considering an ROG Ally purely for 120fps indie games
 

Blackthorn

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,320
London
40fps and 1440p are my respective performance and resolution sweetspots where everything above is a "nice to have" but I wouldn't want to come at the cost of graphical effects, scale, detail, complexity or interactivity.
 

luij

Member
May 15, 2022
42
Feels and is are two different things.

This debate has always had hyperbole fueling it though especially in the age of image construction where both sides could be appeased doing things better. I thought this gen would settle it but decent consoles and IC won't end a debate steeped in ignorant tribalism at this point.
Of course it's not exactly like that.

The point I'm trying to make with the exaggeration is that it seems some folks would take "anything" as OK/Acceptable/Good/Amazing, including products with questionable visuals/physics/etc, as long as the FPS counter hits a "solid 60" or the resolution is through the roof.
 
Oct 25, 2017
12,628
I'm probably not going to buy console until 60fps is the minimum standard for that device. I haven't played at 30fps in over a decade... longer. I'm okay with missing games because there are so many alternatives.
 

Paertan

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,402
As 1440p is a great mid way between 1080p and 4k so is 40 fps when it comes to framerate. I really don't like 30 fps but 40 is pretty ok. 60 or higher is better of course.
 

SpottieO

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,637
I'm so glad I'm not affected by 30fps on OLED displays. As for 40fps. I've never tried it. I just stick to performance mode paired with freesync/vrr.

Honestly more options are never a bad thing.

Yeah I played Jedi Survivor and a number of other things at 30fps on my tv and it was perfectly fine to me
 

Botenks

Member
Oct 30, 2017
22
There is a common misconception and lot of confusion regarding the smoothness of 40 FPS related to 30 and 60 FPS that started appearing about 2 years ago. The confusion comes from the observation that 40 FPS is the halfway point in frame times between 30 and 60 FPS, as shown in this diagram from the digital foundry video OP linked:

YUWiiYy.png



From this people and even professional tech focused outlets incorrectly conclude that going from 30 to 40 FPS means half the benefit of 60 FPS in terms of smoothness. Or that the increase in fluidity is more than the 10 FPS imply. Some quotes as examples:

40Hz is also the midpoint in frame time between 30Hz and 60Hz, so you get half the benefit of moving to 60Hz while only spending 33% more power.

You might be wondering why adding just 10 FPS more above 30 FPS makes such a noticeable difference, about the same difference as going from 40 to 60 FPS – and the answer is frame times.
source: https://techteamgb.co.uk/2023/02/13/steam-deck-40-fps-is-the-new-60/

Smoothness is much better than the rather small jump of only 10fps would imply

Although 40 FPS are only 10 frames per second more than 30 FPS, they are right in the middle on the way to 60 FPS with their frametime of 25ms. That's even a bigger jump than between 60 and 120 FPS.

Only 10 FPS more workload for your Deck (which either saves you a bit of battery life or give's you headroom for some visual improvements - the choice is yours) but a massive improvement in terms of fluidity.
source: https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeckT...psa_theres_a_reason_why_40_fps_feels_so_much/


Short Explanation (TL:DR)

In theory: since fluidity and framerate are linear, they always share the same midpoint. Thus 45FPS is the midpoint between 30 and 60FPS in terms of visual fluidity, not 40FPS.

In practice: actual perceived fluidity is not linear and can't be described with math due to the complexity of human sight. Thus neither 40FPS nor 45FPS is the midpoint in percevied fluidity.

diagram to visualize it:

RWeIT7Y.png


even shorter TL:DR
40 FPS is just 40 FPS, no more, no less



My comments and thoughts in bullet points to keep it short :

Math & Theory
- visual fluidity, as in how smooth the motion of the video playback is, is expressed through framerate and consistency in frametimes
- the shorter the interval between frames, the more/faster frames are being displayed, the smoother the motion of the video
- frametime is the amount of time a single frame is being displayed -> for this topic we are assuming consistent frametimes: they are key for smooth video playback
- framerate is the average speed at which frames are being diplayed one after another
- both are 2 individual metrics that describe 2 different things, with the following relationship:
- FPS is the inverse value of frametime (assuming constant), e.g. 1 / 25ms = 40 FPS (this is the main reason for the confusion)
- fluidity in relation to framerate is linear (proportional) -> doubling the framerate from 30 to 60FPS doubles the fluidity
- this means the midpoint in framerate will always be the midpoint in terms of fluidity
- framerate and fluidity in relation to frametime are non-linear (reciprocal) -> doubling the framertime will halve the framerate
- this means the midpoint in frametimes can not be the midpoint in terms of fluidity
- detailed math: https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/udthpo/confusion_regarding_the_40hz_hype/jrbd8s4/
- the formula for the difference in fluidity (dF) between framerate A and framerate B is:

dF = frameTimeA / frameTimeB = frameRateB / frameRateA
- example: 33,3ms / 16,6ms = 60FPS / 30FPS = 2 --> 60FPS is twice the fluidity of 30FPS



