The highly anticipated sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - which is set for release later this year on the 3DS - will run at 60 frames per second, even when the 3D is switched on, according to the game's producer Eiji Aonuma.
In an interview with EDGE, Aonuma explained the high frame rate was "a big deal":
The game runs at 60FPS, while all the 3D games up till now have run at 30FPS. The faster the frame rate, the more stable the 3D effect.
We've already seen how The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past 2 makes good use of the 3D effect - adding great depth to the environment - but Aonuma was quick to point out it isn't essential to the game and there won't be any puzzles that require the feature in order to progress.
Well, there are players who don't like 3D and always keep it switched off, so there's nothing in the game that absolutely requires 3D, like puzzles that can't be solved without it.
The full interview can be found in the latest edition of EDGE (issue 255).
Are you pleased The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past 2 will run at 60FPS regardless of the 3D feature being switched on or not. Let us know in the comment section below.
[source edge-online.com, via videogamer.com]
Comments 103
That is pretty great - I always have 3D turned on and have never noticed the hit on FPS - should be a rather exciting experience to see what 60FPS looks like in 3D
Can't wait...the 3DS is the best handheld ever (u can play DS games on it too ya know)
@BossBattles does the vita not play psp games? cause i still own some psp games but no system, backwards compatibility should really be on every console
@SirQuincealot At this point the Vita is for PSP games - since there are no Vita games really ...
@SirQuincealot Yes, it does, but only if you re-buy them and download them. There's no physical UMD slot on the Vita and there's no system transfer.
"The game runs at 60FPS, while all the 3D games up till now have run at 30FPS."
Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Mario Kart 7 run at 60fps in 3D? Anyhow, great to know that it'll run at 60fps as games do look more vibrant and colorful at that speed.
@tchaten clearly you don't have a Vita... I have both Vita and 3DS and each have a lot of good games (of course the 3DS have more).
@ferrers405 haha I don't - I've heard the hardware is nice, but the games have dried up - was mostly joking that the reason I might consider a Vita is to play PSP games
I'm really pleased with the decision about not needing to use the 3D. I can't use the 3D because I just can't see it. I see layers separately overlapping instead of a cohesive picture. Must be an issue with my brain!!! I can't do the magic eye puzzles at all either. Still love the 3DS though. Does not impact at all on my enjoyment of the console.
@idork99 Yes, Mario Kart 7 runs at 60fps even with the 3D at full blast. I love seeing Nintendo doing this, as it really makes the experience even more fluid
now i'm excited. i'm not sure if it's fair comparing these two, so please correct me if i'm wrong, but most TVs run at 24 FPS. even the Hobbit was shot at 48 FPS. mk7 runs at 60 FPS, so i'm excited to see some fluent animation in my zelda.
@Sakura Lol! I also can't see the magic eye puzzles! But I do see the sweet 3D! I'm glad to know that you still enjoy the 3DS without the 3D feature. It's a testament to the quality of games available on the system. The 3D doesn't make the game any better, but boy does it look much sweeter! It's like having triple layer icing on a cake! Definitely not needed, but to some with a sweet tooth (sweet eye sight) very much appreciated
*tears of joy
I appreciate the achievement but really do not have a problem with 30fps. I like stop motion animation which is shot sometimes in 12fps. I guess the more responsive the better for video games.
I still dont get why people always want to turn off the 3D effect Mine is cranked up all the way all the time and i really love it
That out of the way, i REALLY need to finish lttp at least one more time before this is released
Can't wait for this game
this is the year I got broke
@idork99 Tekken 3D Prime Edition also runs at 60fps in 3D. I think Andy may have been a bit presumptuous, but it's ok. It happens
this is sweet! just another good reason for me to get the game! =D
This game NEEDS to be in my collection!
@idork99 I thought I heard that as well!?
Does 60FPS really matter?!?! We shall see. I don't care as long as its playable and fun. I think too many people care about the FPS and ruins their experience!
Btw Andy didn't say it was the only game that runs at 60 the dev did. He just quoted him!
I read somewhere that the game is titled: "Return to the Past" A fitting name, if you ask me.
"A Link to the Past" is (probably) my favorite game, so this is going to be the game that finally pushes me into buying a 3DS (I know I should already have one, but I just don't have a lot of free time nowadays and I'm still very slowly catching up on all the great Wii/PS3/DS games.)
"A Link To The Future"
Nintendo are you still doing prerendered 3D? In 2013?
