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Eurogamer conducts GTA IV 360/PS3 framerate tests, Destructoid chimes in
by Nick Chester on 05.12.2008 119 comments

Eurogamer conducts GTA IV 360/PS3 framerate tests, Destructoid chimes in screenshot

So the folks at Eurogamer have taken it upon themselves to do the entire gaming community and the world at large a favor, and have conducted detailed framerate tests on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Grand Theft Auto IV.

But Eurogamer took it one step further, conducting the tests not once, but twice. The details of the tests can be found here, but the general results are shocking and conclusive: 

Old 360: 33.798fps
Old PS3: 28.313fps
New 360: 33.713fps (2.35% torn frames in full capture)
New PS3: 28.313fps

Interesting figures, to say the least. But what does all of this mean for gamers, exactly? In an internal email discussion, the Destructoid staff breaks it down. Hit the jump for some real eye-opening industry discussion.

Nick Chester, Editor-in-Chief
Wait a minute ... wait a minute ... are Eurogamer kidding with those framerate tests?

Jim Sterling, Reviews Editor/Wearer of a Monocle
Just what IS the big erection about framerates anyway? Am I the only one who doesn't give a shit provided the characters aren't moving like stop motion Jason & the Argonauts skeletons?

Dale North, Writing Machine
I'm the same way. I've never cared, as long as it doesn't hinder the game. Shit, I still play games where the characters have three frames of animation -- left foot in front, together, and right foot in front -- all the time.

Nick
But I think this conclusively proves that the Xbox 360 version is BETTER than the PS3 version. I mean, it has more frames per second, guys.

Someone call Gametrailers.

Joe Burling, News Contributor/Framerate Expert
Frames per second is only one piece of a large pie. What makes games look good is a combination of things, including framerate, color, contrast, resolution, etc. All things are important, but no one should focus on one single thing.

Framerate is important because we've all seen what happens when the framerate drops. That sucks. To discount framerate altogether is ignorant. But, to think you NEED to have a framerate of 60 is just silly, as 30 can look great. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that framerate is often one of the things most associated to people getting motion sick when playing a game. The higher the framerate, the less likely you are to experience motion sickness.
 
Resolution is often the most misunderstood one. Resolution is like #4 on the importance list. As long as it is decently above 480p, the game or anything will look good. Call of Duty 4 was under 720p on the 360 and PS3, but most people think it runs at 1080p. Gears of War only ran at 720p. But why do these games look so good if they are under 720p? It's because the focus is on the other things, like contrast and whatever else they focused on.
 
By now, most of you have noticed a slight but consistent difference between the way 360 and PS3 games look. PS3 games tend to have lighter colors and look a little more washed out. 360 games have much richer colors and better standard lighting, but that can also make the games look more jagged because you can see everything in more detail. It's a matter of opinion. I think people should look through all of those comparison videos between the 360 and PS3, and pick the one that looks the best to them overall. To each their own.
 
But to focus on a five frame per second difference is just silly.
 

Nick
I think what you just said was that the Xbox 360 rules, the PS3 drools. Confirmed.  

Jim
Jesus, Burling. How much is MS paying you to suck them off? Jesus!

Joe
Haha... I like the look of the 360 better, but some people like the PS3 look better.

At the same time, however, I don't see much a difference between the two at all anymore... and I doubt we'll see much of a difference going forward outside of specific exclusive games that really focus on the console it's being made on.
 
Jim
"I like the the 360 better."

What a fucking fanboy.
 
Adam Dork, News Contributor
TALLEDAGHEA NIGHTZZZ!!! 
 
Joe
I'm such a fanboy, I know. I bought a PSP so I could piss on it. Fuck Sony!!! I LOVE my 8th 360 (yes, I've had that many RRoDs)!!! MS FTW!!!
 
Jim
YOU'LL NEVER GET METAL GEAR SOLID 4 BURLING! I AM PERSONALLY INVESTED IN YOU NOT DOING THIS THING I WRITE ABOUT!
 
