VSync without increased latency

[JayStelly]

DOTA 2 includes an experimental feature that allows you to enable vsync with minimal latency. Normally enabling vsync adds another frame of latency causing some inputs to feel delayed. With this new feature the engine will attempt to schedule simulation and rendering to coincide with the start of the new frame on your monitor. It is experimental currently and only available as a console variable. We will add it to the main UI if it is successful for enough users. It requires a PC that can maintain a framerate higher than your refresh rate (usually 60 frames per second or higher).


To try it, enable VSync in the video options panel. Then open the console and set this variable:

r_experimental_lag_limiter 1

You can toggle it on & off to see how it improves your latency.

To turn it back off use the setting:
r_experimental_lag_limiter 0


Please only post feedback about this feature in this thread.

[lixoman100]

I'm running D9EX on a GTX680 on Windows 10. I've been using VSync on for two reasons: I can't stand the tearing and there's a "stuttery feel" when VSync is off, I can't really explain it, but it feels less smoth for some reason.

I have tested the experimental lag limiter and disabled VSync on the interface. My FPS is usually on the 70-100 range. Screen tearing is completely gone, which is good, and input seems to have a bit less latency than what I'm used to, so it's probably improved in that aspect as well. It still doesn't feel as smooth as it does with VSync on - I have no idea why - so I'm not yet sure I'm going to switch to it from VSync, but I'll keep testing.

I hope this feedback is useful. Keep up the good work, let me know if you want me to test anything specific.

Edit: alright, that feedback wasn't good. I thought that the feature would give me VSync features - namely, remove screen tearing - even with VSync off. I tested it further and realized it's supposed to be used with VSync on; guess I misread how the feature works.

Anyway, I've tested specifically for reduced latency with VSync on and yes, latency is definetely lower. The game has no screen tearing and is smooth as butter, as it always was for me with VSync on, but also has the latency that you get with VSync off.

In the end, it works really great, actually. I'm keeping it on.

[difangu]

How many players having a decent pc can maximize their fps over 60? Not so many

[zyne_phenomenon]

i heff 59 fps at lowest performance! biblethump

[KanGore]

I just tested this and it doesn't work for me. I have 70-80 fps on these settings so when I turn vsync on it's constant 60fps. When I used this command the fps dropped to 50-54, it was fluctuating around that. I wrote r_experimental_lag_limiter 0 in the console and it was back to 60fps instantly. I didn't see any lag improvement, maybe the contrary because of the fps loss. So yeah...

[Garfff]

Losing a small amount of FPS (compared to vsync max) would be expected I believe. In return for that you potentially have almost no extra latency.

Normally vsync introduces input lag because even though the frame rendering (using current inputs) can finish quickly, it must be delayed until the vsync interval. From the description Valve is delaying the rendering start until the expected render time matches the remaining time till vsync, which means the time difference between when your input is sampled and shown on the screen decreases.

If the time prediction is wrong, you'll delay a single frame, so a tiny FPS drop.

Valve or someone more current on state of the art game engines can probably confirm/deny the above.

[KanGore]

Losing a small amount of FPS (compared to vsync max) would be expected I believe. In return for that you potentially have almost no extra latency.

Normally vsync introduces input lag because even though the frame rendering (using current inputs) can finish quickly, it must be delayed until the vsync interval. From the description Valve is delaying the rendering start until the expected render time matches the remaining time till vsync, which means the time difference between when your input is sampled and shown on the screen decreases.

If the time prediction is wrong, you'll delay a single frame, so a tiny FPS drop.

Valve or someone more current on state of the art game engines can probably confirm/deny the above.

The whole function of vsync is to synchronize the frame rate to the refresh rate of the monitor. If enabling this option makes it so the frame rate is lower than the refresh rate of the monitor then it means it breaks vsync. I also stated in my post that the lost frame rate makes the game feel actually worse than with this option off. So yeah, in my own experience, this option doesn't work.

[coolzed]

Played 2 games with the command active.

Results were what I perceive as stable with cl_showfps 1 showing constant flicker between 59-60.
In-game settings were on max possible with everything ticked. FPS with the command and Vsync disabled is with 125 MIN, 209 MAX and 145 AVG.
In-game resolution is 1920x1080 borderless windows mode.

Summary

Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.00GHz 43 °C
Haswell 22nm Technology
RAM
16,0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 666MHz (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. Z97-PRO GAMER (SOCKET 1150) 34 °C
Graphics
S24D590 (1920x1080@72Hz)
BenQ G2420HD (1920x1080@60Hz)
3072MB ATI AMD Radeon R9 280X Series Version.15.201.1151.0 (ASUStek Computer Inc) 55 °C
Storage
465GB Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKS-00D2B0 (SATA) 46 °C
931GB Western Digital WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 (SATA) 40 °C
1863GB Western Digital WD Ext HDD 1021 USB Device (USB (SATA)) 46 °C
Optical Drives
ELBY CLONEDRIVE SCSI CdRom Device
ATAPI iHAS124 Y
Audio
USB Audio Device

SWR-DATOR.txt

[Garfff]

The whole function of vsync is to synchronize the frame rate to the refresh rate of the monitor.

No, it's to synchronize the frame buffer flip with the monitor refresh. Those are two different things, and vsync still works whether the frame-rate (that the card could be outputting without it) is above or below the monitor refresh rate.

If enabling this option makes it so the frame rate is lower than the refresh rate of the monitor then it means it breaks vsync.

Not at all. You can synchronize the refreshes even if the card can't track the monitors refresh rate. It just means the same frame will be output twice. This is what already happens with every vsync implementation if the card is too slow.

Run some game that your card can barely render at say 20-30fps and try vsync on and off. You'll see the difference in tearing but the downside is even lower fps with vsync on.

Vsync means you do not flip the buffer while the monitor is halfway through the frame. That's all. Matching framerates is irrelevant, although a natural consequence if your card is consistently faster than the monitor.

Mispredictions can cause this low latency vsync method to have an fps drop if the frame took much longer to render than expected, but the page flip will still be synchronous with the monitor refresh. You won't get tearing.

[KanGore]

bla bla bla

I quote from Nvidia: "Nothing is more distracting when gaming than frame rate stuttering and screen tearing. Stuttering occurs when frame rates fall below the VSync frame rate cap, which is typically 60 frames per second, matching the 60Hz refresh rate of most monitors and screens. When frame rates dip below the cap VSync locks the frame rate to the nearest level, such as 45 or 30 frames per second. As performance improves the frame rate returns to 60.
In performance-intensive games this dramatic change in frame rate can occur several times per second, resulting in clearly noticeable stuttering as the frame rate jumps around, often causing eye strain and headaches."

This is why you want constant 60fps with vsync on. Not 50-54 fps fluctuating. Look at the link: http://www.geforce.com/hardware/tech...ync/technology
You can even see a picture there with a drawing explaining what happens and maybe you get this in your head: If you use vsync you want to have constant 60fps or don't use it.

Even the Valve developer here says this in his post: "It requires a PC that can maintain a framerate higher than your refresh rate (usually 60 frames per second or higher)."
Why do you think he says that? Cause 50-54 fps is ok because you say so?!?