Framerate adjust on consoles? Yay or nay?

[charlesr]

Riptide GP and Galaxy On Fire 2 now have selectable resolution levels - traditionally, this sort of thing is the domain of PC gaming, but these are Android and iOS games. Do we describe these as console/handheld games or PC games? It's starting to get blurry....

There are precendents on consoles. Both Excitebike64 and World Driver Championship had high resolution modes at the expense of framerate on the stardard hardware.

On the xbox, some games allowed higher resolutions if you were using a component cable (MX Vs ATV??).

On the PC, people used to play on the lowest resolution in Quake to get the framerate advantage - maybe they still do? On the PC it's expected that you should be able to adjust the settings because the hardware is not standard.

So should console and handheld games be locked down because of the standard hardware, or is a choice of resolution a good thing?

I don't have access to the PC version of BF3, but I often wonder how the Xbox360 version of the experience would differ if it could do all the same stuff but at 60fps like CoD.

[Brad]

As a frame rate whore if consoles let you adjust I would turn effects and res down and down til I hit 60fps in the majority of games.

[Dogg Thang]

I can understand some reluctance to give people this freedom and it's really a perception issue. SFIV on the 3DS has a 2D option that drops the 3D while bumping the frame rate to 60fps. A fairly rational part of me thinks this is great - giving you the option to drop what is a non-essential fanciness in order to get a smooth image. It is the kind of thing we take for granted with PC games.

But, for me, it had a pretty negative psychological effect. No matter what way I played the game, it felt compromised. It damaged the game in that it made me aware of its shortcomings and it damaged the system in that it drew attention to the fact that it couldn't run the game as it should using its one unique selling point. In both modes, I felt like I was missing out and, unlike with a PC, there is no option to upgrade hardware so it's not like I can shrug it off thinking my system is just too old.

What should have been a positive (surely having the choice is better than not offering the option?) actually turned out to be a negative. I guess we're less likely to miss something we don't get offered to begin with.

[sj33]

Choice is good. As long as it's made explicitely clear what the default intended settings are, then I'd be all for it.

It raises potential questions regarding fair play in multiplayer games. 30fps games will typically have twice the amount of input lag as 60fps games.

[Baseley09]

iOS & Android really are in the same bucket as PC gaming because the gaming hardware is not standard, I think for those formats its a better idea than not letting models from a few years back play the games at all.

As for home consoles though, no way.

[charlesr]

http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/15/3997-models-android-fragmentation-as-seen-by-the-developers-of-opensignalmaps/

[Neon Ignition]

I'd rather the option wasn't available. I'd rather the devs took the time to optimise the game... not that they do

[Baseley09]

http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/15/399...pensignalmaps/

3,997 distinct models.....that's incredible!

[dataDave]

60fps locked, low FX.

30fps, all the jazz.

Those should be the only options.

Most of the pro SC2 players play on low settings for the control advantage during large scale kickoff.

[dataDave]

60fps locked, low FX.

30fps, all the jazz.

Those should be the only options.

Most of the pro SC2 players play on low settings for the control advantage during large scale kickoff.

[charlesr]

Quick he's in groundhog 6 minute loop. Someone RESCUE DAVE!

[Mayhem]

Giving people too much choice would confuse them. Seriously. If there was an option to adjust framerate, just program it in as a direct choice as Dave specified, and let the console/program work out how to reach that framerate.

[Kit]

I think the id tech 5 engine does something like that. In Rage the engine adjusts on the fly the amount of detail generated in order to keep the framerate around the 60fps mark.

[Dogg Thang]

I'd have thought the only reason it should have to do it on the fly is if they never got to test it even once.

[Brad]

Id do that on consoles as well as pcs? Makes sense on pc. Mind you one engine for everything makes sense too