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Are 30FPS more cinematic?

  • Yes, they are.

    Votes: 225 15.2%
  • Nope

    Votes: 1,256 84.7%

  • Total voters
    1,483
Status
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Devil

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,679
But isn't TLOU Remastered's performance mode on PS4 Pro pretty inconsistent? Not sure if OP's example is useful if so. If a game can't keep its 60fps target and performance is jumpy I can see how one would dislike it and chose the 30fps mode. If it could hold 60fps steadily though, it should be much better.
 

Shopolic

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
6,885
Yes, because it's closer to movies frame rates, but that doesn't mean it's better than 60fps and even the most cinematic games will be better in 60fps than 30fps.
Strange thing for me is that horror games in 30fps make me scare much more than those games in 60fps! lol
And about The Last of Us Remastered in 30fps... I think that game in 30fps feels somehow strange. I played LOTS of 30fps games on PS4, but none of them were as heavy(!) as TLoUR in 30fps.
 

eso76

Prophet of Truth
Member
Dec 8, 2017
8,132
I like the look of 30fps+motion blur in some cases.
Even in my motion graphics I sometimes opt for the 24/25fps+90°/180°shutter angle because it just suits certain visual styles better; nothing wrong or weird about that.

All games play better at 60fps.
Some marginally so, for some others the difference is like playable and unplayable, depending on how the game is designed.
 

blitzblake

Banned
Jan 4, 2018
3,171
Whichever hits it's framerate more consistently is the most "cinematic". I've never seen a films' frame rate tank during an intense action scene.
 

ThereAre4Lights

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
4,862
But isn't TLOU Remastered's performance mode on PS4 Pro pretty inconsistent? Not sure if OP's example is useful if so. If a game can't keep its 60fps target and performance is jumpy I can see how one would dislike it and chose the 30fps mode. If it could hold 60fps steadily though, it should be much better.

It runs fine at 1800p/60fps after patch 1.08/1.09. Not jumpy at all.
 

TheModestGun

Banned
Dec 5, 2017
3,781
It's amazing how upset people are and clearly aren't reading the question as it is presented.

It is not asking whether people prefer 30fps or not. It is asking whether it appears more cinematic or not.

Yes it was a lame marketing excuse, but the reality is, that motion wise, it does appear closer to film. ESPECIALLY the games that implement a really high quality motion blur that mimics film blur.

There is no doubt that 60fps is smoother and is more responsive. But that's not even the question.

So seriously, the insults are pretty unnecessary and really don't even address the spirit of the question.
 

Linus815

Member
Oct 29, 2017
19,845
games simply can't imitate that true filmic look due to the lack of "baked in" motion blur that is the result of the way films are recorded. I guess the 6 extra frames per second is meant to "make up" for the fact, but... nah. Games simply don't look like movies.

That being said, if we are strictly looking at the question "is 30 fps closer to how films look than 60+ fps" then the answer is... yes.

But of course, it's not worth it, as films don't require input, and games can utilize a bunch other techniques to look and feel cinematic, without compromising input response and motion clarity.
 

Ploid 6.0

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,440
For watching a video? Maybe, for controlling and reacting to events in a game, heck no.

Lw81fmE.gif
 

Riversands

Banned
Nov 21, 2017
5,669
It is true if you apply that statement to movies which is in this case very different from gaming.
 

MeltedDreams

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,977
Lmao.

24 fps ps3 edition of The Last of Us ruined the game for me. Remastered version is like different game. Day and night difference. I hope a lot of developers move on from 30 fps limit next-gen - just let me choose 1080p/60 fps if you can't get it working at 4k dammit...
 

Biteren

Member
Oct 29, 2017
2,616
when i saw that frame rate it blew my mind cause it was like a movie, i considered 6fps more gamey and keep in mid this was back before i understood what framerates were

now i just want 60fps on everything
 

KingPat

Member
Apr 29, 2019
796
California
If they really wanted to make them more cinematic they could just be in 24p. But for me personally it depends if I have the option to have one or the other and then which is more graphically pleasing (ex god of war. Loved the game but I decided to play on 30fps instead of the higher fps mode)
 

DarthBuzzard

Banned
Jul 17, 2018
5,122
Yes. Actually I prefer 24 FPS when possible because I like my games to be like movies. Some days I like my games comparable to slideshows, so I try to resource hog the machine until I get 5 FPS. Really immersive for someone that grew up drawing flipbooks.
 

eathdemon

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
9,690
games simply can't imitate that true filmic look due to the lack of "baked in" motion blur that is the result of the way films are recorded. I guess the 6 extra frames per second is meant to "make up" for the fact, but... nah. Games simply don't look like movies.

That being said, if we are strictly looking at the question "is 30 fps closer to how films look than 60+ fps" then the answer is... yes.

But of course, it's not worth it, as films don't require input, and games can utilize a bunch other techniques to look and feel cinematic, without compromising input response and motion clarity.
but thats ther thing. dispite cuphead running at 60fps, it looks much closer to anamation, dispite its hogher framerate. framerate does not eqal more cinamatic.
 

Nightbird

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
3,780
Germany
I'm fine with games being 30 fps.

But I'm not fine with being fed lies about how much more of a "cinematic experience" those 30 fps are supposed to be.