 
Joe
OH YEH!?! WELL I'VE PLAYED IT AND YOU SUCK AND NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT AND YOUR BELLY IS BIG AND YOUR MONOACLE SXORS AND BAD GRAMMARS AND INTERNETS!!!!!

Jim
WHY DON'T YOU DRINK THE KOOL AID BURLING YOU HAVE GROUP THINK MENTALITY AND IS A SHEEPLE AND I AM CLEVER FOR POINTING OUT THESE THINGS I HAVE POINTED OUT HA HA DRINK THE KOOL AID!
 
Joe
ZOMG YOU IS RACIST ADN DONT NOW ANYTHING ABOUT VIDOE GAMES!!!! YOU ONLY LIKE TEH SONYS BECAUSE YOUR MOM!!!! MY DAD COULD TOTALLY BEAT YOUR DAD IN A FIGHT!!! mEET ME AT THE VIRTUAL BIKE RACK IN SEcOND LIFE AT 3PM!!! YOU ARE GOING DOWN!!! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO DRINKS TEH COOL AID! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT A KOOLAID IS? oBVIOUSLY YOU DONT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T EVEN MENTION THE FACT THAT KOOLAID IS WAHT THE COOL KIDS DRINK, HENCE THE NAME KOOLAID!

Jim
KIIIIIIIIIIIIILL
ZOOOOOOOOONE!
 
 
Joe
KILLZOONE SUXED THE FIRST TIME!!!! WHAT MAKES YOUTHINK ITS GOING TO BE ANYBETTER THE SEOCND TIME!!!!
 
I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!!
 
Dale
This needs to be a post.
 
Nick
Good idea. I'll do it.
OR HIT OUR xbox 360 SECTION



Latest comment by Mushman |view all 119 comments
This post is SWEET-FUCKIN-JESUS type Of awesome, copy pasta FTW!!...





vishusdelishus's Avatar
vishusdelishus at 05/12/2008 12:33

What the hell just happened here?

The only thing this post is missing is a severed wild boar head on a stick and a fat kid with glasses named Piggy.
animateria's Avatar
animateria at 05/12/2008 12:34

Uh... Wow...

I had something to say until I read the whole thing.

Now I don't know anymore...
welkstar's Avatar
welkstar at 05/12/2008 12:37

um.. what? woah.
Slique's Avatar
Slique at 05/12/2008 12:37

That was, quite frankly, epic.

Surprising results indeed, too.
Tubatic's Avatar
Tubatic at 05/12/2008 12:37

"ZOMG YOU IS RACIST ADN DONT NOW ANYTHING ABOUT VIDOE GAMES!!!!"

I can has Jim Sterling T-Shirt?
The Young Scot's Avatar
The Young Scot at 05/12/2008 12:38

I thought I was going steadily insane as I worked my way down that post.

Also, framerate nitpicking for the lose.
wardrox's Avatar
wardrox at 05/12/2008 12:39

Guys, I did my own test the other day; I got 0.000 fps on my 360 BECAUSE IT IS A PILE OR WORTHLESS, DISC READ ERRORING PILE OF CRAP.
Shin Oni's Avatar
Shin Oni at 05/12/2008 12:39

meh. I think most people are still trying to get a damn HDTV before talking about which is better. Granted Sony are the ones constantly pushing 1080p yet half of their games are 720p as the highest resolution.

Then there's trying to configure your tv to look just right with whatever you do. As a out of the box default settings are never good enough. This alone takes time. though i'm with Jim. I don't care as much about how it looks. As long as it can look good AND be able to have good gameplay, i really don't complain.
Clockwork's Avatar
Clockwork at 05/12/2008 12:39

It's comparisons like this that start mindless arguments between fanboys.
monosylabik's Avatar
monosylabik at 05/12/2008 12:40

thanks...this was a wonderful birthday present!
Cowzilla3's Avatar
Cowzilla3 at 05/12/2008 12:41

My eyes are so open I feel like the protagonist in Clockwork Orange when they're making him watch the happy movie time except all I'm seeing is Jim Sterling in a hot tub.
Kryptinite's Avatar
Kryptinite at 05/12/2008 12:42

LOL....

that was fucking hilarious. Great job guys :).
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 05/12/2008 12:46

All right, I know you don't think 5 fps is a big deal, but when it is the difference between not noticing the refresh rate and noticing it, it matters.

