Arguments over frame rate are sure occur alongside the eventual release of almost every video game. A stable frame rate is important, but is a performance of 30 FPS enough to keep some from buying games? Is 60 really the magic number? It seems logical that 60 is better than 30, but what about for gamers who claim they can’t see the difference? Why would it matter to them, and how can we get them on board with games that clock in at a higher performance?
Generally, I could care less if a game is 30 or 60 FPS, unless it’s something twitch-based like an action game. However, I recognize that it matters most to the most conscientious of gamers, especially if they research a game heavily before they buy it. I used to not be able to tell the difference. Kind of like how I couldn’t see the leap between PlayStation 3 graphics to PlayStation 4 graphics until I got my hands on the latter and saw footage of the former. In regards to frame rate, seeing side-by-side comparisons on sites dedicated to showing the difference helps, but as with graphics, usually mean nothing to me until I get a feel for it.
That is until I started buying and playing HD remakes/remasters. (PC gamers, I’m sure, are rolling their eyes and rightly so.) If you’re like this too, I recommend you try the same.
It helps beat if you pick up a remaster from a series you’re intimately familiar with. For instance, and it’s a recent example, one of my favorites is the Kingdom Hearts series. I was set on picking up the 1.5 and 2.5 ReMix games, regardless of frame rate. There’s additional content in the remake, but the immediate difference I noticed was the feel of the game. Mind you, Square Enix lost the original assets, so that could be one explanation. Because I played the original to completion multiple times, I’m confident that I was not mistaken.
I’m certain It’s the frame rate. Fighting the heartless in the original was like practicing boxing combinations against pads; fighting them in the Kingdom Hearts Final Mix version was like suddenly regaining consciousness, asking your buddy what happened only to realize you just got knocked out. I’m not even sure if I completely enjoyed the 60 FPS every single second of the game. There were times where I honestly thought it was going too fast, but I can’t deny that it feels like the performance overall had improved.
Anyway, this is just a suggestion for those who still can’t tell the difference between 30 and 60 FPS. I’m not sure if it will work for you or even change how you buy games. I still don’t (always) care about the frame rate, and maintain that only the most conscientious of us will. However, if anything I now have a newfound appreciation for HD remasters. And if nothing else, comparing the performances makes for a fun experiment.