@idork I'd like to be able to see the 3D, but I just cannot. I do wear glasses, but it's only 0.025 in each eye, which is nothing. I suspect my problem is an ear infection I had years ago. I was dizzy for 2 years and I still have to sit in the shower because if I close my eyes (for shampooing) whilst standing, I lose my balance and fall. I also have nystagmus in the dark. You can see pictures of that on YouTube. It's a really weird thing, but basically my eyes are out of focus with each other. It doesn't happen in light though.
Anyway, even with no 3D, I still love the 3DS. You're right, it's about the quality of gameplay above all.
Should be good
Just for the record, I was merely quoting Eiji Aonuma with the whole 3D games up till now have all run at 30FPS thing... I think Mario Kart 7 was 60FPS and possibly others too
Me always love 60 FPS!
I'm a sucker for high frame rate. Always makes the game seem more real and immersive.
Good News! Sadly SSF4 should have been made the same.
Wait is the game actually called "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 2?"
@Caramel - Nope. Official title yet to be confirmed.
Can't wait for A Link 2 The Past! <3
I've read about games running in 60fps with the 3D on quite a few times, and the only games I have where I notice any difference is DoAD and SSF4.
60 frames, 30 frames... This game is going to be good no matter what. But sure the more frames per second, the better:)
harmoknight ren 60fps in 3D
who doesn't enjoy 3d. i thought that super mario 3d land was good because you needed the 3d effect. bad decision i think.
Quite a lot of people dislike 3D. I have no problem seeing it but never use it.
I have a lazy eye, so using the 3DS with 3D switched on for any significant period of time is pretty tiring and headache-inducing (short bursts to see the 3D illusions in "Super Mario 3D land" and stuff is ok), so i'm glad i don't need to switch 3D on for "Legend of Zelda: a link to the slightly less distant past"
I love 60 fps and 3D, so this is great that you don't have to sacrifice one for the other.
"A Link To The When?!"
I love 3D! Why all the hate?
Sounds great!
I enjoy 3D! It's the 'ghosting' effect I can't stand.
wow, mostly it's a hard difference to notice but now that I think about it there probably is a slight slower refresh feel to most games, can't even imagine 3d at full speed, can't wait for this.
It's nice that 3D isn't required considering the amount of people who can't see 3D. Still was hoping for perception based puzzles though.
To say I can't wait for this game is an understatement!
This is a very smart decision to not require 3D to advance through the game. There are some people who simply don't want to have the 3D effect on all the time. As for me, I will probably be playing this game in 3D a strong majority of the time.
I love how things look with the 3D effect on. What I hate is how fickle its sweet spot is, which means you're required to keep the 3DS at the same position all the time. This is what makes me play with the effect turned off the majority of the time, sadly.
Hopefully, by the time Nintendo's next handheld rolls around, stereoscopic 3D technology will have advanced to a point where I can enjoy that awesome feature in a more comfortable manner.
I've never really noticed the change in FPS when you turn the 3D on in any of my games... But this is still good news to hear for players interested.
Mario Kart 7 also runs at 60 FPS with the 3D on; it's the only game on 3DS to have a solid frame rate. Even 30 FPS 3DS games suffer from frame rate issues with the 3D turned on, which is quite annoying.
60FPS... Hmm, yes, all very well and good, but the burning question is will it be 60hz when it comes to Europe?
"Return to the Past now." -Jeremie Belpois
@Knuckles +1 cookie Brilliant reference!
@Einherjar Well some people don't see the 3D, but I personally like to leave it half way up if I'm playing something that I've already played through and experienced a couple times (like SM3DL, or Ocarina), mainly due to saving some extra battery life. As for NSMB2, I go just beyond the click on the XL, because I like the background and don't want it to blur out too much, and it still adds some sweet depth to the game ) If I'm playing something for the first time on the 3DS, then I crank that baby up all the way for the full experience and immersion if necessary (like Luigi's Mansion, which I recently got through). I'm excited for this game though. The 3D will definitely make the dungeons look epic.
When you get to a certain age 30fps or 60fps makes no difference as your eyesight starts to go. You know that the little fuzzy green thing is Link and that's all that matters....
Does it really make a difference on battery life if you only use 1/2 the 3d? I always assumed that using it at all drained as much as full blast. Either way, the 3ds has to draw two screens.I think that's more of a battery killer.
60 FPS is way more important than 3D, so this is wonderful news.
Everything I have seen and heard about this game has been great! So excited for it!
Ever since I started using glasses again instead of contacts it's been harder to get the full use out of the 3D on 3DS games even with the bigger XL screen. I generally play with it off but did like how in 3D Land you had to have it on to see certain things in proper depth.
My oh my that game looks beautiful! Makes me REALLY want to get a 3DS to complement my Wii U.
