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Rhaknar

Member
Oct 26, 2017
42,465
So, this is something I've been struggling with since I got a PS4 Pro last year, and was just doubled down when I recently got a XB1 X, which for all intents and purposes has the same, if not more, 4K enhancements as a Pro. So long story short, I can't fucking see a difference when I select 4K modes, which makes me default to performance / framerate modes everytime. Granted, that's not a bad thing in itself, and im sure more people do just that because they prefer framerate over resolution, but it is frustrating to somehow be missing something that other people see.

My 4k tv isnt the best, in fact its quite shitty im sure (its one of the lower end 55'' Samsung LCDs) but still one would assume one would see at least some sort of difference, but everytime games have the option, I choose resolution mode, stare at the screen and I swear I cant see a difference. I can most definitely see a difference in framerate / smoothness when I choose performance (recent example include Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, both on the X, both dramatically smoother in performance mode), but not so much with 4K. Anyone else suffer from the same "problem"?
 

Strings

Member
Oct 27, 2017
31,381
You might want to have an eye exam. That's really all I can say >.<

Like, I have eye problems, but even to me it was pretty noticeable immediately.
 

Finaika

Member
Dec 11, 2017
13,287
You might want to have an eye exam. That's really all I can say >.<

Like, I have eye problems, but even to me it was pretty noticeable immediately.
8623.jpg
 

CloseTalker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,568
It varies. Despite the raw number of pixels being so much higher, I agree that it's a bit of a diminished return jumping from 1080 to 4K, when compared to some older gen resolution bumps. It depends on a lot of things. The One X should have a few examples that would be night and day if you could see them side by side. Seeing some games running 900p on the One S, and then native 4K on One X, you would absolutely 100% see the difference. That's a big enough difference to even notice on shitty compressed youtube videos. But some PS4 examples, like 1080p vs checkerboard 4k? those can be a bit harder to spot. The added sharpness is definitely there, but it's less noticeable for sure. In those cases, I'll almost always choose frame rate mode if it's available.
 

TheModestGun

Banned
Dec 5, 2017
3,781
Might be time to get the good ole eyes checked. Also, not every game runs at a full 4K resolution, so that might be part of your problem. What games are you comparing? There are some that are pretty incremental steps above 1080p
 

AegonSnake

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,566
So, this is something I've been struggling with since I got a PS4 Pro last year, and was just doubled down when I recently got a XB1 X, which for all intents and purposes has the same, if not more, 4K enhancements as a Pro. So long story short, I can't fucking see a difference when I select 4K modes, which makes me default to performance / framerate modes everytime. Granted, that's not a bad thing in itself, and im sure more people do just that because they prefer framerate over resolution, but it is frustrating to somehow be missing something that other people see.

My 4k tv isnt the best, in fact its quite shitty im sure (its one of the lower end 55'' Samsung LCDs) but still one would assume one would see at least some sort of difference, but everytime games have the option, I choose resolution mode, stare at the screen and I swear I cant see a difference. I can most definitely see a difference in framerate / smoothness when I choose performance (recent example include Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, both on the X, both dramatically smoother in performance mode), but not so much with 4K. Anyone else suffer from the same "problem"?
you are one of the lucky ones. if you cant tell the difference then play in performance modes.
 

denpanosekai

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,286
Try a game like ni no kuni 2 where you can change resolution on the fly. 4k and "hd" are hugely different. Of course 4k actually comes with a huge performance decrease in that game so I stick to 1080p.
 

Jarrod38

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,666
So when I decided to wear my glasses when I play games now everything looks so much better than before.
 

dreamobserver

Member
Oct 27, 2017
478
Honestly the difference was pretty small to me as well until I went to a friend's house and watched him play Spider Man on a regular PS4 & 1080p TV and it looked so much worse than I had remembered it looking like for me on my Pro in "4K".

I didn't play a game from 1080p to 4k immediately, as I bought my Pro for God of War and never replayed any older game on it yet. So maybe you just need to get that immediate comparison?
 

RagdollRhino

Banned
Oct 10, 2018
950
720p to 1080p seemed like a bigger jump to me. 4k feels like a half step despite how many more pixels there are.
 

Afro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,224
4K looks almost 3D to me from about 8 feet away too. That being said, 1440p/144hz for life.
 

Betelgeuse

Member
Nov 2, 2017
2,941
You should make sure there isn't some weird setting mucking things up. Even if you have mediocre eyesight and sit far away from your TV, you shouldn't be seeing no difference. Something sounds off. We're talking on the order of a 4x increase in pixels.
 

dlauv

Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,512
After a certain distance away from the screen, depending on the size of the TV, the detail benefits of a higher resolution are lost.

kVqU4UxwbJ01pMdCNZMeFc1Wg3nxLOqja0xwUJn303s.jpg


I don't know how accurate this chart is. There's a site that lets you calculate optimized viewing distance before detail is lost, but I can't remember it for the life of me. Whether your eyes are bad or not, this is an element to consider.

By this, if you're sitting ~7.5 feet away from a 55" 4K set and you have 20/20 vision, it will more or less look like 1080p.
 
