The argument

I just saw a good argument for high frame-rates / instant feedback on Charles Bloom’s Rants Page. I think this is one the reasons why Gran Turismo 4 (to me) feels much better than Forza Motorsport:

[T]he response to every action is instantaneous. This is not a minor detail; Joe Ybarra used to love to talk about this with frame rate – the difference between 40 fps and 60 fps, and more exactly, the latency, is not some small numeric difference, it’s not like getting 40 chocolate chips vs. 60 chocolate chips – there’s something dramatic that happens when your interface is smooth and responsive and perceptually instantaneous. Suddenly the device is like an extension of your body & mind – it’s not some external apparatus that you’re fighting with and compensating for, it’s your tool and it’s doing your wishes and it suddenly tickles some loving part of your brain.

This is a lot of truth to that very unscientific statement (and I sincerely hope that next-gen consoles will not raise the details to a level where we are again stuck at <= 30 frames / second).

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