Can some people really not see the difference between 30fps and 60fps?

[NuclearCake]

Edit: Poll option added.

So just for the sake of not derailing another thread further, I thought I might start a new one for this topic. it seems to me that some users claim to not be able to perceive the difference between 60fps and 30fps. In cases like this normally I would suggest turning off some post-processing and or sitting closer to the TV and in earnest recommending them to see if they need glasses. I don't mean to sound condescending but many people might need their vision examined and they might not even be aware of it. I know plenty in my family who needed glasses and they didn't know it.

This has always seemed like a myth claim to me. The notion that some are physically incapable of seeing the difference. Like, how is it even possible for you not to be able to tell the difference? Now I have never once in my life seen any evidence to support this claim. Of some being completely unable to perceive 60fps. It honestly feels like "the human eye can't see more than the 60fps" myth that was going around years ago. An even more recent, but more similar example is some users claiming to not see the difference between SDR and HDR. Even though it should be obvious to anyone with eyes.

I personally suspect that people can tell the difference but don't really care for the benefits of 60fps and or don't know what to look for, to see the difference I guess or something is seriously wrong with how the display is configured. Just like with how when some folks finally configured HDR properly and it was like a night and day improvement. What am I missing here and what is really going on here?

So are some really incapable of seeing the difference or they just don't care? I guess I just have a hard time getting over the fact that some can not see a difference.

 

[delete12345]

I just don't care all that much with 30 FPS and 60 FPS.

Certain games are designed around higher refresh rates, so that's what I've accepted.

Other times, other limiting factors would be that the games are running on a less powerful device (aka, Nintendo Switch).

 

[Weiss]

I'd honestly have to be playing the game at 60fps after playing it at 30 to notice.

 

[cursed knowledge]

30 to 60 is pretty obvious but i honestly can't tell the difference between 60 and 144 lol

 

[kimbo99]

I can clearly see it. Same goes with 120 versus 60.

As long as the game is locked and not fluctuating half the time, then I'm fine with most frame rates.

 

[swimming]

i mean after 5 min of 30fps my eyes adjust so on the contrary ion get the ppl that bitch about it so much

 

[Lashley]

It's obvious to me, so I'm envious of those who don't notice :(

 

[Dice]

I love it when it's there, I don't bemoan how "unplayable" a game is if it ain't there.
Low frame rates blow though.

 

[TaySan]

I can definitely see and feel the difference, but I don't mind a 30 fps game as long as it is locked and has consistent frame pacing.

 

[ClamBuster]

i can't even put into words just how loyal i was to not giving a shit about the difference between 30 and 60

these last 6 months though... i'm a changed man (no going back)

 

[Jon God]

I've shown people the difference only to have them not be able to pick it out.

So I guess? I certainly see it instantly though.

 

[Coolsambob]

I can tell but it doesn't bother me either way, I always pick fidelity modes in games.

 

[Quinton]

60's great when it's on tap, but it doesn't slay me when it isn't.

What does suck is when 30-targeted games hit the brakes at like 15.

 

[Servbot24]

I can tell but I don't care.

 

[Smashed_Hulk]

TestUFO: Framerates

Animation on Blur Busters UFO Motion Tests for testing displays and monitors.

www.testufo.com

honestly, the easiest way to tell is by watching that UFO fly. change the pixels per second and all that.

note: if you have a 60 hz screen, the 120 hz will look exactly like the 60 hz and etc.

it's easy to tell the difference when switching between the 2. like playing halo 3 for hours, then playing cod4 then going back to halo, you'll notice the smoothness has changed. a locked 30 is usually fine though. forza horizon has shown its not an issue. the only major issue is when the frametime and/or fps are unstable.

 

[Pankratous]

Yep. Can't tell the difference in normal gameplay whatsoever.

I can switch between 30/60 (quality/performance) modes in games and cannot see the difference.

You could show me two videos side by side of the same gameplay segment, one at 30 and one at 60, and I could not tell you which is which.

The only time I can ever see the difference is in those specific YouTube videos designed for these arguments that have very fast moving objects across the screen that aren't really representative of gameplay.

