PS3 input lag issue

[JPelter]

I have both Zen and TPA on PS3 and don't notice any difference in the input speeds between them. I'd say it seems pretty clear the lag doesn't affect all controller/TV/screen setups.

 

[The Doctor]

Jake from Farsight commented on this issue here:
http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php/955-iOS-Version-1-1-4-Bugs?p=12256&viewfull=1#post12256

So at least we know it's acknowledged and being worked on.

Jake seems like a great source of info but it would be nice if he posted about known issues and their maintenance in the general forum.. I don't play on ios so I have no reason to really check out that forum often

 

[The Doctor]

We've got the TV settings covered.
Other games on the PS3 or the 360 do not experience the same lag that we see in TPA.

You say you don't have lag, but have you compared TPA to another pinball game on the PS3 or 360? People tend to adjust to what they're playing and it'll seem normal until you try a different game and find it isn't quite the same.

I have Zen/Marvel and TPA for ps3 and yes there is a difference but it's not lag. the flippers in zen seem "tighter" and snap hard.. the flippers in TPA are "looser" like a real table..

when I press the button, the flipper moves. on both games. if i close my eyes and press button i hear the sound of the flipper when i touch the button, on both games (or 3, since zen/marvel are separate at the moment)

they feel different because they are different, but it's not lag

 

[cmotors]

I have Zen/Marvel and TPA for ps3 and yes there is a difference but it's not lag. the flippers in zen seem "tighter" and snap hard.. the flippers in TPA are "looser" like a real table..

when I press the button, the flipper moves. on both games. if i close my eyes and press button i hear the sound of the flipper when i touch the button, on both games (or 3, since zen/marvel are separate at the moment)

they feel different because they are different, but it's not lag

Then you are lucky and do not have the issue some of us are experiencing. Having played plenty of real pinball tables, the lag that we are talking about is not a matter of a slight differences in the feel. If you want to get an idea of what we are experiencing, adjust the settings on your tv so that they are not optimal for gaming so that it introduces a noticeable delay from the time your press the flipper, to the time the ball is propelled. The picture JavaJack posted is a good example. The picture on the right shows what happens because of the delay. The flipper responds so late that the shot turns out lousy with either a gutter ball, or just barely getting a piece of it at the end of the flipper.

Just curious, are you trying to say that what you are seeing is an explanation for what we are running into and we just haven't figured that out? Or are you just taking the time to let us all know your game works? Just curious is all.

 

[cmotors]

Why would it be the same as another game ? The Pinball Arcade is it's own game , it does not have to conform to a standard set by a competing software , I will download a demo for Zen Pinball to see if I notice what you refer to , but again if you judge how one game is by how you "perceive" it should be , based on using another game ? I know TPA feels right to me , but im a slow old man with big hands and weak eyes , so maybe it's just me.

The lag that we are talking about is not minor enough where it can be described in terms of differences between how Zen and PBA each play. The difference that certain people are experiencing is fairly large and not a matter of how each game is designed. It is meant to show that if the TV were the problem, then you would see it in ALL pinball games, not just PBA. Since people aren't able to reproduce the significant lag in Zen (or any other pinball) it means the TV is not involved in the problem. You have good intentions and that's cool, but to be honest, unless you've seen the issue, you won't really be able to help with this specific problem. It is often being mistaken for other issues, which have already been ruled out.

 

[Mike]

I have both Zen and TPA on PS3 and don't notice any difference in the input speeds between them. I'd say it seems pretty clear the lag doesn't affect all controller/TV/screen setups.

Agreed. I just cant figure it out though. I have Zen and TPA and zen's minor lag seems to be equal to Williams collection for me. This minor controller delay may be on all my ps3 games but it doesnt affect gameplay for me in any other game. I can't blame the tv/ps3 combo when Williams and zen are fine and TPA is not playable... on the exact same tv and ps3.

 

[RetroDude]

Does Pinball Arcade utilize HDCP on all of the platforms with HDMI outputs?
How about other games?