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Troast

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
844
Most people on this forum need an eye check. Most can't see 60 fps vs 30, or 4k against 1080p which has 4x less pixel density. I mean, honestly if my eyes were that bad I wouldn't hesitate to get them corrected either with glasses or laser eye surgery.
 
OP
OP
Rhaknar

Rhaknar

Member
Oct 26, 2017
42,465
Check your status screen on the Xbox to make sure it's actually DISPLAYING in 4K.

I did, same for the Pro. As some suggested, and as the topic indicates, my eyes ARE broken, as in I'm sure I just need glasses.

Most people on this forum need an eye check. Most can't see 60 fps vs 30, or 4k against 1080p which has 4x less pixel density. I mean, honestly if my eyes were that bad I wouldn't hesitate to get them corrected either with glasses or laser eye surgery.

yeah I've been putting it off for ages but I really need to get my eyes checked :/
 

chrisypoo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,457
I can't tell the difference either OP, same with 30 fps vs 60 fps.
Ok resolution is one thing, but when folks say they can't tell the difference between 30 and 60 they're straight lying or being deliberately disingenuous. Go to blurbusters and check the different frame rates, if you don't see a difference then you're closing your eyes.
 

Irikan

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,390
Weird, personally I noticed it instantly due to how much crisper and how much more details there was, but yeah it is less noticeable than something like 720p to 1080p
 

NinjaGarden

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,548
So, this is something I've been struggling with since I got a PS4 Pro last year, and was just doubled down when I recently got a XB1 X, which for all intents and purposes has the same, if not more, 4K enhancements as a Pro. So long story short, I can't fucking see a difference when I select 4K modes, which makes me default to performance / framerate modes everytime. Granted, that's not a bad thing in itself, and im sure more people do just that because they prefer framerate over resolution, but it is frustrating to somehow be missing something that other people see.

My 4k tv isnt the best, in fact its quite shitty im sure (its one of the lower end 55'' Samsung LCDs) but still one would assume one would see at least some sort of difference, but everytime games have the option, I choose resolution mode, stare at the screen and I swear I cant see a difference. I can most definitely see a difference in framerate / smoothness when I choose performance (recent example include Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, both on the X, both dramatically smoother in performance mode), but not so much with 4K. Anyone else suffer from the same "problem"?
What's your TV model?
 
OP
OP
Rhaknar

Rhaknar

Member
Oct 26, 2017
42,465
for the record, I can notice 720 to 1080 btw. In fact, one of the reasons I dont like using the Switch on the big screen is because of how soft / blurry it is in some cases.

edit: also im not sure if stuff like Shadow of the TR or Hellblade are even dropping down to 1080 in performance mode, maybe 1440 and thats why I cant tell the difference? I mean there would still be a difference tho.

But yeah I need glasses lol.
 

Celcius

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,086
When I first got my 4K monitor the difference after being on 1080p for 9 years blew my mind. It was a generational leap forward for me. The difference is night and day to me. So clear and crisp.
 

Slackbladder

Member
Nov 24, 2017
1,145
Kent
Just to make sure I looked at a game in 1080p then 4K. The difference was so obviously apparent to me that not being able to see the difference suggests a serious issue somewhere.
 

Noema

Member
Jan 17, 2018
4,904
Mexico CIty
I sit pretty close to my 42" Plasma and at 1080p games look pretty chunky. Specially since my high DPI phone and monitor have spoiled me. I'm really, really looking forward to upgrading to 4K by the end of the year.
 

Darklor01

Member
Nov 2, 2017
85
I found comparisons are one way to notice, but straight off, I found it hard to decide what is 4K and what is up sales by my TV. I do sit about 4 ft. from a 50" TV though.
 

Mullet2000

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,896
Toronto
After a certain distance away from the screen, depending on the size of the TV, the detail benefits of a higher resolution are lost.

kVqU4UxwbJ01pMdCNZMeFc1Wg3nxLOqja0xwUJn303s.jpg


I don't know how accurate this chart is. There's a site that lets you calculate optimized viewing distance before detail is lost, but I can't remember it for the life of me. Whether your eyes are bad or not, this is an element to consider.

By this, if you're sitting ~7.5 feet away from a 55" 4K set and you have 20/20 vision, it will more or less look like 1080p.

I really hate this chart - it gets used a lot.

The value totally depends on the individual's eyesight. There's no way to make a catch all chart for it. I know I can tell the difference between 720p/1080p/2160p way further than this chart says that I should.
 
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dlauv

Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,512
I really hate this chart - it gets used a lot.

The value totally depends on the individual's eyesight. There's no way to make a catch all chart for it. I know I can tell the difference between 720p/1080p/2160p way closer than this chart says that I should.

"Way closer" would imply that you'd need to be even closer to notice the differences between 1080p and 4K. Did you mean "further"? Or are you misunderstanding the chart?

Charts like this aren't very good for telling the whole story, but detail loss at distance is a thing, ppi, etc. Individual eyesight is a major factor.
 

Mullet2000

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,896
Toronto
"Way closer" would imply that you'd need to be even closer to notice the differences between 1080p and 4K. Did you mean "further"? Or are you misunderstanding the chart?

Charts like this aren't very good for telling the whole story, but detail loss at distance is a thing, ppi, etc. Individual eyesight is a major factor.

Mistyped and fixed above - I meant way further!