I love this game, but that's not what this blog post is about. I'll just cut to the chase. After playing games on the PC almost exclusively for the last 4 months, coming back to the consoles was incredibly jarring. L.A. Noire looks fantastic, but DEAR. LORD. The framerate. I've gotten used to playing games with AA cranked all the way up and still getting a solid 60 FPS. I'm not what you'd call a graphics whore, but when I'm playing a game, poor framerate can really destroy the experience. Mind blowing graphics don't always make things better, but high framerates DO. 

My theory is that people who say they aren't whores are the ones who always complain about fps. Honestly, I swear some people can't just play a game, they have to inspect every technical detail.  ZOMG it went from 40fps to 20fps for 2 seconds during a huge event.. zomggggggggg

I didn't even notice it had an FPS problem.

Does it have an FPS problem?

Also I can't tell the difference between different rates of FPS.

I haven't gotten the game yet. So I speak in general but I hear you. Haven gotten a decent PC recently, after a 15 years on mid-range stuff and work-laptops, I currently enjoy the spoils of PC gaming. But most games I rather play relaxed on my armchair in front of my tv. So yeah the framerate and the loading times are not helping the immersion. Problem is that a console giving 60 fps is still to expensive to make. Especially because we need basically 120 fps (or at least 60+) because of 3D TVs.

Im sure that pc games run better and all that, but honestly I cant tell the difference when Im playing the vast majority of games. For my hard earned cash Im very happy with the current consoles and don't want to buy a new generation of them for at least a few years.

My theory is that people who say they aren't whores are the ones who always complain about fps. Honestly, I swear some people can't just play a game, they have to inspect every technical detail.  ZOMG it went from 40fps to 20fps for 2 seconds during a huge event.. zomggggggggg

Shhh.... the more people say we need new consoles, the more people will start believing that.

My theory is that people who say they aren't whores are the ones who always complain about fps. Honestly, I swear some people can't just play a game, they have to inspect every technical detail.  ZOMG it went from 40fps to 20fps for 2 seconds during a huge event.. zomggggggggg

I didn't even notice it had an FPS problem.Does it have an FPS problem?Also I can't tell the difference between different rates of FPS.

I totally agree with what you're saying, but just out of curiosity which console were you playing on? I've had friends who play the 360 version complain about the frame rate though I haven't really experienced many drops on the PS3.

Uncharted 2 laughs at your concerns.

Also, what the heck are you talking about with Arkham Asylum? That game had a fantastic framerate on the consoles, I don't remember a single dip when I played it on the 360.

My theory is that people who say they aren't whores are the ones who always complain about fps. Honestly, I swear some people can't just play a game, they have to inspect every technical detail.  ZOMG it went from 40fps to 20fps for 2 seconds during a huge event.. zomggggggggg

I think we are fine. We are good enough and good enough is good enough.

Ya I'm noticing the drops on the PS3 version. Kinda annoying.

it's too bad LA noire doesn't have a PC version huh, but I've given up on rockstar and if they don't want any of my money than that's their business

I'm playing it on PS3 by the way. It's not so much drops in FPS as it is just a consistent low FPS. As I walk along, I can literally see the edges of the screen jerking as they move forward.

Have you ever went back to the original mario kart on the snes? you can literally count the frames of animation on the track

This is something I realized when playing AC2. I thought the game looked great, but the frame rate was unsteady and people took forever to spawn into the world. There is only so much you can do with asset fidelity, but simply putting more power into a similar architecture would help problems like these.

I wouldn't be surprised to see new consoles in this order. Nintendo 2012, Microsoft 2013 and Sony 2014.

Microsoft and Sony will announce E3 2012.

With that speculation out of the way, Nintendo is the card holder with their hardware. If it's nothing more than a small upgrade over MS and Sony's current generation, I think MS will go harder the next year. If you've noticed, Microsoft's first two consoles have been closer to a PC than the other consoles. Microsoft's next console will be even more of a PC based TV type console with lots and lots of interactivity with Windows based products.

Shhh.... the more people say we need new consoles, the more people will start believing that.

I don't wanna buy new shit until 2014 at the earliest. Not counting replacing the Wii of course... I still haven't gotten a PS3 yet!

no

Have you ever went back to the original mario kart on the snes? you can literally count the frames of animation on the track

Have you ever went back to the original mario kart on the snes? you can literally count the frames of animation on the track

I'd rather have developers push for other graphics styles other than realism.  Current Robert Zemeckis animated movies aren't able to pass to the other side of the uncanney valley, so I'd imagine video games are far away from hitting such an achievement.  Create an art style that the consoles can actually render well and that can age well.  Even PC games like Crysis 2 on it's highest settings will look like outdated in a decade.  Yet Wind Waker still looks awesome.

Personally I think a new generation despite the new techs that will bring will be bad for consumers. If the graphical prowess continues to climb so do the development costs for the software houses, and that means less high profile games, heavier prices, and less variety and number of releases. And probably a more accentuated bet on the DLC and indie games. 

