So you say you've got plodding framerates in some of your PS3 games, huh? Member "iBrad" over at the
European PlayStation Forums seems to have a fix that should jump your frames back to perfection and continue to impress your friends. The process to gain this extra power is as follows:
- "Like" set the BD/DVD upscaler off
- Set the HDMI 24fps off
- HDMI audio set should be put on bitstream
- Turn off that PS3 upscaler/smoother
- Disable: system display notify, media server, all other automatic settings ... if you're not playing a game online, go ahead and sign off the PSN.
While the post itself doesn't sound like the most intelligible programming genius around, the results speak for themselves. Another user, Mister_G, thinks the improved jump in framerate from disabling the above results from some of the functions (namely the XMB) using the PPE instead of an SPU for some reason. Try it out and let us know if the trick works for you!
[Via
N4G]
{ Oct 14th 2007 at 4:00PM } 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ruibing @ Oct 14th 2007 4:07PM
I thought one of the SPEs was always dedicated to the XMB and the rest of the system. The PS3 smoothing/upscaling and the HDMI fps limiting makes sense but I don't get how BD/DVD upscaling affects games.
Toby @ Oct 14th 2007 4:13PM
ps2 upscaler, not ps3, and if i remember right, its 24hertz not frames for the hdmi setting. id check, but im playing MGS3 =)
Andy @ Oct 14th 2007 4:14PM
I don't really notice frame rate problems in games. How can I tell if theres a frame rate problem?
I have NBA 07, Motorstorm, RFOM and Warhawk. Where can I look in those games to find frame rate problems?
Tim Parsons @ Oct 14th 2007 4:41PM
I've never had a framerate issue,. not even in LAIR which is supposedly full of them. Well I did once or twice but the game ended up crashing each of those times it did anyway but that was when it first came out and SONY had that major PSN problem
Though in Heavenly Sword I noticed a few times throughout the game when you could actually see the screen get refreshed and watch the line going down the screen(predator cloakish like)
@3 i've never ever heard of those games having any,
only ways i can think of noticing is the game goes like watching a Video over a slow or bogged down internet connection or like I got in Heavenly sword once in a while you'll see the screen refresh with the line going through it like veiwing a CRT Tv or computer monitor through a Video camera
Tim Parsons @ Oct 14th 2007 4:49PM
@2 I fail to see how the hell the PS2 upscaler on or off effects PS3 games anyway same goes for the HDMI settings under BD/DVD which ONLY apply to MOVIES not GAMEs,. as for disabling notification and Signing out of PSN makes sense there,. though just signing out of the network alone would naturally cause no notifications to occur cause your not signed in to start with.
Metoo @ Oct 14th 2007 4:54PM
Someone posted on the EU Playstation boards that this might be a "placebo," which I kind of agree with.
The DVD upscaler is for DVD movies. Nothing to do with PS3 games.
Someone else posted on the EU board about turning off some Music settings. What does changing MP3 settings have to do with PS3 games??
The HDMI 24Hz setting is for BD movies. I have it on all the time and it doesn't change anything to 24Hz when I play PS3 games (my Samsung allows you to check the resolution info).
Volomon @ Oct 14th 2007 4:56PM
It started in the US forums, I didn't bother blogging this cause some of it doesn't make sense and should run as a Rumor.
Tim Parsons @ Oct 14th 2007 4:56PM
@5 if you only got 30 b4 that's all you'll get now. But how you gonna know what your getting anyway? does your TV tell you what it's displaying? mine will tell you what the Resolution is by hitting the info button but not the framerate
Tim Parsons @ Oct 14th 2007 4:58PM
@7 your totally right most of these settings have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with playing PS3 games
Andy @ Oct 14th 2007 5:00PM
Remember disabling these things takes them out of the ram which leaves more free space for frame rate.
All this makes sense but you would think the PS3 would do this automatically.
@4
Maybe thats why I have not noticed problems. Also does GT:HD or R&C have problems because I have those demos on my PS3?
xion @ Oct 14th 2007 5:19PM
this stuff shouldn't even affect your game at all!
apease @ Oct 14th 2007 5:20PM
And later in the same thread, iBrad (after everyone else does) ends up discovering that the stuttering probably isn't related to his settings. And the stuttering mainly applies to movie scenes, which can be explained by drive spin-up/down.
Tim Parsons @ Oct 14th 2007 5:22PM
@11 No both those games are FLawless
and you mean you only have a SDTV or CRT tv? if so then no you aren't gonna notice any problems because the games wont be running at it's max resolution to start with
Dave @ Oct 14th 2007 6:01PM
Buy a 360!
andyscout @ Oct 14th 2007 8:16PM
@15 So i can play Halo... and um... Halo? I'm quite happy with my PS3, thank you.