It was bullshit back then and it's bullshit right now.
 

dodo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,997
framerate doesn't really have all that much to do with what "cinematic" means. yes, film runs at 24fps, but the look of cinema has much more to do with the way light affects the frame and the way blur and focus are applied. Control, for example, is leaning heavily into the look and feel of 1970s science fiction and surrealist cinema and manages to accomplish that at 60+ fps (on PC, anyway; YMMV).

this is why the Hobbit movies were so controversial in HFR: there's nothing wrong with high frame rates, but because the entire thing was shot on very crisp digital cameras with perfect clarity, it felt weird to a lot of people, and didn't look "like a movie." see also motion smoothing, which actively combats motion blur. Motion blur is a really polarizing effect in video games, but when used well it really contributes to a cinematic look. Either way, motion blur and focus are the main reasons we envision a separation between what games look like and what films look like.

same with the "weight" comparisons. the feeling of weight has absolutely nothing to do with the number of frames being displayed and everything to do with animation quality and game feedback. does a Zweihander feel weightless at 60fps in the PC version of Dark Souls? Does the PS4 version of Monster Hunter World hit harder than the PC version? Does the PC version of Destiny 2 have bad shooting compared to the 30fps console version? no; these games are just really stunningly well animated.
 

Jon God

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,296
It's complicated.

I personally feel like the jump between 30FPS cutscenes, and 60FPS gameplay can be anti-cinematic. I also think sometimes that 60FPS cutscenes can look 'cheap'.

All that said, it's a case by case basis, and there is no blanket answer.
 

Militaratus

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
1,212
Wasn't the controversy that an AC Unity developer was trying to justify bad optimization by saying that 24fps was more cinematic than a smooth 30fps?

Not sure where that 30fps being more cinematic malarkey came from?
 

ieo

Member
Aug 7, 2019
135
Lol no. I think The Last of Us: Remastered, with the ability to switch the display in the options menu, offers the best way to show that 30 fps is like cutting your eyes with a blunt kitchen knife.
 
Oct 27, 2017
4,018
Florida
It gives me pause. The soap opera effect is definitely a thing with TVs and movies where they lose that cinematic motion. Not sure how or if that applies to games.
 

thecaseace

Member
May 1, 2018
3,219
It's amazing how upset people are and clearly aren't reading the question as it is presented.

It is not asking whether people prefer 30fps or not. It is asking whether it appears more cinematic or not.

Yes it was a lame marketing excuse, but the reality is, that motion wise, it does appear closer to film. ESPECIALLY the games that implement a really high quality motion blur that mimics film blur.

There is no doubt that 60fps is smoother and is more responsive. But that's not even the question.

So seriously, the insults are pretty unnecessary and really don't even address the spirit of the question.

85% of posters either didn't read the question or don't know the definition of the word cinematic, wow.
 

Paragraf

Member
May 31, 2019
532
Russia
DF made a video of Uncharted 4 running at 60 fps. They captured the game in slow motion mode, then sped up the footage. Here's 30 vs 60 fps comparison:
I don't know, 60 fps looks more "cinematic" to me.
Thank god it's just a little over a year before next gen consoles arrive. With capable CPUs 60 fps games can become widespread, so we will argue about how "144 fps are too smooth"
 

Roshin

Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,841
Sweden
...the experience at 30FPS feels much more like the movie-like, heavy experience...

I think it is obvious nonsense and it's sad to see people pretending there's something to it.

I mean, what is "cinematic" or "movie-like" even supposed to mean?

"It feels like, heavy, man. Almost movie-like!" Jesus fuck.
 

Paul

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,603
It's the dumbest gaming-related statement ever said.
There have been lot of dumb gaming related statements, but yes

gif is meaningless

play Spider-Man or Uncharted or Horizon

theyre smooth as hell regardless of being 30fps

Finished all three

They absolutely fucking not smooth as hell, anytime I pan the camera around me I can see the obvious deficiency of missing 30 frames in my 60hz refresh
 

Patapuf

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,429
Framerate isn't what makes a game cinematic or not. Playing a game at 24 fps doesn't make it look like a movie, it just feels bad to play.

You get the "filmic" look with clever post processing effects, camera placement etc.
 

Arulan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,571
There is no controversy, only people that feel the need to justify something in the name of system wars.

It wasn't that long ago that (over 480p) high resolutions were argued to be sterile, and a number of now-standard graphical effects were seen as pointless because it wasn't available to them.

Enjoy what you have, but bullshit justifications aren't necessary.
 
Last edited:

jawzpause

Member
Nov 7, 2017
2,246
Weirdly enough i actually agree. Yes 60fps feels infinitely better but the slower fps adds to the atmosphere of some games such as Shadow of the Colossus
 
Oct 31, 2017
8,466
gif is meaningless

play Spider-Man or Uncharted or Horizon

theyre smooth as hell regardless of being 30fps
You are just setting the bar extremely low for what "smooth as hell means".
Try a 144hz monitor and watch it side to side with Spiderman.

Haven't heard that one... Context?
It was a legendary old thread on gaf, where this guy said that he tried a top tier gaming PC and he was disturbed by how all the graphics looked too crisp, too clean, TOO ANGULAR... And then he argued that the blurry, lower res console graphics felt smoother, more warming and MORE pleasant to the eye to him.

Needless to say hilarity ensued. But few crazies actually tried to support his take.
 

Boiled Goose

Banned
Nov 2, 2017
9,999
I didn't say it felt cinematic strawman, i said it added to the atmosphere in some games

The op is about cinematic so I perhaps extrapolated.

It added to the feel of the game. Not sure if anything would be lost or not gained by having better performance and trying to create the dreamy feeling intentionally
 

Boiled Goose

Banned
Nov 2, 2017
9,999
You are just setting the bar extremely low for what "smooth as hell means".
Try a 144hz monitor and watch it side to side with Spiderman.


It was a legendary old thread on gaf, where this guy said that he tried a top tier gaming PC and he was disturbed by how all the graphics looked too crisp, too clean, TOO ANGULAR... And then he argued that the blurry, lower res console graphics felt smoother, more warming and MORE pleasant to the eye to him.

Needless to say hilarity ensued. But few crazies actually tried to support his take.

Now I remember.
 
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