 

[Wispmetas]

I notice it. Most of the time I simply don't care honestly.

 

[NediarPT88]

People saying they can't tell the difference when switching between fidelity/performance modes in the same game seems completely crazy to me ngl

It's not even about seeing, it's about "feeling" the game. Everything is just way smoother.

 

[Lord Fanny]

I think most people who say that are less saying they can't see the difference and more just saying they don't care enough about it to actually notice going from game to game

 

[TaySan]

Once the framerate gets past 90 that's when I have a harder time telling the difference. Much more of a feeling rather than visual.

 

[iksenpets]

I can pretty easily tell the difference when you show them to me next to each other, but if you just give me a game with a stable framerate in isolation, and ask me if it's 30 or 60, I'll probably be wrong a good 30-40% of the time.

 

[prophetvx]

I don't really see it, I definitely feel it. But I also don't really care for third person games, as long as the framerate is locked.

For first person games, it's absolutely vomit inducing without it.

Ultimately it's down to how good the motion blur is in games to see it.

 

[Marmoka]

I can tell the difference between them, and i prefer 60 than 30 by far.

I think I have never played above 60. I have curiosity to check how it looks like. It has to be impressive

 

[LiK]

I can. But a rock solid 30 is just fine for me.

 

[lovecatt]

I can tell if I'm looking at them side by side But if you sat me down in front of something & asked what the frame rate was I couldn't tell you

 

[Classybro]

It's really hard for me 43 years old ..I can detect frame dips tho. If someone should of told me the Forza Horizon games were 60 before the series X patch I would of believed it.

1 thing I will say I went back to Jedi fallen order after it was 60 FPS on series X and I seem to be a lot better at the game now it's way more enjoyable. So maybe if I can't see it I can feel it ?

 

[Shokunin]

There's a direct correlation between those who can't tell the difference between 30/60fps and those who can't tell the difference between a medium-rare/well-done steak.

Spoiler

Kidding. Don't hurt me.

 

[Lari]

I work with video so I do notice it upon first glance.
But I don't really have a preference as long as the performance is consistent.

 

[Deleted member 18025]

It's noticeable when toggling.

But no issues for me on either once I'm adjusted after 5 minutes

 

[Classybro]

There's a direct correlation between those who can't tell the difference between 30/60fps and those who can't tell the difference between a medium-rare/well-done steak.

Spoiler

Kidding. Don't hurt me.

Click to shrink...

Bullshit !!!! Don't text me tho lol

 

[nonoriri]

I could tell when I started playing Genshin Impact on PS5 after playing on base PS4 but only because it "felt" smoother. If I didn't know the PS5 upgrade had a higher framerate and hadn't been playing it a ton, I wouldn't have been able to to tell.

I tried the TLOU2 upgrade with 60 FPS and honestly couldn't tell the difference.

 

[Fat4all]

i can, but i know someone who didn't really "get" it until they could swap between 30 and 60 while playing

then they just said "oh, this feels a lot better"

 

[Retromess]

I can see it when it's pointed out to me, most of the time. But when a game is playing, I can rarely if ever tell.

I was playing Spider-Man Remastered and Spider-Man Miles Morales on what I thought was 60 fps mode for hours... only to realize it was 30.

So long as the framerate is solid I have a really tough time telling what it is, and a solid framerate and quick loads is WAY WAY WAY WAAAAAAY more important to me than 60 fps. So long as a game has steady framerate and loads fast, I'll gladly take 30 or 60 with zero issue.

 

[Deleted member 44122]

sure i can tell the difference, i just dont mind. most genres are playable just fine at 30fps, especially with a controller

 

[mudron]

Most people don't care.

 

[OldBritBloke]

I can tell if I'm looking at them side by side But if you sat me down in front of something & asked what the frame rate was I couldn't tell you

Click to shrink...

Yeah, that's the case for me too.

 

[VariantX]

If there really are people who truly cannot perceive the difference between 30/60 fps, there's got to be some super interesting science to discover further about ourselves as a species.