Play GTA IV on PS3, then go play Burnout Paradise (60 fps), and get back to me on insignificant frame rate differences. I really did find the choppiness in GTA IV distracting.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 05/12/2008 12:46

I'm glad I hit the jump on what started out as an entirely uninteresting story.
Professor Pew's Avatar
Professor Pew at 05/12/2008 12:47

Haha cowzilla, dammit... there's nothing to follow up on that.

Good to see some good old randomness on the frontpage again, oBVIOUSLY ftw!
27BaLLs's Avatar
27BaLLs at 05/12/2008 12:47

lol kool aid :P
AngelsDontBurn's Avatar
AngelsDontBurn at 05/12/2008 12:49

I love it when fanboys get upset.
B-Radicate's Avatar
B-Radicate at 05/12/2008 12:49

Isn't the real question how often each respective system dips below these normal rates to a discernible degree?

Also, kool aid.
NihonTiger90's Avatar
NihonTiger90 at 05/12/2008 12:50

LOL, that was so worth reading.
b33b3s's Avatar
b33b3s at 05/12/2008 12:51

5 frames isn't all that big of a difference, but it still amazes me every time I go from Halo to the silky smooth 60 fps of CoD4.
Dale North's Avatar
Dale North at 05/12/2008 12:51

"Joe Burling, News Contributor/Framerate Expert"

BWAHHAHAHA
ScottyG's Avatar
ScottyG at 05/12/2008 12:52

@Wardrox

But you got it over 0 seconds since you didn't play the game. So clearly GTA4 on the 360 runs at infinity frames per second. :p
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 05/12/2008 12:52

What the hell? I am still trying to figure out how things lead up to that crazy point. KILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLZOOOOOOOOOOOOONEEEEE
nademagnet's Avatar
nademagnet at 05/12/2008 12:53

OMG THAT WAS THE BEST POST EVAR! I'M GOING TO GO DRINK SOME KOOL AID NOW, 'CAUSE I'M A KOOL DUDE. ALL THE FAN BOYS CAN SUCK MY BALLS.

YATTA! \(^o^)/
donkeykong's Avatar
donkeykong at 05/12/2008 12:53

I'm glad they saw the fanboy ammo potential and disposed of it carefully.
Darkknight37's Avatar
Darkknight37 at 05/12/2008 12:54

I never knew FPS stood for Fails Per Second.
mix's Avatar
mix at 05/12/2008 12:54

I agree I have watched the crappy side by side comparisons about "graphics" and I never noticed anything with the frame rate. People look to hard to find differences between things so they can troll and fanboy, or fangirl.

Movies are filmed @ 24fps.......fail?

I aosl think that it is retareded when people brag about hitting 120+fps in games on the PC as you can't even tell.

Command and Conquer 3 (PC) has a FPS cap of 30, you'll never get higher who fucking bitched about that??
DynamicSheep's Avatar
DynamicSheep at 05/12/2008 12:59

"Guys, I did my own test the other day; I got 0.000 fps on my 360 BECAUSE IT IS A PILE OR WORTHLESS, DISC READ ERRORING PILE OF CRAP."

