At EVO 2015, Microsoft revealed that Killer Instinct on the Xbox One runs at 90fps, explaining its stellar netplay that provides players near perfect precision when playing online.
Fighting games demand an extra level of precision in order to be taken seriously by hardcore games, and Killer Instinct is ahead of Mortal Kombat X, Street Fighter 4 and most other fighters with regards to netplay.
As for how its impressive level of smoothness was achieved, Microsoft Creative Director Adam Isgreen explained that Killer Instinct runs at 90FPS “behind the scene” but displays at 60FPS. Apparently, “hitting 60 FPS on-screen alone isn’t enough to make amazing netplay a reality.”
MUST READ: EVO 2015: Rico Suave Wins Killer Instinct Championship with Fulgore
The impressive technique is called “rollback” and is the reason why Killer Instinct experiences virtually no input lag or slowdown in framerates when playing online. You have to try it to believe it.
Isgreen stated on Killer Instinct‘s official site:
“When building KI, we were driven by the notion that online and offline play should feel identical, so that you never felt “off” going between the two. I hope you’d agree that KI provides that kind of experience, and we will continue to uphold consistent 60FPS with amazing netcode as our #1 priority for KI.”
So while most developers struggle get their games to run at 60FPS on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and even the PC, Microsoft and previous Killer Instinct developer Double Helix accomplished the unthinkable by getting Killer Instinct to run at 90FPS internally.
It would be interesting to see what Sony is able to achieve with Street Fighter 5’s netplay. Capcom’s new fighting game is exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and is the direct answer to the Xbox One-exclusive Killer Instinct.
Mortal Kombat X is a non-factor because it has terrible netplay and is one of the game’s main faults.
If you haven’t played Killer Instinct, you are missing out. In addition to having what could be considered the best netplay, it also has one of the most, if not the most, fun and addictive gameplays in the fighting game segment. There is no reason why you should try it — it’s free!