@0SP_ZELDAiii they are not the same. I don't remember the explanation but one has to do with how we see (movies, it's a trick. There is nothing moving, it's the same as when you draw something in a block of pages and you pass them fast and it seems to be moving but they're just a bunch of drawings) and the other has to do with the refresh of th screen.
30 FPS can be very noticeable or relatively unnoticeable, depending on the game. Fast moving games are the ones most affected by it. DOA:D seems horribly sluggish in 3D mode when it drops to 30 FPS. Games like Donkey Kong or Mario 3D Land? Not so much.
Always nice to have a higher frame-rate, though. Mario Kart 7 looked incredibly smooth in 3D, and I attribute a lot of that to the high frame-rate.
I love the 3D effect but I really hate the constant ghosting when you tilt the unit just a hair away from the sweet spot. I always feel guilty when I end up turning it off. But the ghosting always just ruins the experience for me. This is just a matter of the number of "shutters" they use. In the near future, the cost of the hardware to run the extra shutters needed to allow a much wider viewing angle will be low enough to include in a handheld and make it affordable. Same with regular TVs.
I'm also surprised that no one mentions the resolution with 3D kicked in. When 3D is turned on, the resolution is cut in half. The graphics just look much smoother and detailed in 2D. Which is why I play my games probably 80% in 2D
I
I can't do the 3d thing, since it causes migraines and can lead to seizures as well for me. I always peek at what it looks like in 3d, but never leave it on. Guess I miss out on some aspects of what makes the 3ds great. That said I love the 3DS and all its great games up to this point.
I always play in 3D and I always thought that the games still run at 60FPS with the 3D switched on...because whenever I turn the 3D off (which is rarely) I don't see a difference in framerate...and I know that most games on the 3DS run at 60FPS...
Well, guess you learn something new everyday!
I wonder what the official name of the game is gonna be. I can't wait!!!
Wait, is this game really called A Link to the Past 2?
yes this is good news
@Oscarsome
No, that's just the fan-circulated name it got based solely of the fact that it takes place in the same world as A Link to the Past.
Hmmm Legend of Zelda A Link to the Future Past anywho.. this is great news... but I will wait to hear what this is like before I buy it.. (Which I most likely will eventually.. just like A Link to the Past I just may not buy it right away... )
I wish Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate was 60 fps but alas, still amazing it is
correct me if im wrong but would this Zelda game be the first polygon rendered 3d game to run in 60 fps?
@ollietaro while playing the 3DS demo, if you roamed or view in certain areas in the frozen wastland, the game runs close to 60 fps. The opposite happens in my Wii u version Which is very odd giving the hardware differences.
@cbkummer
One thing to note though is that if you had already bought the games for a pspgo in digital fashion then you don't have to rebuy them. My digital psp games work fine on my vita as do my ps1 games that I had bought.
I usually play with 3D off because I am extremely prone to migraines but when I do have it on, count me in among those who hasn't really noticed a frame rate drop on most games. Certainly not on anything first party. However, I'm glad to hear Zelda will be at 60fps. More games should be! Not that I guess it matters for poor blind ol' me. XD
I just hope Buzzblobs and, by extension, Cukemen make a comeback! Imagine the crazy Gibberish they'd say nowadays!
60fps is another word for HD... I think
like, animation-wise
A Link to the Past 2? Really? Don't get me wrong, I'm more than excited to hear more news regarding this 3DS follow-up to a great SNES game, and I cannot wait to play it when it comes out. But seriously, isn't calling it The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 2 kind of border-on pushing it or a moot point? Then again, Nintendo had no problem calling the 3DS iteration of New Super Mario Bros. the title New Super Mario Bros. 2 (even though there was another one for the Wii years prior), so who am I to talk? I hope they don't stick with that name.
@AcesHigh "I'm also surprised that no one mentions the resolution with 3D kicked in. When 3D is turned on, the resolution is cut in half. The graphics just look much smoother and detailed in 2D. Which is why I play my games probably 80% in 2D"
No that is not right. It doesn't double the resolution it just displays 2 side by side pixels as one (pixel doubling). If it really did increase the resolution all bitmapped graphics would be vertically squashed. The reason it appears "smoother" is because you don't have the fine vertical black lines from the parallax barrier displayed.
