Home Gaming Why the Witcher 3 is 30fps on consoles

Why the Witcher 3 is 30fps on consoles

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whofreakingcares

The Witcher 3 is coming this year. Well, it is if it isn’t delayed for what seems like the billionth time. Hopefully, unlike many of the other great big games from this generation, it won’t end up being an infernal disappointment. One thing that’s already slightly disappointing – though understandable – is the game’s locked 30 fps on consoles.

We know that the game will be running at 1080p/30fps on the PlayStation 4, and 900p/30fps on Microsoft’s big black box. If you want buttery smooth 60fps in The Witcher, you’ll need a beefy PC. I’m okay with that. I’m mostly okay with 30 fps in general – if it means better looking, or more feature-packed games. But was 60fps ever on the cards for the console versions?

Speaking to Gamingbolt, CD Projekt’s Michal Krzemi?ski, Senior Art Producer of The Witcher 3 clarified a little.

“We don’t think like that. When you have a vision to create an RPG that will leave a long lasting impression, you don’t think in terms of resolution or frame rate. You think of adventure, you think of living worlds, and the stuff you’ll be able to do in that world. Technical aspects are kind of secondary, which of course doesn’t mean that we don’t want the graphics to be awesome,” Michal said.

That very much sums up my feelings on the whole frame rate issue – provided we’re not talking about first person shooters, where the smoother input that results from a frame-matched display refresh can be all the difference between being dead and being dead slightly later because I suck at games. So that’s why the Witcher is 30 fps on consoles. Well, that and he fact that they have pretty under-powered CPUS, but I digress.

Last Updated: February 23, 2015

62 Comments

  1. Umar

    February 23, 2015 at 08:43

    • Victor "Vicky" Moolman

      February 23, 2015 at 08:52

      Burn the unbelievers!

      Reply

  2. Blood Emperor Trevor

    February 23, 2015 at 08:50

    Still 3 months to go. This is the closest I’ll ever get to understanding how a woman feels about being pregnant.

    Reply

    • Her Highness the Hipster

      February 23, 2015 at 08:52

      except due dates usually aren’t delayed by months on end… 😛

      Reply

      • BacchusZA

        February 23, 2015 at 08:59

        Well, delays do happen – I was a month overdue, for example.

        But your point is well taken 🙂

        Reply

        • Skoobaz

          February 23, 2015 at 09:16

          A month? WTF?

          Reply

        • Admiral Chief

          February 23, 2015 at 09:17

          That explains a bit 😛

          Reply

          • BacchusZA

            February 23, 2015 at 09:57

            Heh perhaps it does 😛

            My mom had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with me, often leads to delayed birth, and a *big* baby. Hence 10 months pregnancy and a 5kg birth weight.

          • Admiral Chief

            February 23, 2015 at 10:00

            LOL fatass 😛

            Geez 5kgs, that is insane

        • Matthew Holliday

          February 23, 2015 at 10:06

          i was a week premature, the devs got bored and sent me out without finishing my MP component.

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief

            February 23, 2015 at 10:19

            Oh snap

          • BacchusZA

            February 23, 2015 at 10:31

            By that measure, I guess I was the GOTY edition then 😛

          • Admiral Chief

            February 23, 2015 at 10:37

            2GB day 30 patch

      • Captain JJ the crafter

        February 23, 2015 at 09:25

        With Trevor’s race it happens, so it’s difficult for him to fully understand. 😉

        Reply

    • Captain JJ the crafter

      February 23, 2015 at 09:23

      As far as I know, epicness does not always follow after a pregnancy is over. ;P

      Reply

  3. Knowles2

    February 23, 2015 at 08:51

    An interesting, exciting plot twisting story is much more important to me than if the game is running at 60fps RPG, plus it should take me a good 100 hours to complete.

    Reply

  4. Matewis Jubilai

    February 23, 2015 at 08:52

    “provided we’re not talking about first person shooters” like to add: or real time strategy. There is something uniquely delicious about playing an rts with a high framerate.