- thus 30 to 40 FPS is a 33% increase in fluidity (33,3ms / 25ms = 40FPS / 30FPS = 1,33)
- in other words: the rate at which frames are being displayed one after another is increased by 33% > the video displays 33% more frames/information > 33% increase in motion smoothness
- in frametimes, this is a reduction of 25% ( 25ms / 33,3ms - 1 = -0,25), i.e. frames are being displayed 25% shorter or: the intervall between frames decreases by 25%
- relative to 60 FPS, 40 FPS has 67% the fluidity (16,6ms / 25ms = 40FPS / 60FPS = 0,67)
- looking at the frame times isolated is where the confusion comes from
- constant 25ms frame times results in the speed and fluidity of 40 FPS, "just" a 33% increase from 30FPS
- conclusion: 40 fps being the halfway point of 30 and 60 FPS in terms of frametimes does not mean it's the halfway point in terms of fluidity (45 FPS is)
- it incorrectly implies that 40 FPS is 50% more fluid than 30 FPS and has 75% the fluidity of 60 FPS

KFjIvlk.png




- a more obvious example would be the midpoint of 30 to 90FPS:
- 60 FPS is the midpoint in framerate: (30+90)/2 = 60PS
- and since 90FPS is 300% the fluidity of 30FPS, 60FPS (200%) is also the fluidity midpoint
- expressed via percentages with 30FPS as the base: (100% + 300%)/2 = 200%
- while the frametime midpoint is : (33.3+11.1)/2 = 22.2
- 1/22.2ms = 45FPS -> just 150% of the 30FPS base framerate

The gap becomes bigger the higher you go, so just by seeing the numbers it's immediately clear that frametime midpoint is not fluidity midpoint:

- example: jump from 30FPS to 300FPS
- midpoint in framerate and fluidity: 165FPS
- midpoint in frametimes: (33.3 + 3.33)/2 = 18.3ms which is just 55FPS



This analog example of a driving car might make it clearer:
  • a car is increasing the speed from 30km/h to 40km/h
  • that's an increase of 33% in speed (analog to framerate and fluidity)
  • in terms of drive time per km (analog to frame time) 30 km/h is 2 min, 40 km/h is 1,5 min and 60 km/h is 1 min
  • so going from 30 to 40 km/h is a difference of 0,5 min, same as going from 40 to 60 km/h
  • in other words, 40 km/h is exactly the halfway point in terms of drive time
  • it does not mean that it's the halfway point in terms of speed (45 km/h is)
  • the speed increase is 33% when going from 30 to 40 km/h and 50% when going from 40 to 60 km/h
  • 40 km/h is 67% the speed of 60km/h



Perceived Motion
- the actual perceived difference in fluidity we are seeing can't be described with a number
- it is influenced by how the human eye and brain works which is complex
- and aspects such as display size and type (OLED vs LCD with high response times), type of content (fast-paced 1st person action game vs side-scroller with slow camera movement and mostly constant camera speed), the game's motion blur setting and display's motion blur reduction option, control method (M&K with erratic movement vs gamepad with mostly linear movement)
- in this specific topic, we are assuming conistent frametimes (inconsistent frametimes can be perceived as stutter, judder, chopiness; VRR can help mitigating it)
- perceived fluidity is largely subjective: some see 60 to 120 FPS as a big increase while others can't even tell the difference between 30 and 60 FPS
- the higher the base frame rate, the less noticable an increase in fluidity will be (30 to 60 FPS vs 120 to 240 FPS - in both cases a 100% increase, but the former will be more noticable) until a certain threshold where no human is able to tell a difference
- so in conclusion, the perceived fluidity going from 30 to 40 FPS is neither a 33% increase, nor 50%, nor the halfway point between 30 and 60 FPS, nor is it more than the 10 FPS increase implies
- the viewer can only describe it in words, such as "this looks a lot smoother" or "this still feels choppy, barely any difference"
- informative articles that talk about this topic:
paulbakaus.com

Frames per second, or: The Illusion of Motion

The story of why we perceive film as moving pictures, how TVs work, and how our brains create reality.
www.pcgamer.com

How many frames per second can the human eye really see?

30 fps? 60 fps? If you've ever debated framerates, the cognitive researchers we spoke to have some complex answers for you.
 
Last edited:

southwest

Member
Sep 15, 2022
1,657
40fps is absolutely in no way better than 60. It's a compromise. One that I make on the Deck but would rather not have to.
 

LCGeek

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,859
Of course it's not exactly like that.

The point I'm trying to make with the exaggeration is that it seems some folks would take "anything" as OK/Acceptable/Good/Amazing, including products with questionable visuals/physics/etc, as long as the FPS counter hits a "solid 60" or the resolution is through the roof.

Two extremes blinded by reality, I can jive with that.

40fps is absolutely in no way better than 60. It's a compromise. One that I make on the Deck but would rather not have to.

Deck is a great example of it's utility. Sure I love 60fps not when it's gonna kill battery life on device that needs it more than the performance. It's less of a drain than res but neither get in the way of me getting decent hours and brightness out of me in mobile form.

this is why options are good when possible fits different needs alienates very few.
 

mentok15

Member
Dec 20, 2017
7,363
Australia
If they can as an options sure but there's just not enough people with TVs that support it yet for it to be worth a lot of development resources being allocated to it imo.
 

Timu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,624
Nah, not interested in this weirdo middle ground. Give me a 60fps baseline.
Yep, exactly.

40 FPS still doesn't feel great. 60 should be the floor.
Yeah it beats 30 but definitely far from perfect.

i'd rather get a PC and play at 60 than spend >800€ on a 120hz tv for a 40fps compomise
Ha, exactly my thoughts as well.

Nope. Playing in 60fps on my PS5 has spoiled me.


I want 60fps in anything and everything I can get now.
Pretty much, going from less than 60 is hard unless the game only gives you a 30/40 fps option.