I have yet to see this news on any other gaming website
I'd be really impressed if this is true. 60FPS on a Hand Held Console
@DaveC I didn't say it doubles the resolution. It in effect cuts the number of pixels displayed in half. It needs to separate the image into two - one for left and one for right. If each shutter were to display the same resolution for each image it projects, the processor would need to be twice as powerful. OR they would need to create their graphics at much lower fidelity. You can't generate 2 views at the same resolution without sacrificing something in terms of either resolution or processing power. Unless you're displaying very, very basic graphics. Which I have yet to see. Anyway, this was clearly explained before the unit came out that the standard resolution of the unit would be shared between the two images being generated. there was even talk of certain games not looking as good in 3D mode because of it. They have done a good job in managing the disparity between the two modes. But, once you kick on the 3D, you can most certainly notice the somewhat scan-line look of the image. The image most certainly degrades in fidelity. This is why.
@AcesHigh
The display is 800 x 240. In 3D mode you get 400 x 240 for each eye with a different perspective making 3D. There is hardware in the unit for this so it minimizes overhead.
When you go into 2D mode you don't get a true 800 x 240 image, but instead just displays the same 400 x 240 image by making 2 horizontal pixels next to each other the same. The "scan-line" looking image you see in 3D mode is the parallax barrier which are fine vertical black lines that separate each eye. This barrier is shut off when you go to 2D.
Due to the fact I can't watch 3D movies because of "motion sickeness" a pre-cursor to a seizure this is fantastic news because I would not purchase a 3DS if the game required 3D.
this will be a good game. a must get.zelda is gonna have a busy year
@thepitt It's kind of in the name of the system though...
@JebbyDeringer If it looks great and plays great, who cares?
@The_Joker LOL That's what I thought. XD
Aaaaanyway, this is awesome news! I absolutely adore 60FPS
"Eiji Aonuma confirms you can play the game without the 3D turned on" Shouldn't this be like...I dunno...common sense? xD
I know this is a small thing, but there's one thing that is really making me look forward to this game.
Sword beams are back.
Not the Skyward Sword ones that you had to charge, though admittedly being able to use beams regardless of your health status WAS kick-booty
I'm talking the instant-fire, every-single-swing-when-you're-healthy beams that cut like a hot knife through butter.
It's good to see them back. And unlike ALttP, they have a distinct shape instead of being swirly lights, which is awesome.
I bet the game will look amazing no matter what. I don’t often turn 3D on but I’m still glad it’s there. If it wasn’t I could always use the magic eye technique and just let my eyes go kind of cross. I do it all the time and it works really well with the 3DS in particular. Kind of weird like that I am.
It's gonna be a hard game if requires a so fast paced action.
Well, i hope so.
I glad the 3D isn't a necessity to play the game. I can only see out of my left eye properly so I've never been able to see the 3D effect on any 3DS game. It honestly doesn't really bother me, but it would do if I was completely excluded from being able to play through a game because of it....especially one from my favourite franchise.
@tchaten mario kart is 60fps with 3d on..
@element187 That game is a beautiful one - so that is not surprising - weird for the developer to note that this is the first time we've done this ...
@B3ND3R one thing i love about Nintendo is they usually target 60fps on most of their titles. DKCRwii, Mario kart, Galaxy games, etc... Of course, they have to sacrifice some visually fidelity, but their amazing art style completely covers any technical imperfections.
Cool. I was kind of hoping for some visual puzzles, but I understand how some people can not see the 3d, &/or they (possibly can see it, but) can't use it for health reason(s). I think that there should be in-game option(s), like on the main menu of any given games, to allow for the toggling (on/off) of necessity to need the 3d in order to play the game, or progress. The programmers of any given game would, (or may) simply need to use colors, & be able to switch off the 3d on the fly, returning the image to a single shutter image. Aside from the entirety of that last sentence, I am of course, aware that, the 3d effect can be switched off on the fly. True, said option in a game might take up space on-cart, but it would be more accommodating for both those who can, & can not see 3d.
If the gameplay is good, it matters only so much; the framerate, I mean. To me, graphics are important to a game, but the gameplay is the most important, & even the story is the second most important. Music too.
I always keep 3d off.
I am bothered about framerate but only when it comes to it not being the one that the game is designed to work in.
30 is an exact multiple of 60 so if it done right it isn't a problem.
50 is though (It is impossible to do the right thing with it on a 60hz screen like the Wii U gamepad).
(The games that were quite well 50hz optimised are ok on a wii but won't be on a wii u). Fortunately none have come up I am bothered about yet.
Quite happy with the 3d classics kirby's adventure. Don't know why they didn't base the Wii U one on that version other than laziness. Played enough Super Metroid to last me a lifetime. (Both it and its clones).
@crumpledpapyrus oh ok, please excuse my misunderstanding. I apologize
Woah, I can't even notice. The only games I had framerate issues on were Heroes of Ruin and Skylanders: Giants(ironically, both by n-Space). Wonder if Swap Force will have some too XD
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