For me its resolution. The jump from 480p standard box to 720/1080p was night and day revolution. Meanwhile a 4k image looks maybe 10-15%sharper to my eye but takes up 4x the storage space. Whenever I voice this people say that I must be blind if I can't tell a difference. I'd rather have the disc space and know my software collection is well optimized with reasonable file sizes instead of buying 22tb worth of ssds in a network cluster with a nvidia 80000 to play the latest AAA

It's the input lag, I can see and feel the difference

I think as long as it's above like 20-25 I can tolerate

It's one of the things people complain about but in truth they don't notice it. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Typically runs at 30 fps on Xbox/PS5. Baldur’s Gate 3? Again, typically plays 30 fps. Elden Ring? 40ish fps on PS5.

The first 2 were the games of the 2025, and yet no one seemed to get the info that they are most likely running at a "slide-show" 30 fps.

It depends on the game. A CRPG? Sure, anything over probably 20 and I'm not complaining. A fast-paced shooter? Less than 90 and I'm feeling it. Less than 60 and it hurts.

The problem is you get used to whatever you use most often. If you are accustomed to sub-60 then you won't even notice it, because it's standard. If you're used to 120, 160, 180, etc., it stands out more because it's not your standard anymore. It isn't any worse than it used to be, but you notice it more.

You get used to it, I remember an old mobile game that was super fluid at the time compared to other games, checked the specs and the lcd refresh rate was 15 max... Bet It'd feel like quite sluggish today.

I run my system at 20 Hz, game on it too. My DeskMini A 300 can run the likes of Ark Survival at medium settings in 3440x1440.

60 FPS was fine 15-20 years ago. These days I need my games to run at 120 FPS+. 60 looks like a slide show and you can really feel the input lag when you move your mouse at that framerate.

Yeah I'll take 30 FPS with my graphics settings maxed over 144+fps with my graphics settings on low/med any day. Granted I'm mostly playing simulation games where its all about seeing the heat radiating off of the boiler of the steam engine you're operating, seeing the little leaks of steam along the running gear, the intense darkness upon entering a tunnel, etc. I'd much rather be able to see all of that at 30fps than have to turn my settings down for it to run at 144fps. Anything where the faster reaction time of high refresh rate would make a difference is already where you should've (or shouldn't have!) done something earlier to prevent the crash you're making a last ditch effort to avoid

144hz looks awesome but I can tolerate just about anything 30+