Unveiling the Latency: 2XKO Input Lag Tests and Their Surprising Findings
The Battle for Low Latency: Fighting game enthusiasts have always been keenly aware of the impact of latency on their gaming experience. Now, with the advent of advanced testing tools, it's easier than ever to measure and compare the input lag across different systems. 2XKO, the League of Legends-inspired fighter, has recently come under the spotlight for its latency performance, especially with the addition of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
The Lagging Details: Nigel 'Noodalls' Woodall, a latency expert, has conducted extensive input lag experiments for 2XKO on all available systems. The results reveal some interesting insights. While the PC emerged as the clear winner in terms of latency, the console versions weren't far behind. On PC, 2XKO showed an input lag of 88.46 ms, translating to approximately 5.3 frames of delay from button press to screen registration.
The Xbox Series S followed closely with 92.92 ms, or 5.6 frames, while the Xbox Series X came in third with 96.24 ms, or 5.8 frames. Interestingly, the PlayStation 5 demonstrated more variability, with the first test showing 105.34 ms/6.3 frames and the second test showing 95.39 ms/5.7 frames, indicating a range of performance similar to the Xbox models.
Comparing to the Competition: These numbers are notably higher than what is typically expected from a modern fighting game, which usually aims for 4 frames or less of input lag. However, Woodall's analysis suggests that the difference can be attributed to the command history used and the animation starting, which could be adjusted to bring the average down to around 4.5 frames across systems.
Riot Games' Approach: Riot Games, the developers of 2XKO, have previously discussed their strategy to handle online play. They implemented a fixed 3-frame delay for all inputs, both offline and online, to ensure consistent performance and minimize rollbacks. Additionally, they invested heavily in frame-pacing during development, aiming to make the game feel nearly identical across all systems.
Addressing Issues: Despite these efforts, some issues have arisen. Riot recently confirmed they are working on fixing screen tearing problems on the console versions of 2XKO, which seem to be caused by VSync being turned off forcibly. This highlights the ongoing challenges in achieving optimal performance across different hardware.
Comparative Analysis: For context, Noodalls compared 2XKO to other recent titles. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves showed 45.77 ms/2.9 frames of lag on PS5 after updates, Street Fighter 6 had 56.56 ms/3.53 frames on PS5, and Tekken 8 came in at 61.87 ms/3.7 frames on PS5. This puts 2XKO slightly behind in terms of latency, but the gap is not insurmountable.
Looking Ahead: The question remains: can Riot Games further reduce the latency in 2XKO? With all systems currently performing relatively closely, the focus may shift to refining the game's performance and addressing any remaining technical challenges. The gaming community eagerly awaits the next updates, hoping for a smoother and more responsive experience.
