Superposer

In game

Low latency and adaptive sync

Low latency (off by default) keeps fewer finished frames waiting for the display, so what you do reaches the screen sooner:

  • When the game runs faster than your display, about one frame less delay (12 to 18 ms at 60 Hz in our tests). When it runs slower than the display there is little to gain, and little changes.
  • With a frame rate limit, the wait happens before the game reads your input instead of after it has drawn the frame; frame pacing can then be a little less even.
  • With adaptive sync, a frame rate limit just under the refresh rate is set for you (116 fps on a 120 Hz screen).
  • While frame generation is generating frames it paces them itself, so low latency changes nothing then (frame generation adds about half a frame of delay).

Adaptive sync (on by default) is for ProMotion MacBook Pro screens and external displays with Adaptive-Sync (FreeSync, G-Sync Compatible). When the game is full screen, each frame appears as soon as it's ready instead of waiting for the next fixed refresh, so a game running below the refresh rate doesn't stutter. With a frame rate limit, frames are evenly paced. macOS keeps a fixed refresh rate for windows, and on displays without variable refresh the switch changes nothing. On an external display, turn on variable refresh in System Settings › Displays (Refresh rate: Variable).

Both are per game: the game's Settings, the quick panel and the full overlay (they apply at once). Performance HUD levels 4 and 5 show the PRESENT row: how frames are presented right now (for example ADAPTIVE SYNC or VSYNC · WINDOWED), the time from a frame being ready to it being on screen, and whether low latency is on.