    Reply

  5. Timmy_1988

    February 23, 2015 at 08:53

    This game is going to be full of disappointments. Over hyped sex sells game. Watch this space. Support DRM.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief

      February 23, 2015 at 09:05

      Ok reverse Ryanza

      Reply

      • Matthew Holliday

        February 23, 2015 at 10:04

        HES STEALING THE HYPE FORCE

        Reply

  6. Pieter Kruger

    February 23, 2015 at 09:03

    Screw that, will be getting my free copy for PC! Don’t support DRM! ????

    Reply

    • BigDoniel

      February 23, 2015 at 13:50

      Yeah, buy it from GOG. DRM free and you directly support the developers.

      Reply

  7. Admiral Chief

    February 23, 2015 at 09:05

    Ryanza still MIA?

    Reply

    • Timmy_1988

      February 23, 2015 at 09:05

      yes

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief

        February 23, 2015 at 09:15

        Unless YOU are Ryanza 😛

        Reply

        • Ryanza

          February 23, 2015 at 09:19

          You got me. The Witcher 3 will be a huge disappointment. Support DRM.

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief

            February 23, 2015 at 09:22

            HAH, I knew it was you!

            XD

          • Timmy_1988

            February 23, 2015 at 09:25

            You are joking surely, Its obviously still the Timster. The real Ryanza would be so disappointed lol.

          • Admiral Chief

            February 23, 2015 at 09:35

            Uhuh, you tell ’em Ryanza

          • Would the real Ryanza stand up

            February 23, 2015 at 19:15

            I’m done with these comment sections. I have not posted a lot under witcher 3 articles in weeks. I have tried to stop adding, don’t support drm. So i’ve been on my way out for some time now. So no need to bring my nick up anymore. This will be the last. I can not be the entertainment for these trolls anymore.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4tlf3Ag_lM

            This comment will be trolled in 3, 2, …

          • Admiral Chief

            February 24, 2015 at 08:35

            But why? The don’t support DRM is your thing, why stop this? It is your way, and we accept you this way. You are one of us. We both feel the same way about Witcher 3 (well I still do at least)

            If you are vocal about something, then you’d better be prepared to defend your stance on it.

            (also, I know it is you trolling yourself sometimes, but lets just keep that between us :P)

          • Admiral Chief

            February 23, 2015 at 09:22

            And I didn’t even have to go check IPs!

          • Admiral Chief

            February 23, 2015 at 09:22

            Also, I still believe Witcher 3 is going to be awesome, I still have hope

          • Captain JJ the crafter

            February 23, 2015 at 09:25

            Neverrrrr

    • Matthew Holliday

      February 23, 2015 at 10:10

      Ryanmia
      never forget

      Reply

  8. Pieter Kruger

    February 23, 2015 at 09:36

    I still cannot fathom why the almighty peeesfawr cannot run this 1080p 60fps?? MS obviously got to the developer and paid them to ensure parity! Seems like no one is incorruptible these days…..

    Reply

    • Lisa

      February 23, 2015 at 10:02

      Parity?

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        February 23, 2015 at 10:06

        Yeah, MS obviously paid them to match the gimped Xbone’s 30fps as the peeesfawr is well capable of reaching that!

        Reply

        • Lisa

          February 23, 2015 at 12:53

          Then MS should have paid them more to also gimp the PS4 down to 900p.
          For parity’s sake.

          Reply

      • Matthew Holliday

        February 23, 2015 at 10:09

        “the state or condition of being equal, especially regarding status or pay.”
        the dictionary, it exists.

        Reply

        • Lisa

          February 23, 2015 at 12:53

          Good comment.

          Reply

          • Matthew Holliday

            February 23, 2015 at 13:12

            i strive for quality.

