Capturing Super Hexagon: input lag vs. v-sync

[internisus]

Super Hexagon is my favorite game of all time, and I've gotten pretty good at it. So when I built my new computer and decided to put in a capture card, making SH videos was foremost among my plans! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be viable due to the way the game is coded.

As many people are aware, there is a technical trade-off to be made when playing Super Hexagon: You turn off v-sync in order to eliminate input lag. Well, I never really knew what that was about because I always played on a 120 Hz monitor. Although (or because) SH is locked at 60 fps, when you play at 120 Hz with v-sync on, the game feels snappy and responsive while still looking clean and beautiful. I have been very lucky to enjoy the game this way.

However, I cannot record that gameplay because my capture card produces screen tearing on the recording due to its 60 fps limit; because it is trying to record a 120 Hz signal at 60 fps, the result is horribly jagged. So while I experience the game looking clean and performing properly, my capture card spits out this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbd9eBzWKWM

Now, I have a second monitor which is 2560 x 1440 native at 60 Hz. Super Hexagon is only playable on this monitor with v-sync disabled both in the game and in the nVidia control panel. This produces a great deal of screen tearing not merely in the recording but also during gameplay, of course, and this does affect my performance as well as my appreciation of the game's aesthetic. So having a monitor whose refresh rate matches up with my capture card's framerate is no help.

In fact, beyond my own problems here, I have to imagine that the majority of people who come to this game are unable to either play or see it properly since most do not own a 120 Hz monitor. I do not know exactly why having a monitor that refreshes twice as fast as the game generates frames allows for both responsive play and clean visuals, but I find it quite sad that most players cannot have that experience.

I consider Super Hexagon to be a masterpiece of game design, and working through it has been quite an enlightening journey for me; the effect it has had upon my brain has been almost palpable. To discover these technical issues preventing me from producing videos of sufficient quality to express what this game means to me is heavily dispiriting.

Can anyone offer a solution to this recording problem? Do any of you successfully capture the game? How do you go about it?

Terry, if you read this, I know it's been a long time since release, but I beg you to look into this. I want to make more videos like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4AWa1nuacQ I have much more to say about your wonderful game. More than that, I wish that everyone could experience it properly. Could you please try to improve the v-sync/input lag issue on PC? I know that you don't stand to gain anything from the work, but Super Hexagon really deserves it.

[Cadrin]

I've never tried to record the game, so unfortunately I can't give you any tips or hints. I only have one question: why would you record the game at 60FPS, anyway? Isn't the maximum on YT something like 24FPS?

Hah, I remember talking to you once and you said you were making another video on SH. And you weren't kidding! Months went by with me checking your YT channel and nothing new appeared, so I forgot about it.
Anyway, the screen tearing is not that bad for me, so there's nothing to feel sad about. It's certainly not as bad as pictured in the video. It's slightly annoying, but I can't exactly afford anything nearly as fancy as a 120Hz display right now just to fix this.

What is Terry up to these days? Does he still browse the game hub? I don't think he does, to be honest, so maybe you could try to message him personally.

Also bump for reignited interest, I guess.