[jcauthen04]

How many of us saw a vsync option coming which would include the entire XBox family, from the OG XBox One to the Series X/S?  I'm glad they did it because it does at least give other XBox users a chance to sample it to whatever degree the given console is able to support it.  If they don't like what they see or feel, they have the option of going back to 30 Hz (which will yield 30 FPS in most cases).

First of all, I am floored with how well the Series X supports the 60 Hz vsync. I haven't seen it skip even one frame on the most demanding course (Quail Hollow Official), nor have I seen one screen tear. It feels absolutely golden to swing the club now, even more consistent and smoother than when I play it on my PC. I occasionally see judder on my screen on the PC, but not on the Series X, while playing 2K21.

And the putting... oh my, it's taken to a new level! I'm so much better able to gauge the putt strength now. It simply makes for a much more enjoyable experience. They killed it with this move, IMO!

On the down side, I did try it on my XBox One X, which I still have connected to my TCL Series 6 in the living room, last night. I have to say that it didn't fare quite as well as the Series X. The backswing felt pretty smooth and unrestricted, but the downswing doesn't feel quite as responsive. I was leaving everything out to the right because my downswings were slower than what I was producing on the Series X. I even spent time on the range and recalibrated my swing at 60 Hz on the One X, and I still found the swing not as easy to manage as on the Series X.

I suspect it won't hold up well on an OG XBox One, which I still have here, but I'll have to connect back up to test. I'm curious enough about it to see where it's at that I'm planning to do that. I will post my thoughts on it here once I've done so.  I don't have access to an XBox One S, which reportedly had 7 to 9% more processing power than in OG XBox One.  If I had one, I'd like to see if I could discern any difference between it and an OG XBox One.

I want to close out this post by saying that the simple inclusion of this one graphics option in this one game; vsync: 30Hz/60Hz, has now somehow ratified my purchase of an XBox Series X.  My greatest curiosity with the Series X has always been, how is it going to change the PGA TOUR 2K21 play experience if it's able to run the game at 60 FPS.  I can safely say that it has surpassed my loftiest expectations!

[hammers1man]

How many of us saw a vsync option coming which would include the entire XBox family, from the OG XBox One to the Series X/S?  I'm glad they did it because it does at least give other XBox users a chance to sample it to whatever degree the given console is able to support it.  If they don't like what they see or feel, they have the option of going back to 30 Hz (which will yield 30 FPS in most cases).

First of all, I am floored with how well the Series X supports the 60 Hz vsync. I haven't seen it skip even one frame on the most demanding course (Quail Hollow Official), nor have I seen one screen tear. It feels absolutely golden to swing the club now, even more consistent and smoother than when I play it on my PC. I occasionally see judder on my screen on the PC, but not on the Series X, while playing 2K21.

And the putting... oh my, it's taken to a new level! I'm so much better able to gauge the putt strength now. It simply makes for a much more enjoyable experience. They killed it with this move, IMO!

On the down side, I did try it on my XBox One X, which I still have connected to my TCL Series 6 in the living room, last night. I have to say that it didn't fare quite as well as the Series X. The backswing felt pretty smooth and unrestricted, but the downswing doesn't feel quite as responsive. I was leaving everything out to the right because my downswings were slower than what I was producing on the Series X. I even spent time on the range and recalibrated my swing at 60 Hz on the One X, and I still found the swing not as easy to manage as on the Series X.

I suspect it won't hold up well on an OG XBox One, which I still have here, but I'll have to connect back up to test. I'm curious enough about it to see where it's at that I'm planning to do that. I will post my thoughts on it here once I've done so.  I don't have access to an XBox One S, which reportedly had 7 to 9% more processing power than in OG XBox One.  If I had one, I'd like to see if I could discern any difference between it and an OG XBox One.