 

[nsilvias]

People who can't tell the difference just aren't used to 60 fps because every big game is 30 and it's the majority of what they play. Get people used to it and they'll develop a taste for it

 

[Jmdajr]

Going from a 60fps to a 30fps and vice versa yeah. Very noticeable.

But I was on Xbox One forever and like nothing ran at 60fps. But somehow I managed.

 

[2shd]

I honestly don't believe people who say they can't notice a difference.

 

[Deleted member 3010]

Blind people can't, unfortunately. Everyone else should be OK.

 

[digitalrelic]

It's one thing if people don't care or prefer a sharper image at 30fps to a lower res image at 60fps.

But to actually not be able to tell the difference? Seeing two videos side by side, one 30fps and one 60fps, and not being able to tell which one's which?

Like, you're in a situation where your life is on the line and you have to pick which one is 30fps and which one is 60fps, and they literally look identical to you?

That's honestly confusing to me. I really don't see how that's possible outside of some type of ocular issue going on.

Again, I don't give a fuck what anyone's preference is and this isn't some elitist, gatekeeping stance. Hell, I'm one of the rare people that usually keep their games at 30fps because I like pristine IQ. But I'm just honestly confused how it's possible to be unable to distinguish the two.

 

[LordHuffnPuff]

Yeah I honestly cannot tell the difference basically ever, even with two images running next to each other in parallel. It has to get to like 15-20 FPS before I start to notice any choppiness at all. The push for 60fps has been baffling to me as a result. I figure it's just like people who are colorblind, I need to take everybody else's word for it that these images aren't identical.

 

[ghostcrew]

I think some people just don't care as much.

We've just had an entire gen where the most celebrated games visually were almost universally 30fps games that looked stunning in screenshots. RDR2, TLOU2, Spider-Man etc. And now 30fps is unplayable, weirdly lining up with more console games making the leap to a more frequent 60fps.

The line of how much you care basically lines up neatly with what you're platform of choice is kicking out for most. If you're on an underpowered or older machine you'll be fine with 30fps and not get upset by it. If you're used to 60fps then 30fps feels like a drag. Let's not get on to 120fps and above 👀

I notice it easily. I was the one coming back from a trade show after having seen (not played) Shadow of Mordor and telling people in threads that, no, it wasn't 60fps on console. Clearly.

But how much do I care? I'm about to play Ratchet at 30fps because I want max visuals and resolution.

 

[Aswitch]

I can understand it. Personally I can (if it's either 30, 60, or 120). If it's generally somewhere in between those, THEN it gets a bit more difficult for me personally. But specifically 30-60 is night and day for me.

I think some people don't care enough to notice (if that makes sense) and that's possibly were the misinterpretation lies.

 

[Merrill]

60fps for sure, but I can't see the difference with 120fps from 60fps.

 

[Professor Beef]

You could tell me Street Fighter 5 was 30 fps and I would believe you. I honestly cannot tell the difference, and tbh I honestly do not care as long as the game is fun. The only time I've ever been able to notice framerate is when it dips to single digits like in Saints Row 4, and even then the game was so fun that I just dealt with it.

 

[Cels]

not sure if it's some kind of deficiency with people's eyes like color blindness but it's hard for me to understand how someone wouldn't notice the input speed difference and responsiveness. like if you hit a button and the game responds later because it's updating half as fast, i don't see how you don't notice it.

if you play an action-packed sequence of game at 60fps game for a couple minutes then play that same sequence in that same game at 30fps, i think anyone who says there is absolutely no difference either is lying or has something going on with their eyes.

on the other hand there are definitely subtle slow-paced moments in games and it would be a little tougher to notice there, sure. it would be tough for many to notice the fps difference while navigating a bland menu for example.

 

[Chrono78]

30 FPS is blurry compared to 60 FPS when you move the camera manually. Personally, I can't always tell the difference between 1080p and 4k though.

 

[Perfectsil]

It's easy to tell when comparing side by side or toggling from one to another, but if you were to pick one randomly and have me guess which setting it is, I'm not sure I can easily tell