Is there a Difference between NTSC and PAL Version?
3 years ago
Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Please say no, it was so stressful to buy a NTSC N64, I don't wanna buy another NTSC Console

Hampshire, England

i think so as all the top runners use ntsc. maybe a slower framerate, like in switch?

NTSC is faster than PAL for RTA, but PAL is faster than NTSC for TAS.

Baden-Württemberg, Germany

I haze my life, why does NTSC always have to be better than PAL

United States

Unfortunately yes, there is a big difference between the two.

PAL SMB1 runs at a slower framerate (50ish FPS as opposed to NTSC's 60.1ish), and so the devs rescaled the physics to compensate. What that means is that Mario runs and jumps slightly differently, and most of the glitches on NTSC work differently on PAL (and PAL has some new glitches as well). Ultimately, the biggest time difference (if I'm not mistaken) comes from the end of level cutscenes, which are longer on PAL and that's why PAL runs are generally much slower than NTSC runs.

AndreiSas01 likes this
Hampshire, England

well i have a pal switch for smb1 practice haha

Mexico

Matt Parker's Stand-up Maths YouTube video is very friendly to understand the technical differences between PAL and NTSC. Although it may be out of the scope of your question, it may help you have a better understanding on the NTSC-PAL differences and therefore understand why it has an impact on console gaming. Differences go beyond FPS.

EDIT: Nice way to post a link LUL

Edited by the author 3 years ago

I wonder why they made them different... Like I don't mean the frame rates, that's because NTSC regions and PAL regions have different Hz or whatever, but like why the Hzs are different in the first place.

Cookie1284 and AndreiSas01 like this
Québec

"When the German company AEG built one of the first European generating facilities, its engineers decided to fix the frequency at 50 Hz, because the number 60 did not fit the metric standard unit sequence (1, 2, 5). At that time, AEG had a virtual monopoly and their standard spread to the rest of the continent. In Britain, differing frequencies proliferated, and only after World War II the 50-cycle standard was established."

https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/history/why-no-standard-voltage/#:~:text=Europe%20and%20most%20other%20countries,twice%20that%20of%20the%20US.&text=Originally%20Europe%20was%20120%20V,the%20same%20copper%20wire%20diameter.

Cookie1284 and AndreiSas01 like this

Oh that's stupid lol... Thanks for letting me know! Also is it just me or does that text stretch off the box?

Québec

Yeah speedrun.com kinda sucks regarding forums lol

Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Is famicom the same speed as NTSC NES?

New Jersey, USA

yes it is the same as theyre both ntsc consoles

Germany

@eddiefun10 i heard that the switch emulates the ntsc versions not the Pal version even if it is an european switch but i'm not sure heard it about some other games tho

Edited by the author 3 years ago
Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Yeah, switch emulazes ntsc

Québec

It does emulate the NTSC version, but it runs at 60 fps flat

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