I want to close out this post by saying that the simple inclusion of this one graphics option in this one game; vsync: 30Hz/60Hz, has now somehow ratified my purchase of an XBox Series X.  My greatest curiosity with the Series X has always been, how is it going to change the PGA TOUR 2K21 play experience if it's able to run the game at 60 FPS.  I can safely say that it has surpassed my loftiest expectations!

As long as the Series X can maintain 60 FPS there shouldn't be a problem with frame hitching, micro stutters etc that you can get from using vsync.

[jcauthen04]

As long as the Series X can maintain 60 FPS there shouldn't be a problem with frame hitching, micro stutters etc that you can get from using vsync.

So far I haven't detected any of the above, and I thought sure I would have at Quail Hollow, if it was going to happen anywhere.  I'll keep looking out for it though!

[MERACE]

On the down side, I did try it on my XBox One X, which I still have connected to my TCL Series 6 in the living room, last night. I have to say that it didn't fare quite as well as the Series X. The backswing felt pretty smooth and unrestricted, but the downswing doesn't feel quite as responsive. I was leaving everything out to the right because my downswings were slower than what I was producing on the Series X. I even spent time on the range and recalibrated my swing at 60 Hz on the One X, and I still found the swing not as easy to manage as on the Series X.

I tried the 60 Hz setting on my Xbox One X and it definitely did not help my performance as evidenced by my +18 score after round 2 of our society tournament at Bay Hill. 

The putting was a little smoother. However, I had a screen freeze during one of my putts sending the ball past the hole and off the green.   

I’m just not enjoying this version of the game’s tempo.
I’ve struggled with inconsistent tempo since I purchased the game. I’m at the point of turning the tempo setting off. However, unless my society will allow me to play with it off I will probably drop out. 


-MERACE

[jcauthen04]

I tried the 60 Hz setting on my Xbox One X and it definitely did not help my performance as evidenced by my +18 score after round 2 of our society tournament at Bay Hill. 

The putting was a little smoother. However, I had a screen freeze during one of my putts sending the ball past the hole and off the green.   

Having just played 9 holes at Broken Locket Club on my XBox One X, with the vsync set to 60 Hz, I saw a number of performance issues that I don't see on the Series X, playing the same course.  I didn't see a screen freeze of the degree you're describing, but I did see rampant judder, shimmering and some frame skipping, especially watching some putts roll.  I honestly found it unplayable after 6 holes, but went on to complete 9 before moving on to continue on my Series X.

This course illustrated the gulf between the One X and the Series X at 60 Hz better than any other I've tried.  I saw no judder or shimmering when panning the camera on the Series X and not a hint of a frame skip for the rest of the round.

I never thought the One X was capable of running 2K21 in 4K res at 60 FPS, but I am confident it could support 60 FPS if it was rendering at 1440p.  I don't know that this would be an option they would ever consider, but I would love to see it come along.

I’m just not enjoying this version of the game’s tempo.
I’ve struggled with inconsistent tempo since I purchased the game.

For the first time on the Series X, I can now feel like I have a chance to manage the tempo.  I can now at least feel a fast and a slow.  The most important thing has been the removal of the sensation that I'm swinging a club underwater.  There's not the least hint of that on the Series X.

I still think this game would play better if the tempo determined push /pull and the swing path, hook/slice.  This seems to be a more analogous model as to what causes push/pull and hook/slice, in real life, but that's just me.

I’m at the point of turning the tempo setting off. However, unless my society will allow me to play with it off I will probably drop out.

Have you tried playing it with the tempo off?  I did and it felt kind of dead to me, at least in Pro and Pro-Am difficulty.  I would just about have to have it to be able to compete at Master or Pro difficulty though.  It's something to discuss I guess.


-MERACE
[/quote]

[Gasman]

Had a couple of rounds today & put the 30/60 options up for comparison on the series X.
In my opinion this game never ran as low as the post patch 30 option.
The 60 option is a considerable improvement over pre patch build but I reckon the game’s original FPS was some way above 30.
Cut scenes still seem choppy though even at 60 but I’m guessing they are coded differently to gameplay & process way lower.

