Nvidia releases FRAPS-like tool for benchmarking and analyzing VR performance

NVIDIA  logoHigh-end VR headset manufacturers like Oculus and HTC all publish recommended specifications for PCs that will run VR games well. But as with regular PC games, VR games will often use different engines and provide different levels of detail, and some of them will push those recommended specifications harder than others. To help measure and analyze performance, Nvidia today released a new version of its FCAT benchmarking tool, predictably named FCAT VR.

Like the standard FCAT (short for Frame Capture Analysis Tool) application or the classic FRAPS, FCAT VR is a utility that runs in the background as you run games. It captures data that can be saved as a CSV file for later reference, and the tool itself also includes some basic graphs you can use to visualize the data. The tool tracks the framerate delivered to your headset, the "unconstrained" framerate that the hardware would be capable of hitting if not constrained to the refresh rate of the headset, the number of dropped frames, and the number of synthesized frames (essentially educated, extrapolated guesses about what the next frame should look like) created by the system to prevent the appearance of dropped frames.

Nvidia releases FRAPS-like tool for benchmarking and analyzing VR performance

As of this writing, the tool supports both the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive via SteamVR. Like FCAT, FCAT VR can be used to measure both AMD and Nvidia GPU performance, though Nvidia recommends disabling a handful of settings on Nvidia GPUs if you're after true apples-to-apples benchmarking between the two companies' cards.

FCAT VR will be useful mostly for enthusiasts who want to quantify just how fast their computer is and for reviewers who are trying to get more in-depth performance information about specific games and GPUs. But it could also be useful for developers looking to optimize particularly demanding scenes so that they'll play well on hardware that meets Oculus' and HTC's minimum system requirements but without a lot of extra performance headroom. New software tricks have already allowed Oculus to lower the minimum specifications for a VR-ready PC, and this kind of thing means that thorough testing on performance-constrained hardware is important.

A more detailed guide on what the tool can do and how to use it is located here. Obviously, you'll need to have a VR headset if you want to give it a try.

Source: Ars Technica

Tags: NVIDIA, virtual reality

Comments
Add comment

Your name:
Sign in with:
or
Your comment:


Enter code:

E-mail (not required)
E-mail will not be disclosed to the third party


Last news

 
Galaxy Note10 really is built around a 6.7-inch display
 
You may still be able to download your content
 
Facebook, Messenger and Instagram are all going away
 
Minimize apps to a floating, always-on-top bubble
 
Japan Display has been providing LCDs for the iPhone XR, the only LCD model in Apple’s 2018 line-up
 
The 2001 operating system has reached its lowest share level
 
The entire TSMC 5nm design infrastructure is available now from TSMC
 
The smartphone uses a Snapdragon 660 processor running Android 9 Pie
The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) Review
The evolution of the successful smartphone, now with a waterproof body and USB Type-C
February 7, 2017 / 2
Samsung Galaxy TabPro S - a tablet with the Windows-keyboard
The first Windows-tablet with the 12-inch display Super AMOLED
June 7, 2016 /
Keyboards for iOS
Ten iOS keyboards review
July 18, 2015 /
Samsung E1200 Mobile Phone Review
A cheap phone with a good screen
March 8, 2015 / 4
Creative Sound Blaster Z sound card review
Good sound for those who are not satisfied with the onboard solution
September 25, 2014 / 2
Samsung Galaxy Gear: Smartwatch at High Price
The first smartwatch from Samsung - almost a smartphone with a small body
December 19, 2013 /
 
 

News Archive

 
 
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031   




Poll

Do you use microSD card with your phone?
or leave your own version in comments (16)