They could, but I doubt they want. At least for now.

I'd rather have developers push for other graphics styles other than realism.  Current Robert Zemeckis animated movies aren't able to pass to the other side of the uncanney valley, so I'd imagine video games are far away from hitting such an achievement.  Create an art style that the consoles can actually render well and that can age well.  Even PC games like Crysis 2 on it's highest settings will look like outdated in a decade.  Yet Wind Waker still looks awesome.

Current Robert Zemeckis animated movies aren't able to pass to the other side of the uncanney valley, so I'd imagine video games are far away from hitting such an achievement.

Really, LA Noire is the thing that made you think we need new consoles? Not how insane Witcher 2 looks?

Really, LA Noire is the thing that made you think we need new consoles? Not how insane Witcher 2 looks?

i agree dude. after getting a PC, consoles look like crap.  its not usually the graphical fidelity, it's those framerates.  it used to not bug me but after playing PC games, it bugs the hell out of me.

noticed some FPS issues on the xbox for sure.  Thought it was just cuz my xbox is old.

I haven't experienced the framerate issues you mentioned, but I'm not going to disagree that the current consoles are getting a bit long in the tooth.

Right as I got into this gen of consoles from PC, the biggest thing that stood out to me was the lack of good AA. The jaggies took awhile to adjust to, but all is history at this point.

I love this game, but that's not what this blog post is about. I'll just cut to the chase. After playing games on the PC almost exclusively for the last 4 months, coming back to the consoles was incredibly jarring. L.A. Noire looks fantastic, but DEAR. LORD. The framerate. I've gotten used to playing games with AA cranked all the way up and still getting a solid 60 FPS. I'm not what you'd call a graphics whore, but when I'm playing a game, poor framerate can really destroy the experience. Mind blowing graphics don't always make things better, but high framerates DO. 

We need new consoles not because graphical fidelity needs a huge generational leap, but because current hardware cannot handle the kinds of big games developers want to make while delivering the kind of smooth framerate necessary for a seamless, immersive experience. I'm sorry. 20 to 30 FPS just doesn't cut it. If you don't believe me, try playing Mass Effect 2 or Batman: Arkham Asylum on a modern gaming rig, then go play them on 360. I dare you. It's now very obvious to me that this generation of consoles needs to be replaced and soon.

Note: I am not knocking L.A. Noire. It is fantastic. Just a realization I came to and I needed to air my grievances.

I was playing a lot in my ps3 a couple of months back.. and I didn't want to know anything about new consoles. Then I bough a new PC.. currently playing Witcher 2 at medium spec looks way better like WAY BETTER than anything in any consoles.. so yeah I think it's time 1080p full ass HD new consoles.. My body is ready. 

@Dtat said:

snip

Rage will run at 60 FPS on both consoles. Whats the point of me saying this? Simple.

Optimization needs to improve. I've seen shitty looking games run at low FPS on consoles but good looking games with a higher framerate.

@SomeDeliCook: There's a reason it's rare to see games with great visuals running at high framerates on consoles. Putting the onus on developers to optimize their games for 6 year old hardware is a little unreasonable. You really limit what they can do that way.

@Dtat said:

@SomeDeliCook: There's a reason it's rare to see games with great visuals running at high framerates on consoles. Putting the onus on developers to optimize their games for 6 year old hardware is a little unreasonable. You really limit what they can do that way.

It's more the fact that not everybody is as fuckin' smart as John Carmack.

.@Napalm: 
Hmm.. Perhaps I have not been up on rage. I'm pretty versed on some of the technology they've used in rage, but I haven't seen much footage I guess. Good to hear, actually.

I have a confession to make. I can rarely ever tell when a game has a bad frame rate. I've gotten better at it over the last year or so but most of the time, I can't tell the difference if a game is running at 30 FPS or 60.

I've not noticed much of a frame rate issue on the PS3 version, I played my buddies 360 version first though and there definitely was some noticable drops there.

@sins_of_mosin said:

My theory is that people who say they aren't whores are the ones who always complain about fps. Honestly, I swear some people can't just play a game, they have to inspect every technical detail.  ZOMG it went from 40fps to 20fps for 2 seconds during a huge event.. zomggggggggg

theres a difference between whoring and wanting a great technical experience. You dont need to be a graphics whore to notice <60 fps.

I still feel it's too early for new consoles. Should release by 2013.

@DystopiaX said:

@sins_of_mosin said:

My theory is that people who say they aren't whores are the ones who always complain about fps. Honestly, I swear some people can't just play a game, they have to inspect every technical detail.  ZOMG it went from 40fps to 20fps for 2 seconds during a huge event.. zomggggggggg

theres a difference between whoring and wanting a great technical experience. You dont need to be a graphics whore to notice <60 fps.

There's gotta be some sort of nerd dictionary, the way people are arguing over the minutia of what being a "graphics whore" entails. I want references, damn it!

My PS3 still seems new to me. I can wait until for a holiday 2014 release for a PS4.