Andy @ Oct 14th 2007 6:11PM
@14
I actually just got an HDTV.
I usually just try to enjoy the game rather then focusing on the frame rate. (I have also unintentionally avoided games that have so called bad frame rates)
Tim Parsons @ Oct 14th 2007 6:37PM
lol i dont pay attention either but it's impossible for me not to notice anything lol,. I pick up on everything,.
Akamaru @ Oct 14th 2007 7:19PM
Asweome article especially the firts point
1. "Like" set the BD/DVD upscaler off
That's hilarious.
I'll try it out. I noticed that when I have media server on I get an NAT3 connection but if I disable it (as I always do before Warhawk) i get a NAT2.
Also, anyone who has ever owned a Sony Vaio or Network Walkman knows that their software can suck resources out of your machine but they usually get it worked out by version 4 or so (look at PSP).
Matt B @ Oct 14th 2007 7:46PM
@15
If your 360 is so awesome, how do you have the time to post your FUD here?
I attribute this to like turning your AV and other programs off when gaming on a PC as it takes these things out of memory. Personally, I've never seen a frame rate drop that was dis-concerning myself.
John @ Oct 14th 2007 7:53PM
I have been seeing disturbing frame-rate drops. For instance, the Ratchet and Clank demo, that thing had all kinds of frame drop, I saw it in Skate, but even more so when I was online. So I will probably try these things. Ratchet and Clank dropped below 30 in places, and I thought there must be something I could do to change this.
Darren Tilley @ Oct 14th 2007 9:17PM
I've got some snake oil for sale at bargain prices.
MadCowMartin @ Oct 14th 2007 9:37PM
This is redicilous, since when are consoles affected in framerate by background applications? Thing that annoys me about a PC is that background apps, fragmented hard disc and screw windows install delivers poor performance on games. A console shouldn't have this kind of stuff... color me dissapointed.
Consolcwby @ Oct 14th 2007 10:17PM
@John: **I saw it in Skate, but even more so when I was online.**
That's called lag - EAs servers are laggy as hell for Skate. =/ I played all day yesterday and it threw off my timing really bad. I swear half the people hosting games are on Cable modems! =S Runs really good when I'm hosting on my 3mb adsl line. =D
@Everyone: The reason why these system settings could affect the frame rate might have to do with the way the PS3 polls - by turning them off the system stops polling to see whether or not they're in use or should be in use, ect. Funny thing is - it would be mroe the OS's fault and not the PS3 itself. So, it could be fixed relatively easy if the code isn't embedded too firmly into the OS. Try them, and if they work - hey! better for the games! =)
blehh @ Oct 15th 2007 12:57AM
after changing the settings, skate actually got worse. load times were longer than usual. and i have no idea why. oh yeah, and framerate still sucked.
Broken Haiku @ Oct 15th 2007 12:38AM
The Emperor's new clothes are SOOO shiny!
Highlader @ Oct 15th 2007 1:47AM
@John (20)
Tell us all how it is that you have counted the frame rate on your PS3? 720p games run at 60 frames per second, how are you counting? It's not like there is a version of fraps that runs on PS3.
Whoever posted that remark about the emperor's new clothes was spot on. No one could have told you the frame rate of any PS3 game, so why is it so vital to know the frame rate of a PS3 game? Oh, I know, it's the influx of PC gamers and Xbots who have to manufacture some spurious measure that can be thrown about, that sounds authoritative, but is in reality nothing of the sort. Frame rates matter on PCs only when the display can handle the frame rate. It's pointless for a game to run much beyond 60fps unless the screen it's displayed on can handle a higher frame rate. But in the end it's just another benchmark for PC owners to brag about with their gaming rig. Who cares? Consoles are pegged at 60fps or 30fps depending on the display mode they are running.
R&C is stated to run at 60fps during game play, I am sure that there are probably circumstances you can replicate that will cause an occasional stutter in the frame rate, especially when transitioning between scenes. But at the end of the day, the game runs rock solid at 60fps in play.
Madden 08 which runs at 30fps on PS3 looks just fine, there isn't much appreciable difference between the 360 and PS3 versions except where the actual rendering on one version differs from the other. but during games 30fps vs 60fps doesn't make a difference worth mentioning. Though of course Xbots and PC gamers would have you believe that the sky is falling. In that case last year the sky must have fallen on Xbox owners since the game ran at 30 fps on the 360 last year.