As it's stated on Wikipedia:

Additional issues arise with interactive media (i.e. video games) from control latency due to the additional processing (encoding/decoding) required. Further, use cases such as live streaming or capture of game play, are also adversely affected.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-bandwidth_Digital_Content_Protection


I don't know the answer.. just throwing it out as a potential issue to consider.

I pointed out an additional potential issue previously (not sure if this thread or a different one) about Televisions with higher than 60hz refresh rates.
If the game console or game only provides a 60hz signal and you have 120 or 240hz display (with that feature enabled), the calculations to produce the interleaved extra video frames will most certainly cause a lag.

 

[Eric Qel-Droma]

I noticed the lag when I first got the game a few months ago, and it hasn't gotten better. ToM is pretty much unplayable. I can get twice as good of a score on my PSV as I can on my PS3, whereas I was just as good (or bad, really) on PS3 as I was on PSP with WPHoF.

 

[ScotchYeti]

Hi Eric,

Have you re-downloaded the software from PSN? It's now version 2.00 (to check it you can select the "Pinball Arcade" icon, press the triangle and then "Information"). In the latest version the lag has been drastically reduced. It's not perfect but very playable and I finally completed the wizard goals on Black Hole.

 

[bavelb]

It only has reduced the lag for some, for me its still unplayable and Im waiting for the 360 dlc.

 

[Eric Qel-Droma]

ScotchYeti,

Yes, I have re-downloaded it so that I could play the new DLC tables, and my ToM scores are still regularly 2x as high on Vita as on PS3. Bear in mind that I'm not trying to be one of these "FarSight Sux!" haters I see running around. I loved WPHoF, and I'm actively supporting TPA. I just wanted to make it clear that the new download didn't change ToM for me.

Thanks for asking, though, because if I hadn't been lurking for a while to know to re-download, I might be very frustrated right now!

 

[btmmayor]

Oddly enough TOM and TOTAN are the only tables I experience the lag on now, with TOM being by far the worst (and pretty much unplayable). Funhouse, CV and the rest all play very well for me.

 

[Crush3d_Turtle]

I just played TPA on my PS3 for the first time in a while and the lag issue seems to be gone for the most part. ToM still feels a little bit off, but I am no longer completely missing shots like I formerly did. I'm just a bit sad to see the lighting get butchered like it did.

 

[Macca_96]

Ive just been reading though this thread and cant find any solution to this. I just downloaded the demo last night (just came out in Aus) and would not have to think twice about purchasing the full download if it wasnt for the flipper lag but because there is I may not buy, unless there is a patch for it. It cant be system or TV as I dont have the issue with other games.

It doesnt look like the devs have even seen this thread as there is no comment from them so I hope they do and I hope there aware of the issue

 

[bavelb]

It doesnt look like the devs have even seen this thread as there is no comment from them so I hope they do and I hope there aware of the issue

They have

http://digitalpinballfans.com/showthread.php/955-iOS-Version-1-1-4-Bugs?p=12256&viewfull=1#post12256

 

[Squid]

I do not have input-lag nor am I considered tech-savvy but, a friend of mine told me that I have everything connected correctly.

He basically said that my PS3 was connected correctly to the "primary" port on my TV. It's supposed to be the port that can handle computer signals. I have both ports on my TV and, I use the supposed "primary" HDMI port on my TV.

I hope my basic insight on the matter can help.

 

[Squid]

Sorry for the double post, I was just told to elaborate a bit more.

There can be more than one "primary" port, I guess I have three of them. (2 HDMI and 1 trapezoidal lookin' one with the screws on the side (you don't need this one)) My HDMI ones are 'input' 5 and 7.

I use 7. It's a power number.

 

[Macca_96]

The trapezoidal lookin' one would be to hook it up to a PC

 

[J_R]

i had a slight lag ,spongy flipper feeling since i bought the game. BUT yesterday i tried shifted HDMI port on my tv and holy crap what a difference!!!!
i have 4 HDMI ports on my 46 “ phillips tv, i always used the nr 1 before , when i changed to nr 3 the lag was much much worse,like half a second, but when i changed to nr 2 a
whole new fun flipper world opened up.it was iPad feeling, perfect response. I’m really happy now!!

 

[Jan Duin]

Thanks for the tip, might give this a try as well.