[jcauthen04]

Had a couple of rounds today & put the 30/60 options up for comparison on the series X.
In my opinion this game never ran as low as the post patch 30 option.
The 60 option is a considerable improvement over pre patch build but I reckon the game’s original FPS was some way above 30.
Cut scenes still seem choppy though even at 60 but I’m guessing they are coded differently to gameplay & process way lower.

HB Studios admitted in this forum over two and a half years ago that TGC 2019 was capped at 30 FPS on all the Gen 4 consoles.  They never made such an admission for 2K21, but they've never confirmed anything different, so I don't know for sure what they had prior to this patch, although I strongly suspect it was a capped 30 FPS.

What I have heard from two different PS4 players now might shed some light on what you're seeing.  They said that the game is unplayable at 60 Hz on the PS4, but when they went back to 30 Hz on the vsync setting, they found the game not only stuttered more, the graphics were also not as clear.  They had to set the vsync to 30 Hz, then turn the PS4 off, then boot the game back up and it would then look and play as it had prior to the patch... strange huh?

Did you happen to try anything like turning your One X off while it was set to 30 Hz, then bringing it back up with your One X? 

[MERACE]

Have you tried playing it with the tempo off?  I did and it felt kind of dead to me, at least in Pro and Pro-Am difficulty.  I would just about have to have it to be able to compete at Master or Pro difficulty though.  It's something to discuss I guess.

I have it set on Master with swing tempo off. My last solo player round on the new Official Bay Hill course I shot a -2 with 5 mph winds and medium green speed.


-MERACE

[IIJohnnyRingoII]

Had a couple of rounds today & put the 30/60 options up for comparison on the series X.
In my opinion this game never ran as low as the post patch 30 option.
The 60 option is a considerable improvement over pre patch build but I reckon the game’s original FPS was some way above 30.
Cut scenes still seem choppy though even at 60 but I’m guessing they are coded differently to gameplay & process way lower.

HB Studios admitted in this forum over two and a half years ago that TGC 2019 was capped at 30 FPS on all the Gen 4 consoles.  They never made such an admission for 2K21, but they've never confirmed anything different, so I don't know for sure what they had prior to this patch, although I strongly suspect it was a capped 30 FPS.

What I have heard from two different PS4 players now might shed some light on what you're seeing.  They said that the game is unplayable at 60 Hz on the PS4, but when they went back to 30 Hz on the vsync setting, they found the game not only stuttered more, the graphics were also not as clear.  They had to set the vsync to 30 Hz, then turn the PS4 off, then boot the game back up and it would then look and play as it had prior to the patch... strange huh?

Did you happen to try anything like turning your One X off while it was set to 30 Hz, then bringing it back up with your One X?

I found that the 60hz setting on the PS4 makes the game unplayable for me.  I get a very fast swing every time, set it back to 30hz, and I am back to playing as normal.  I suspect that I may have muscle memory for 30hz, or on the PS4 the 60hz setting nerfs things in a negative manner.

Either way, I was perfectly happy at 30hz on my PS4 prior to this, and that is where I will continue.

I see no reason to upgrade to a PS5 until the next iteration of a golf game that truly is harnessing the power of the PS5.  Until the next release of PGA 2k*,  the PS4 still looks very good, and plays very good on this game for me personally.  I will wait patiently for that time, and enjoy what I have.

[jcauthen04]

I found that the 60hz setting on the PS4 makes the game unplayable for me.  I get a very fast swing every time, set it back to 30hz, and I am back to playing as normal.  I suspect that I may have muscle memory for 30hz, or on the PS4 the 60hz setting nerfs things in a negative manner.

Either way, I was perfectly happy at 30hz on my PS4 prior to this, and that is where I will continue.

