YouTube now shows newer HD videos at 60fps

Spoiler alert: I'm about to ruin YouTube for you. There's a video below, and once you see it, things might not be the same for you. YouTube is now displaying HD video at a full 60 frames-per-second. The previous 30 frames-per-second rate is still around for most video, but this is the start of something pretty eyeball boggling. Google has toyed with this before, but now that they've released the 60fps beast, there's no turning back.

To view the below video in 60fps mode, I suggest you try using Chrome or Safari (those are the two browsers it seems to work in). You're probably viewing YouTube in the HTML5 mode, but if you're not, please do feel free to use it.

Start the video, and let it go for a minute at 360p or 480p or whatever it defaults to. Now switch the quality to 720p, or — of you dare — 1080p.

Yeah. Exactly.

The frame-rate change is noticeable, and brilliant. I'll admit, I watched the below video about five times, because — well, it's amazing.

The good part is 60fps playback, which means you can also upload at 60fps, now. That likely means older videos, even those in HD, aren't going to see any retrofitting.

With video quality improving across the board, it's no surprise Google is making this available. As YouTube becomes a Twitch competitor, we also wouldn't be surprised to see this frame-rate awesomeness encourage uploads. It can't be a coincidence that Google chose EA as a 60fps tester, and early videos for the new frame-rate are games, right?

Via: Kotaku