Seconded.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 05/12/2008 13:00

You are all fanboy group think sheeple. Enjoy your Kool Aid while I enjoy serving a fresh slice of Vitamin Kickass to the Helghan Army!!!!1!!!
TrailerParkJesus's Avatar
TrailerParkJesus at 05/12/2008 13:00

thats the greatest thing I've ever read
KamikazeTutor's Avatar
KamikazeTutor at 05/12/2008 13:02

WHAT ABOUT THE WII!?
THE WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
??????????
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 05/12/2008 13:03

This could quite possibly be the best post ever made
KamikazeTutor's Avatar
KamikazeTutor at 05/12/2008 13:03

What the hell happened there?
KamikazeTutor's Avatar
KamikazeTutor at 05/12/2008 13:06

No sir king, this is still the best post.
bhive01's Avatar
bhive01 at 05/12/2008 13:07

I missed you Destructoid.
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 05/12/2008 13:07

@mix: Movies use 3:2 pulldown and minor slowing to convert them to about 30 fps on standard NTSC devices. If you didn't convert them, they too would look choppy on TV (24 fps is 20% less info than 30 fps, so every fifth frame would be black); movies in the theater play natively at 24 fps.
superezekiel's Avatar
superezekiel at 05/12/2008 13:10

KIIIIIIIIIIIIILL
ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 05/12/2008 13:11

Films are taken at 24 frames per second, television shows are videoed at 29.97 frames per second. Most people can't tell shit of a difference.
mix's Avatar
mix at 05/12/2008 13:11

@MAXVEST (everyone has capps now....)

You are an overflowing information machine!
Thanks for that bit of info, you should have Bill Nye as your sig, Now You Know!
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 05/12/2008 13:13

Framerates in consoles (other than game breaking slowdowns) is just a useless argument that fanboys use to further their cause. On a PC, they were relevant in assessing the overall power of a PC based on a standard game benchmark. But trying to compare 2 different (yes, they are different) games on 2 different consoles is like comparing apples to cherry pie.
pheonix-blood's Avatar
pheonix-blood at 05/12/2008 13:13

wow, this is the best thing i've ever read.
mix's Avatar
mix at 05/12/2008 13:15

@DeusPayne

Apples would win....geez
Butmac's Avatar
Butmac at 05/12/2008 13:15

Hahahahahaha that was rich and full of entertainment, insight, and intrigue.

Burling will play MGS4 over Jim's dead body.
Demtor's Avatar
Demtor at 05/12/2008 13:16

IMO, FPS stats are for PC Gamers trying to tweak their systems and thats pretty much all that it should be used for.
Corak's Avatar
Corak at 05/12/2008 13:20

Not sure why this was really necessary. Seems like nitpicking just for the sake of nitpicking to fuel fanboy/girl arguments. I just finished GTA last night on the PS3 and it was very smooth throughout.

Also, nicely done over the top argument in the writeup, made me laugh as I expected that to be in the comments.
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 05/12/2008 13:24

Fucking win.
MaxVest's Avatar
MaxVest at 05/12/2008 13:27

The difference between 40fps and 45 fps doesn't matter to me. But an average difference of 5fps right on either side of the threshold where some people can start to notice it sort of sucks.

That's why Rockstar put it in 640p on the PS3. If they had used any higher resolution, everybody would have noticed a difference instead of just a few people.

To use this as evidence that one console is superior to another is stupid. But to use this as evidence that one version of a game causes less eye fatigue (at the cost of increased tearing) than another version makes sense.
McSnow's Avatar
McSnow at 05/12/2008 13:28

So what have we learned today kids?

That frame rates kill.. Kill dead.
blu3steel's Avatar
blu3steel at 05/12/2008 13:29

"The only thing this post is missing is a severed wild boar head on a stick and a fat kid with glasses named Piggy."

SUCKS TO YOUR ASS-MAR!
teach4food's Avatar
teach4food at 05/12/2008 13:31

Killzone 2 will sux

Drink the kool aid... sheeple....LMAO!
Cartman's Avatar
Cartman at 05/12/2008 13:36

I love you guys.
Brian Keljore's Avatar
Brian Keljore at 05/12/2008 13:39

Somehow I imagined Jim doing his Liquid Snake voice when talking in caps about MGS4
Jim's Avatar
Jim at 05/12/2008 13:42

guys...?

more framerate is always better and mostly a deciding factor on how much fun a game makes!
Droll's Avatar
Droll at 05/12/2008 13:44

This is pretty good.
You forgot to mention Killzone. That game is gonna be great!
PetiePal's Avatar
PetiePal at 05/12/2008 13:47

Why are Mommy and Daddy yelling at each other!