What a load of bollocks.
soya @ Oct 15th 2007 6:11PM
The only game I have seen frame rate issues on is Skate. And you don't need to count the frame rates, you can tell quite easily when they drop because the screen stutters... a lot, and it does mess up your timing when your trying to do a challenge! I will try this to see if it makes any difference!
reakt @ Oct 15th 2007 9:33AM
I bought Skate on Friday. I found it unplayable due to all the slowdown and poor framerate. I returned it on Saturday and picked up Folklore instead (which is brilliant). Maybe I was too quick to return it! Will this method of improving in-game framerate do much to speed up skate?!?!
Autopsy15 @ Oct 15th 2007 9:51AM
@28
Eah, No. I just did all of those "framerate improvement methods" and it didn't really help. The game still had some framerate problems, but they aren't so bad that it's unplayable. I only occasionaly get framerate problems. But, maybe I just somehow got a "good" disk? I dunno, but my framerate problems aren't so bad compared to what other people are saying.
Emrah @ Oct 15th 2007 1:30PM
@27
"...but during games 30fps vs 60fps doesn't make a difference worth mentioning."
Wow, you should be so happy. However, I can tell between the two very easily, and find it important, and I always prefer 60fps. For example, NBA2k8 demo plays at 60fps from the main camera, which is awesome, however, it falls to 30fps during closeups and replays, and it is a real nuisance for me. 30/60fps switching between views is very distracting.
When is 30fps not a problem or less of a problem:
*When the gameplay and camera pans are slow.
*When there is quality motion blur
For example, try playing Unreal tournament at 30fps. It is going to be an unbearable experience. Play DOOM3 at 30fps.. It is going to be quite acceptable, because the pacing is slow. However, everything would still look a lot smoother at 60fps. Killzone2, with its 30fps, will still be very acceptable, because its pace is realistic, unlike unreal tournament where people run at 50mph.
Of course, people here are talking about random frame drops which I also experience in heavenly sword, not constant low frames. It won't make madden work at 60fps, and how did we come to this discussion is beyond me!
And about counting frames: Well, if there is vsync in the game, then you can tell on a 60 hz system that it falls to 30fps, if the motion is constant but not as smooth. Of course, one can also tell 15fps. When vsync is on, very rarely, when load between frames are oscillating and it looks not as slow as constant 30fps, one may notice motion-stutter, than the fps is somewhere between 30 and 60. However of course, you can't count it the way fraps does. When vsync is off, and things look smoother than 30fps but there is tearing, the fps may again be between 30 and 60, this time with less motion stutter.
I am not the only one who can feel the difference and think it is important.
JL @ Oct 15th 2007 10:53AM
If you want to see a bad framerate problem, check out FEAR. I cant play that game for 5 minutes without wanting to throw up.
bebobman @ Oct 15th 2007 12:57PM
I, too, haven't noticed any frame rate problems on games but I am always looking for the best tweaks or optimal settings. I've just left everything in it's default settings but I am very interested in finding out if I can get a better image on my screen (1080p Samsung rear projector). Any suggestions on what settings I should change, and why? Thanks, BTW this is not just for games on my PS3 but also for watching BD movies, too.
LoneWolf4 @ Oct 17th 2007 3:17AM
ok, whatever guys, one; the settings wont make a difference since the PS3 would will load or close programs in the ram automatically, for what function you gonna use, now for framerates, offline: for sdtv's you will be screwd anyway since they wont go 60hz, but if you want a boost, offload the sound data by getting a sound system supporting the fiber optic, that way the standard,hdmi ports are used just for video,for hdtv: thinking of getting one? make sure that it runs or can run 60hz; also use the method mentiond for sdtv's; other than that for online, minmizing lag, make sure other computers on network arent acessing the net, have your PS3 connect to router via ethernet cable instead wireless(or if possible connect to dsl/cbl modem directly) and for headset users; use wired heasets, there thats all to that junk, main thing is make sure the PS3 gets pretty of air space to breathe and keep it dust free (much as possible); and you will be perfectly fine.
LoneWolf4 @ Oct 17th 2007 3:38AM
@32n sry but i didnt see your comment when i post my first one, nice to see another pc gamer gone PlayStation, see PC gamers; we can see frame rates drop very easily since we all make the video go fast as possible, me like you emrah i like 60 fps since that as fast as a human eye and capture, the sad thing is that many ppl will never notice, instead of pc they either watch movies or tv shows, which run around 24 frames, so they wont know how quick 60 can be, also another problem with hi res tv's is that they are wide screen, which makes it harder to render at higher speeds due to the extra horizontal pixels, one posititve to sdtv owners, for me i'll wait for hd 4:3 screen
mugore @ Nov 8th 2007 7:03AM
The ppl who posted sayin "I fail to see how...." have just summed up why your comments should be disregarded in those words!! If things are on, they will be allocated resources..end of!