30 fps? 60 fps? If you?ve ever debated framerates, the cognitive researchers we spoke to have some complex answers for you.
What is the maximum framerate the human eye see? How perceptible is the difference between 30 Hz and 60 Hz? Between 60 Hz and 144 Hz? After what point is it pointless to display a game any faster?
Gamers? [are] a really weird population of people who are probably operating close to maximal levels [of vision].
?If you?re working with gamers, you?re working with a really weird population of people who are probably operating close to maximal levels,? says DeLong.
If you?ve heard about studies on fighter pilots in which they?ve demonstrated an ability to perceive an image flashed on the screen for 1/250th of a second, that?s also not quite what perception of smooth, flowing computer game imagery is about.
The elephant in the room: how fast can we react to what we see? It?s an important distinction between games and film worthy of another whole article.
A game programmed to run at 60 fps can potentially display your inputs more quickly, because the frames are narrower slices of time compared to 30 fps.
As someone who has also enjoyed games at the 30 frames per second rendered by my consoles, I can relate to them suggesting that other aspects of visual displays might connect better with my visual perception.
Source: How many frames per second can the human eye really see?
Originally published at Cogly.