I had a feeling the 360 would have higher framerate, but it wouldn't have made much a difference. It IS the sum of all the parts that determines the better system, and honestly the 360 and PS3 are still evenly matched when you go through all the checks and balances.
Hoygeit's Avatar
Hoygeit at 05/12/2008 13:51

Hahahahahahaha.

Oh, so good.
deiga-the-semivaliant's Avatar
deiga-the-semivaliant at 05/12/2008 13:51

Purple DRANK.
BuckF1tches's Avatar
BuckF1tches at 05/12/2008 13:53

YOU DONT NOW ANYTHING JIM!!! TEH 360 IS THE GRATEST GAME IN THE WORLD! BLUERAEY ONLY ONE BECAUSE $ONY PAID OFF THE MOVIE INUDSTRY WITH THEYRE BLOOD MONEY!!!!
MaximusPaynicus's Avatar
MaximusPaynicus at 05/12/2008 13:56

Um... wow. All I can say is wow.
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 05/12/2008 13:58

BROWN AND BLOOMAN GAEMZ
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 05/12/2008 14:00

What is the framerate of Kool Aid?
free touch's Avatar
free touch at 05/12/2008 14:06

Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 05/12/2008 14:06

So how many FPS does GTA IV get on the Wii?
Gridl0k's Avatar
Gridl0k at 05/12/2008 14:12

As the proud owner of a nice 1080p 47" TV (stay in school kids!) can someone point me to an XBox game that does actually render and display in 1080p?

I'm guessing Forza might, but I rilly rilly need to justify my impulse purchase of a large piece of far eastern electronics with 1,080 vertical pixels.
KyleGamgee's Avatar
KyleGamgee at 05/12/2008 14:17

I like things that are funny.

I like this.
adultswim810's Avatar
adultswim810 at 05/12/2008 14:21

Timmeh's Avatar
Timmeh at 05/12/2008 14:22

Personally, I don't think their tests are particularly good. On my 360 GTA IV's FPS drops noticably quite frequently and it pisses me off. After PC gaming for many years I buy a console to not have to worry about tweaking things, upgrades etc and this is what I get.

Could be worse though, the frame rate issues in Lost Odyssey, along with audio glitches etc is a joke. No it isn't the be all and end all but I would prefer if they dropped a couple of filters and delivered a smoother experience instead of saying "Look! Our game has big shinys".

If a console can't do something comfortably they shouldn't try and cram it in.
Gridl0k's Avatar
Gridl0k at 05/12/2008 14:23

Also; the biggest unaddressed controversy about GTA isn't framerates or hookercide, it should be that sniper bullets cost $160 each and you have to pay $1000 for what is simply a bottle of petrol with a rag in the top...
foxhound009's Avatar
foxhound009 at 05/12/2008 14:26

28 fps.. :/ .. sorrz but I can not play something
with framrate that low....

I hope it'll be on pc soon....
60 fps ftw :)
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 05/12/2008 14:42

I woke up and I looked at the computer and there was awesome on it and it was this post.
Emrah's Avatar
Emrah at 05/12/2008 14:44

It may only sound like 5 frames per second, but multiply that with 100 hours of gameplay, and xbox owners receive a hell lot of frames, compared to ps3. You never thought of that, didn't you?
Tamz's Avatar
Tamz at 05/12/2008 14:46

lawlzorz
Zac Bentz's Avatar
Zac Bentz at 05/12/2008 14:49

THIS
Zac Bentz's Avatar
Zac Bentz at 05/12/2008 14:49

IS