I see no reason to upgrade to a PS5 until the next iteration of a golf game that truly is harnessing the power of the PS5.  Until the next release of PGA 2k*,  the PS4 still looks very good, and plays very good on this game for me personally.  I will wait patiently for that time, and enjoy what I have.

EDIT:

Go to this revised post to describe the OG XBox One test I performed.  You'll see that what I'd written below was unwittingly performed under less than optimal settings with my HDTV's display mode.  I corrected that yesterday and tested it again.  Read this message for the more accurate test and assessment:

http://www.hb-studios.com/forum/index.php/topic,31311.msg370135.html#msg370135

I put my OG XBox One back in service today just to see what it would do with 2K21 and the 60 Hz vsync setting.  It was a disaster!  I couldn't begin to play 2K21 with that combo. The backswing starts out smoother, but then starts lagging enough to cause the rumble in the thumbstick to trigger rather violently. Then the downswing is lagging so bad that I can't make heads or tails between what my eyes are seeing and what my thumb is doing to the thumbstick.

IMO, 60 Hz vsync is pure gold on a Series X and at least 'feels' like a next-gen game and gets some quality help from Auto HDR. It's spotty on a One X, and an absolute train wreck on the OG XBox One.  I'm glad they left the 30 Hz option in there for XBox One and One S owners to play on.[/s]

Have you had any discussion with PS5 owners to get their thoughts on how the 60 Hz vsync option as affected their perception of the game?  I know in my favorite Society on the XBox, guys are coming back onboard because of how radically it's improved their game experience on the Series X.  I'm also hearing that the Series S is seems to be producing 60 FPS well, although it's probably being rendered at 1440p.  Still, that's a game changing experience, IMO.

[jcauthen04]

In the wake of the 60 Hz vsync option update, enabling 60 FPS on the Series X (and I'm told S); I'm hereby proclaiming March 5, 2021, as the effective release date of PGA TOUR 2K21!  THIS is the environment in which a tempo dependent analog swing interface should reside

[PooSplatt]

Firstly, a MASSIVE thanks to JC for the tenacity in requesting 60fps on the odd occasion

What a huge difference on the Series X and the love of the game has now firmly returned. It has become abundantly clear what the 'swinging under water' analogy means, as the smoothness of the swing is so much better since the update. Still not seen any official announcement on any of 2K's Facebook, Twitter or even on their website about the 60fps update? All efforts are going into promoting the Season Pass. Considering the 60fps is such a big deal going forward on next gen for this game, it's a little surprising there has been no mention of this free upgrade?

Going forward, in my humble opinion, the physics and characters are pretty much bang on, requiring just minor tweaks. The graphics however could be breathtaking for the next gen consoles (maybe even the crowd looking like people) If an X|S graphics upgrade where made available as another premium DLC I would certainly be prepared to part with even more money on this game. It is also vital to expand the textures/trees/bunkers/buildings etc for the guys that spend so much time designing some magnificent courses for us all to enjoy.

One addition I would love to see would be local online play where two people can play online, on the same console, using their profile and player that would keep their stats and achievements.

Anyway, great addition and thanks again to JC for going along way to getting the 60fps introduced (now you have lots of time on your hands JC, how about beating the X|S graphics upgrade drum with the same ferocity as the successful 60fps drum was beaten)

[jcauthen04]

Firstly, a MASSIVE thanks to JC for the tenacity in requesting 60fps on the odd occasion

What a huge difference on the Series X and the love of the game has now firmly returned. It has become abundantly clear what the 'swinging under water' analogy means, as the smoothness of the swing is so much better since the update.

Thanks PooSplatt, I know I was becoming an annoying pest, but it just bugged me how this game was missing out on out on having a more playable environment, by one parameter change being made.  I was convicted of how profound a difference it would make by seeing the effect it had on the PC version of the game.  HB Studios probably would have gone that path in spite of any of my yammering, but never hearing them mention anything about it, I couldn't be sure.

