This past November, Microsoft announced the incorporation of a frames per second (FPS) counter in the Xbox Game Bar. An essential piece of information if we want to know the true performance of a game and check if it is true when a developer tells us that his game can run at 60fps without messing up. Next, we explain how to activate this new functionality on computers with Windows 10.
What are the frames or "frames" per second in a video game?
Frames per second (frames-per-second in English) are the measure used to account for the number of frames or images displayed on the screen for a second. During the course or development of a video game, this figure can vary from a few FPS to 60FPS (which is usually the standard maximum amount that most blockbusters in the gaming world aspire to) depending on the graphic load of the title and the programmers' ability to maintain the fluidity of the game even in the most technically demanding moments. With the right hardware, even 240FPS can be achieved.
It should be clarified that yes, that this data not an indication of image quality (For that we would have to look at the resolution), but rather the refresh rate of the audiovisual content that is shown to us on the screen.
How to Activate Windows 10 Native FPS Counter
Depending on the updates that our PC has received, it is possible that we already have the Xbox Game Bar Among Windows 10 applications. The new fps counter should appear automatically, as this is a feature that was released in mid-November.
We can check it simply by pressing Win + G key or by typing "Xbox Game Bar" in Cortana. Once the application is open, we will find the frame counter in the "Performance”.
If we click on the "FPS -" field, we will see that a drop-down opens where we must give certain permissions to our user. We select "Request access", we give the pertinent permission and then we restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
Once the PC is restarted, we just have to open a game and launch the application (Win + G) to see the fps counter running in real time.
How to get the Xbox Game Bar
If we don't have the tool installed yet, we can also find it available for free in the Microsoft Store.
- Open the Micosoft Store (you can find it in Cortana or in the list of applications in the start menu) and search for the application Xbox Game Bar.
- Install the app and wait for all the drivers to update. Restart the computer.
- Launch a video game on your PC and then run the "Win + G" key combination.
This will open the Xbox Game Bar, where you can see the frame counter, as well as other interesting data related to game performance, such as the consumption of CPU, GPU and RAM memory.
FPS counter not working?
If the frames per second counter does not show any data, make sure you have administrator permission about the team, and that you are also part of the local group "Performance Log Users”.
To check this last piece of information you can write "Team management"In Cortana, and in the admin panel, navigate to"Computer Management (Local)> Local Users and Groups> Groups”. Here you will find a group called “Performance Log Users": If your Windows 10 user is not in the group, add it and restart the computer.
You can also carry out this same action through commands, opening a terminal window with administrator permissions and launching the following command:
net localgroup "Performance Log Users" / add
After applying the command, it is recommended to restart the computer so that the new policies are applied.
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