Consoles have come a long away since their early graphics, with some games sporting almost life like images that couldn’t be done even ten years ago. But when compared to PC games, there's one area that they've been lagging behind in, and that's frame rates. The PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X are both slated to release in early November this year, and possibly one of the most intriguing features of the newest consoles is the promise to up frame rates, with a few games that are promised to run at 120 frames per second.
With the new hardware the PS5 and Xbox Series X have, there’s one feature that’d be very helpful. A feature that PC players have had for a very long time: a frame rate display, giving players the ability to see their current frame rate as they play.
Frame Rates VS Lag
When most people think of frame rates, they probably aren't thinking of how useful of a metric it is to help measure the performance of the console's hardware, but frame rates can be used for more than just making games look next-gen. Being able to see the current frame rate also allows players to tell the difference between lag and frame rate drops. Sometimes, the terms are used interchangeably, even though they are very different things. Frame drops indicate there’s likely a hardware problem, while lag is a network problem. If the frame rate is fine but gameplay still feels choppy, then there's likely a network related issue.
But if there's no problems with the internet and the game is still dropping frames, then that means there's something wrong with the console. In these examples, being able to see current frame rate in game will allow players to identify a problem much easier if one arises, but then it becomes a matter of what the player can actually do if there is a hardware issue with a console. A PC player could easily get a new graphics card and fix the problem, while someone playing on a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X doesn’t have that luxury.
Counting Frame Rates Because We Can
Then there’s simply just wanting to see if the game is running at its intended frame rate. There’s nothing wrong with checking to make sure that things are working as they should be. If the games aren’t running at their advertised frame rate, it mean there's a serious problem with the console hardware and the console could be labeled defective due to not being able to live up to its promise. There are also some people who want their mind blown with the sheer capability of the new consoles, for example.
Being able to watch the frame rate counter in the top right corner play as the game is displayed in jaw dropping quality is an affirming experience, it feels good to be able to keep track of how the hardware is running and seeing the results. Both are very solid reasons for wanting to see the current frame rate on screen, and obviously for those who couldn’t care less, there should also be an option to remove it as well.
Are Frame Rates Important?
Frame rates are undeniably an important part of the gaming experience. So when Sony and Microsoft stated that their respective consoles could run games at 120 FPS, that undoubtedly turned some heads. There are many benefits to having a high frame rate, the biggest one being that games simply look better when they’re smoother. The game could have amazing graphics, but if the frame rate is low, it’ll still look terrible.
Those who enjoy playing competitive online games like Apex Legends certainly know just how important a high frame rate can be. When playing competitive shooters or fighting games, every millisecond counts, and having a high frame rate can reduce input lag. One of the best ways to reduce input lag is to have a higher frame rate and good TV or monitor that has a high refresh rate, allowing inputs to come in “quicker, "even though it’s just the TV displays the information faster.
TVs typically have a lower refresh rate than monitors, meaning that they’ll have a higher input lag. However, most TVs nowadays have a game mode that decreases input lag for console gaming. Being able to tell exactly what the current frame rate is might seem a bit redundant to some people, but there certainly are some cases where it is extremely helpful. Giving PS5 and Series X players at least the option to turn it on would benefit a lot of people, especially those into more competitive games.
The Xbox Series X releases on November 10, while the PS5 releases November 12.