    • L337J1MB0B

      February 23, 2015 at 11:40

      Bwahaha! Love how you try to deflect attention away from the fact that the X1 runs it at a lower resolution. The only people I ever hear whinging about resolution and FPS are Xbots… pretty flippin’ ironic.

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        February 23, 2015 at 11:52

        Is it working??? So you still feel 60fps is overrated?

        Reply

        • L337J1MB0B

          February 23, 2015 at 12:45

          Maybe if I was into competitive multiplayer then it may be something important to me, but otherwise no, not fussed. Having said that, it’s nice to know that when I buy a multiplat for my PS4 then I’m generally getting the definitive console version.

          Reply

  9. Ranting Raptor

    February 23, 2015 at 10:11

    Good. A developer that gets it.

    They didn’t try spewing this garbage of “More cinimatic feel” to cover up.

    They said it as it is. Tech is second to their gameplay and while I never enjoyed the games, the masses that do can attest to how good the story and gameplay is. It shows.

    They can actually SHOW that they put effort in to their games by not worrying overly much about whether it’s 30 or 60 FPS on a console.

    Unlike every other dev out there who goes “We want a more cinimatic feeling” and then the story is as bland as a Charlie Chapman silent movie…. Wait.. I take that back. THose silent movies are a million times more cinematic than the crappy excuse of 30FPS “cinematic feel games” out there.

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      February 23, 2015 at 12:39

      “while I never enjoyed the games”. I have seen, through the magic of internet, that many people played Witcher 2 that normally would never play an RPG.

      Why did you not enjoy their games? I know 1 had some serious balance issues, which a bit of mid game grinding solved.

      Reply

      • Ranting Raptor

        February 23, 2015 at 17:34

        Honestly? I just couldn’t enjoy the gameplay. Whether the combat/potion/magic system was too intricate or what it was I am not sure. But to this day… can’t get in to it.

        Now don’t get me wrong. I love a good complex and intricate RPG. But the Witcher just felt too all over the place for me. Like it was trying too many mechanics all at once and then trying to condense them to a few basic actions… Make sense?

        Reply

        • Brady miaau

          February 23, 2015 at 18:40

          Totally, the combat and gameplay in even Witcher 2 sometimes was a bit weird. But I still loved it. Each to their own, no right and wrong.

          I am told because Internet I must be right and you must be wrong. But because real life and human beings, no right and wrong.

          Reply

          • Ranting Raptor

            February 23, 2015 at 19:51

            Hehe. Too true dude

  10. Tbone187

    February 23, 2015 at 12:09

    Pffft! Consoles are for laaitjies! You do realise you can plug your tower into your TV these days huh? This simple fact renders consoles pointless. Only hook is game exclusivity which will also not be worth it as people turn to pcs and you get fewer exclusives.

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      February 23, 2015 at 12:37

      more than one hook, for me. I keep on about this. I have a console so that I can switch on play games, easily. No drivers, no hassles, just on and working. My wife and I use the Xbox One, as we did on the 360 as a general media centre, play music and stuff on it, watch youtube videos, watch TED stuff, all from the armchair with a remote made for it. We love the hassle freeness of it.

      I know that all I said can be done on a PC, but then you need special hardware for a remote and drivers and possible fails and so forth. We do not want that. On, works. Finished.

      Hardware failure is a reality for both console and PC, it is true.

      Reply

      • Tbone187

        February 23, 2015 at 13:04

        That’s a pretty old response that use to be quite viable but no longer imo.
        Been running Windows 7 for around 5 yrs now and only a single crash in that time.I have invested in proper cooling tho.

        Plug n play with most devices and games so need to worry of drivers, etc.

        Pavilion Laptop with a remote(not that it’s needed coz of a wireless mouse).Once your pc is set up to your spec , it really is a simple double click process.

        Xbox remote for games which are cheaper on pc if I may add.Absolutely no reason to own a console, apart from the exclusive titles.

