Much has been said regarding frame-rates and resolutions this generation of gaming for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; and from the looks of it, it’s something that won’t be going away anytime soon. Speaking to Polygon in a graphics primer feature, Naughty Dog developer Cort Stratton speaks out a bit on the subject.
Stratton, who is also a senior programmer on Sony’s ICE team, develops graphics tech that’s shared across Sony Computer Entertainment’s various first-party studios and third-party developers. In the chat, Stratton mentions resolution is entirely under the scope of the GPU, and explains it in easier to understand terms.
The CPU sends the GPU a list of objects to draw and a resolution at which to draw them; the GPU hunkers down and runs the dizzyingly complex calculations to figure out the appropriate color at each pixel.
Stratton adds that doubling the resolution won’t affect CPU performance, but that it would require the GPU to dole out four times as many pixels.
Now, when it comes to frame-rate and resolutions, Stratton states that his personal minimum criteria is 720p resolution at 30fps, since “anything below is actively unpleasant.”
Anything below those levels is actively unpleasant…However, he continued, “anything higher isn’t necessarily a clear improvement.” Asked to choose one or the other, he said he’d probably prefer a higher resolution than a higher frame rate, since he “[doesn’t] personally place much value on frame rates above 30 fps.
Do you agree with Stratton? Are resolutions and frame-rates really that big of a deal or are just people making mountains out of gaming molehills?
[Source: Polygon via GamingBolt]
