Favourite Game System

[BTGBullseye]

Ok, since you're going off topic about framerates, I think I'll lend my expertise to the discussion...

 

 

Framerate is the number of pictures of a moving scene displayed every second.

 

30 FPS is standard for an NTSC (North American standard) formatted DVD, 25 FPS for PAL. (European Standard)

 

Consoles are clamped to a maximum of 60 FPS, and usually will only do 30 FPS to match the DVD standard.

 

60 FPS is the standard refresh rate for most monitors, though that is being changed to 75+.

 

Anything above about 45 FPS is really hard to notice in actual gameplay, but if you go above 60 it is physically impossible to notice any difference. (due to the refresh rate of your eye and brain processing abilities)

 

Rendered framerate is what you get when you use fraps, or have a FPS counter on in your game. Rendered framerate is entirely independent of what your monitor does. It is the rate at which your system can create the frames. Many systems can render the frames at well over 60 FPS, and unless you enable Vsync, the frame created as close to the monitor refresh time is the only frame that will be sent to the monitor. All other frames are ignored.

 

Some monitors will get what's called "stuttering" when your rendered framerate excedes the refresh rate. That is caused by the monitor displaying part of one frame, and when another is rendered, it continues it's displaying with that frame. Essentially the top part of the monitor displays the top part of one frame, and the bottom half displays the bottom of the next frame.

 

Vsync simply tells the computer to render a frame only once every 1/60th of a second, instead of as fast as it can with whatever timing it can.

 

The ONLY time that a framerate of over 60 is useful is when you are using 3d vision tech. This requires at least a 120Hz refresh rate monitor, and shutter glasses. (usually a total of over $450 for the monitor and glasses, but I have seen them as low as $340)

 

Refresh rates on a monitor are invisible to any human eye if at 85 or higher, and to normal humans if over 75. Unless you use a CRT monitor, you will not be able to notice any refresh rates above 60Hz because LCD/LED monitors will display the image it receives for up to 1/20th of a second essentially removing the blinking procedure required by CRT monitors. (CRT mechanics is a different subject altogether, and you can Google it for yourselves)

 

 

I hope this was helpful to someone. If it was, give me -rep please. Now, can we get back on topic?

[tehFoist]

I like any console but I'm mainly a PC guy, especially since I just built my first gaming rig (more people need to do this; saves money and is quite easy if you do a little research.) Not to mention the graphics will always be superior to consoles if you have the right hardware. Toss Killzone 3 on a $2000 gaming rig and It'll probably blow PS3 out of the water visual and performance wise (my best example so far is Bad Company 2. It just looks and runs so much better on my pc that on my XBox.)

 

That being said, console wars are dumb, I'd own a PS3, Xbox360, PSP, DS, etc if I could afford them all.

[Axeldeath]

i was a console gamer forever but i got a nice computer last summer and bought half-life 1 (i played orange box on the 360) and now i've switch almost entirely to using steam.

 

Exactly the same for me ( except swap 360 for PS3 ). I'm gonna get portal on PS3 though 'cause I get a PC version with the PS3 version FREEEE!!!

[Alyxx Thorne]

IThat being said, console wars are dumb, I'd own a PS3, Xbox360, PSP, DS, etc if I could afford them all.

Comparing consoles to each other is kinda meaningless in my opinion because in the end it's not about what console you own, but what games you like to play.

[Blightmare]

PS3 as it seems to be holding together much better than my 360. not to mention Killzone > Halo(but I still like halo) imo.

 

commence hate-age.

[tehFoist]

Comparing consoles to each other is kinda meaningless in my opinion because in the end it's not about what console you own, but what games you like to play.

 

Then again that's another platform that fan boys use to launch attacks from. But I do agree, if there's enough good games on a system to warrant the price I'll get it. That's why I have an XBox, because PS3 had very few games at launch. I'm starting to think about picking one up though because Killzone and Uncharted look delicious.

[Alyxx Thorne]

Comparing consoles to each other is kinda meaningless in my opinion because in the end it's not about what console you own, but what games you like to play.

 

Then again that's another platform that fan boys use to launch attacks from. But I do agree, if there's enough good games on a system to warrant the price I'll get it. That's why I have an XBox, because PS3 had very few games at launch. I'm starting to think about picking one up though because Killzone and Uncharted look delicious.

The Wii has actually survived so long and remained popular because it's in a niche market. Instead of offering what the PS3 and XBox 360 do, it offers more family-friendly entertainment and more casual games. That's why I think it's unfair to hit down on the Wii for its hardware when it's clearly not geared towards the same audience as the 360 and PS3.