        I’m afraid, as time goes on, more people will realise this.New consoles are already simply pc tech in a box. They becoming more pc like which renders them pointless to me.

        I’ve even said it when these new consoles were released. Tech is moving so fast I wasn’t sure these ‘new’ consoles would last and here you get developers already sacrificing aspects and so early in the life cycle.

        More convincing required than simple plug n play arguments.

        Reply

        • Brady miaau

          February 23, 2015 at 15:08

          Well, I am getting older, so old response is fine. I just remember PC gaming as a huge schlep. But, I do play some Steam games (Civ and stuff) on my laptop and you are right, I load it up and it works, no stuffing around like even ten years ago. Point made.

          I still want my console, I do not want to have the upgrade options and the complications. I feel my Xbox One does a good job of making my life simpler. It works very well for me.

          I also wonder about console hardware getting closer and closer to just PC stuff with dedicated drivers and lean and mean OS’s. If that is the case, then I concede your point.

          Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          February 23, 2015 at 17:56

          Yet millions and millions have bought the new consoles. They are selling faster than the PS3 and 360 did. I love buying one piece of tech and being sorted for 5 to 7 years. Hell the PS4 even cost cheaper than the PS3 did at launch. Now why do think that is? The number one reason will always be convenience and number two is exclusive games.

          There are way too many that the PC doesn’t have. You’re still waiting for GTAV for heavens sake and even then people will wait for a Steam Sale before buying it because that’s just what the majority does. Plus online will be broken by hackers because it’s so much easier on PC.

          Consoles might die one day but it wont be soon.

          Reply

      • BigDoniel

        February 23, 2015 at 13:49

        You still have have system updates, day 1 updates and general game patches on consoles which take longer than any driver I’ve had to update. Each platform has its merits, but the days of ‘plug-in and play’ consoles are long gone.

        Reply

        • Brady miaau

          February 23, 2015 at 15:38

          Well, my console just does updates, I do not notice it really. Maybe it does updates while my wife uses it during the day, I have no idea

          Game updates will be annoying, but I have only played three games (Forza, Mordor and DA:I) and those downloaded fine and played first time (No disks, maybe that is why?)

          Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        February 23, 2015 at 17:44

        Amen

        Reply

  11. Razma

    February 23, 2015 at 19:19

    seriously? was it ever expected to be more than 30fps on consoles? frankly im surprised its even 1080p. consoles are equivalent to mid ranged pcs from 2 years ago, now that a true next gen game is coming out the gap will really start to widen. in 2 to 3 years your will start to see 4k and 60fps on pc become common, and these consoles will still be at 30fps and barely squeezing out 1080p

    Reply

  12. tommy montreuil

    February 23, 2015 at 20:59

    Why is that a suprise? It’s an RPG on consoles, of course it’s going tonrun at peasant framerate!

    Reply

  13. WTFisOssi

    February 24, 2015 at 10:21

    Its actually pretty easy why its only 30fps on consoles
    Cuz PC is masterrace

    Reply

  14. 60hz

    February 24, 2015 at 22:13

    lol – if it’s an action game (from what i’ve seen it is… though they bandy around the term rpg, it’s not turn based so therefor it’s an action game) 60 fps is optimal, there’s not ifs buts about it. If they don’t understand that – they don’t understand the fundamental concept of an action game – and it’s sad because many of the press doesn’t seem to get it either…

    but i’ll give you a quick primer, because i’m that type of fellow. Action games work this way: eye gets visual data from game, brain decides what to do, fingers do it, loop back to start.

    Now if the brain is getting half the optimal data it can get (thus 30fps as opposed to 60fps) it’s making decisions on only half of the possible information, which leads to missing mis-timings… (“I swore i pressed the button RIGHT before the enemy hit me”)… and results in sub-optimal gameplay. on top of the non-smooth animations and jerky pans… and in this day and age you have the power to so the excuses are more of example of their technical not-so-know-how than artistic decisions as they’d like us to believe…

    Reply

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