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Why does 30fps feel alot smoother in console games?

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For example, uncharted 2 runs at 30fps and that feels really smooth. not as crisp and responsive as 60fps, but very smooth. assassins creed hovers around 30-50 fps avg 35-40 on my old comp. but it doesn't feel anywhere near as smooth as uncharted (or other console games at that framereate). the bad company 2 beta is also pretty smooth, and that runs at 30. crysis runs at about 40 on my rig and it doesn't feel half as nice as bad company 2 on ps3.
Is there a way to make games that don't perform too well feel smoother? what is the science behind this? or am I just crazy? and my first guess was cursor movement, but I tried all of those games w/ my 360 controller at low sensitivity, no difference.

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Graphics card Authority

Its all psychological. The game runs "Smooth" at a constant FPS of 30 because the max is 30 and the min is 30. There is no bouncing around as you will see with your computer games. Your eyes and mind get used to seeing the image at a constant high FPS, then when the frames drop from 50 to 30 it drops from a "faster smooth" to a "slower smooth" (aka lag). Your eyes and mind then recognize that the frame rate has changed and as with many people, like myself, get frustrated when that dip in performance happens.
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paperfox said:
Its all psychological. The game runs "Smooth" at a constant FPS of 30 because the max is 30 and the min is 30. There is no bouncing around as you will see with your computer games. Your eyes and mind get used to seeing the image at a constant high FPS, then when the frames drop from 50 to 30 it drops from a "faster smooth" to a "slower smooth" (aka lag). Your eyes and mind then recognize that the frame rate has changed and as with many people, like myself, get frustrated when that dip in performance happens.

Is there such a thing as a 30fps vsync?

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Graphics card Master

It's all about psychology as stated above. Literally, because the way your eyes/brain work together to "interpret" images is about psychology.

Generally speaking, set your graphic settings so you get as high an FPS as possible, without making things look too low quality, yet while maintaining over 30FPS. Turn on VSync as well, as this can help a ton with the perception of "smoothness".

Also look at the refresh settings of your monitor, and set it to the maximum it's capable of based on your resolution settings. This will also help.

When comparing your PC monitor to a console game (especially if it's on a TV) keep in mind that the refresh settings between a PC & TV are not always the same. So there's an inherent difference in perception there. As an example, True HD is set in 1080p @ like 24FPS. Yet on an HDTV it looks smooth and beautiful. There is usually a marked difference in resolution as well. Depending on which cable type you use to hook up to your TV (RCA - Analog, HDMI - Digital, or Component Cables) your resolution capabilities vary there (let alone what your TV displays, ie 480i (old TVs), 720p, 1080i, 1080p).

So comparing Console gaming on a TV is to a computer is like comparing Apples and Oranges.

And as Jack insinuated, the distance from a PC monitor is closer than the distance to a TV when using a console to play games. This difference, will create a perception change as well. The closer you are to the image, the more imperfections and "refresh" you're going to notice. Where as the further away you are, the smoother and more blended images will appear. For a good example of this, stop by an Electronics store and check out their HD tv displays. From 10-20ft they look FANTASTIC, but within 1 or 2 feet you can see the pixels on the display.
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