[tehFoist]

The Wii has actually survived so long and remained popular because it's in a niche market. Instead of offering what the PS3 and XBox 360 do, it offers more family-friendly entertainment and more casual games. That's why I think it's unfair to hit down on the Wii for its hardware when it's clearly not geared towards the same audience as the 360 and PS3.

Haha yeah Nintendo is quite famous for that. While the games may not be quite as pretty who doesn't enjoy a good round of Mario Kart with family or friends?

 

Also I'm glad you used the family-friendly aspect as the niche rather than the technology it employs. While that may be why some people picked it up at first, Sony and Microsoft weren't about to be outdone.

[Alyxx Thorne]

I don't at all see the Wii as a competitor of Sony and Microsoft actually. Nintendo is more on the side line for me.

[tehFoist]

I just mean that they kind of muscled their way into the motion control market to steal the fire. In regards to what Nintendo does with their games they are pretty much on the sidelines; hitting on the soccer moms and handing out balloons while Microsoft and Sony manly flex and grunt.

[Alyxx Thorne]

I just mean that they kind of muscled their way into the motion control market to steal the fire. In regards to what Nintendo does with their games they are pretty much on the sidelines; hitting on the soccer moms and handing out balloons while Microsoft and Sony manly flex and grunt.

I think as a PC gamer I'm very neutral to the whole console war thing.

[SoranMBane]

My PS3 is my best friend right now. If I had the money, time, and know-how, I'd definitely do a lot of PC gaming, but, at the end of the day, I much prefer the compactness and simplicity of a console controller over the precision of a mouse and keyboard. It's just my preference.

[Bjossi]

The initial PC purchase is alarmingly expensive if you choose enthusiast hardware, which no sane person would buy. PC hardware has been getting noticeably cheaper in recent years, I don't see the price argument working as well as it used to, you can get badass parts for pretty little. Future upgrades of individual parts will be even cheaper as well, since you don't always need to upgrade everything at the same time. PC games are also more often than not cheaper than console games.

 

And remember what is in those console boxes; ancient hardware which each new game showcases more and more clearly. Have you ever taken a look at what resolutions the common console games are rendered at? Hint: It is not 1920 x 1080. You get what you pay for, pretty much.

 

But for the computer illiterate, not having to deal with driver updates and stuff like that is a big bonus. Console games Just Work, in 99% of cases anyway.

[Axeldeath]

I just mean that they kind of muscled their way into the motion control market to steal the fire. In regards to what Nintendo does with their games they are pretty much on the sidelines; hitting on the soccer moms and handing out balloons while Microsoft and Sony manly flex and grunt.

I think as a PC gamer I'm very neutral to the whole console war thing.

 

I used to hate PC gamers because every comment they make on any games that come out is : It will obviously be best on PC though.

I used to rage so hard, If you could classify PC's as consoles then PC gamers are just as bad.

[Alyxx Thorne]

I just mean that they kind of muscled their way into the motion control market to steal the fire. In regards to what Nintendo does with their games they are pretty much on the sidelines; hitting on the soccer moms and handing out balloons while Microsoft and Sony manly flex and grunt.

I think as a PC gamer I'm very neutral to the whole console war thing.

 

I used to hate PC gamers because every comment they make on any games that come out is : It will obviously be best on PC though.

I used to rage so hard, If you could classify PC's as consoles then PC gamers are just as bad.

I can understand that and I'm not trying to sound like a bigot at all. For me it's just more convenient to have everything on my computer and have it more centralized. If people prefer consoles though that's okay with me. As I said, I'm completely neutral to it.

[Bjossi]

I used to hate PC gamers because every comment they make on any games that come out is : It will obviously be best on PC though.

 

Hating all PC gamers because of a loud minority is nothing short of ignorant.

[Alyxx Thorne]

I used to hate PC gamers because every comment they make on any games that come out is : It will obviously be best on PC though.

 

Hating all PC gamers because of a loud minority is nothing short of ignorant.

Hating in general is ignorant.

[BTGBullseye]

I used to hate PC gamers because every comment they make on any games that come out is : It will obviously be best on PC though.

 

Hating all PC gamers because of a loud minority is nothing short of ignorant.

Hating in general is ignorant.

True.

[Axeldeath]

I used to hate PC gamers because every comment they make on any games that come out is : It will obviously be best on PC though.

 

Hating all PC gamers because of a loud minority is nothing short of ignorant.

 

I meant the ones who used to comment....

[superjchamma]

I'm a fan of the Xbox, but for controls the PC wins every time.