Still not seen any official announcement on any of 2K's Facebook, Twitter or even on their website about the 60fps update? All efforts are going into promoting the Season Pass. Considering the 60fps is such a big deal going forward on next gen for this game, it's a little surprising there has been no mention of this free upgrade?

I thought I saw one official mention of it on Twitter, but it was in the subtext.  Yeah, I'm surprised they aren't talking this up anymore than they have, as it's made it a new game in my eyes, and apparently of quite
a few others.  I guess it doesn't have a glossy or sexy handle they could put on it, so their marketing guys are struggling with how to do it.

Going forward, in my humble opinion, the physics and characters are pretty much bang on, requiring just minor tweaks. The graphics however could be breathtaking for the next gen consoles (maybe even the crowd looking like people) If an X|S graphics upgrade where made available as another premium DLC I would certainly be prepared to part with even more money on this game. It is also vital to expand the textures/trees/bunkers/buildings etc for the guys that spend so much time designing some magnificent courses for us all to enjoy.

One addition I would love to see would be local online play where two people can play online, on the same console, using their profile and player that would keep their stats and achievements.

I don't think we're going to see any "optimized for Series X|S" DLC for 2K21, but I dang sure bet we'll see it for PGA TOUR 2K23, hopefully with all the other suggestions you mentioned above; they would all make for a better and more complete game.

Anyway, great addition and thanks again to JC for going along way to getting the 60fps introduced (now you have lots of time on your hands JC, how about beating the X|S graphics upgrade drum with the same ferocity as the successful 60fps drum was beaten)

I'm still shopping for a tattoo artist to get my "60 FPS" tattoo on my forehead   Before I take on the X|S upgrade crusade, I think I'll turn my attention to getting the scoring status box moved over an up and away from overlapping my golfer.  That will actually take more coding than adding the 60 Hz vsync option!  Once I get that done, I'll move on to campaigning for an in-game frame rate counter.  Can you imagine what sort of nightmare it would be for HB Studios for me to have a frame rate counter at my disposal in the XBox versions of this game?

[jcauthen04]

I need to revise my XBox One at 60 Hz test results. I had temporarily reconnected my OG XBox One to HDMI input 2 on my TCL Series 6 HDTV. It was too difficult to try to run it in from behind my entertainment center to connect it to my home theater receiver so I took the lazy way out.  When I did this, I had forgotten to change my HDMI 2 input to "Game Mode" in my TCL Series 6 picture settings. This was imposing an input lag of 65ms on my XBox One, rather than the 17.5 ms lag it sees when the HDTV's HDMI port is set to "Game Mode".

I made the change to Game Mode and fired up 2K21, with the vsync set to 60 Hz. I got significantly better results this time out. The biggest change was the violent rumbling I was getting in the thumbstick was mostly gone now. I could discern the backswing target rumble from the "noise" this time. Secondly, the overall swing seemed to flow a bit smoother and faster. The camera panning was more responsive, as was all the other navigation processes.

The shimmering that I'd seen before the Game Mode change to the display was still still there as I panned the camera, as was the stuttering and skipping of frames as the ball was in flight and rolling. Turning the AA on didn't seem to help much, if any, with the shimmering. With the AA off, the ball flight and roll felt a little bit better.

I'm not as averse to 2K21's performance on the XBox One at 60 Hz now as I was prior to making the game mode correction. In fact, if I was going to play the game on the XBox One, I'd likely opt for the 60 Hz option. The swing feels a wee bit more responsive and manageable. I can tolerate the shimmering for a smoother feeling swing.

In the final analysis, this experience just makes me appreciate the level of the performance this game now demonstrates on the Series X. I'll be less likely to take it for granted going forward.

[PooSplatt]

With the 60hz activated what settings are people using for the rest of the graphics options (depth of field, FXX etc)

On a side and probably a dumb question, is there a way of saving your preferred difficulty setting so you don't have to alter them from 'Open' EVERY time I set up a new online match?