So... what is the actual point of iron sights in FPS games?

This has been really bothering me recently.

Before there were overly large crosshairs that necessitated the use of iron sights, there was just a reticle that told you pretty much exactly where the bullet would go. Essentially, older FPS's were just constantly in iron sights, only it didn't slow down your movement and aiming speed, iron sights just kinda seems like a pointless replacement to an aiming system that already worked fine.

I always hear that iron sights was a way of compensating for the inaccuracy of a gamepad, but I don't know, I mean Halo didn't have iron sights before, I want to say ODST, and I never felt inaccurate when playing those games.

To me it is simply more fun to play with iron sight because it seems more "realistic". It's also harder and I like FPS to be hard.... I only really play single player FPS though once every few month maybe.

Makes it more realistic which adds immersion but somehow they have become a standard for multiplayers too where immersion isn't really the focus.

I disagree, iron sights make the games easier. Take a look at counter strike vs CoD.

Halo hasn't had iron sights until the most recent version, Halo 5. Though it's not technically the same as iron sights as AFAIK weapons don't ACTUALLY get any more accurate. You just zoom in.

This right here is probably the real reason.

The iron sigh for the ACR in MW2 was my favorite weapon ever; it was the one that got me multiple nukes and 20:1 KDs.

Other than that example I actually prefer iron sights like Colin said.

Have any of you tried insurgency? In that game, using iron sights don't increase accuracy, but since there is no crosshairs at all it is pretty much essential.

Insurgency is really fun too.

allahu akbar.

Pfff crosshairs who needs them! Iron sights are decoration! rip and tear

Come on Squish, you KNOW that CS and CoD differ in more ways than iron sights or lack thereof.

Well of course, but all aiming down sights does is zoom you in and make your weapon 100% accurate in basically every game. Because that's pretty much how it works.

Aiming down sights by no standard makes a game more difficult.

It certainly does increase accuracy, a lot in fact. XD

Well the assumption is that you do not have a magical crosshair at all, so if you are lucky the weapon in question has a somewhat useable iron sight. If it is a iron sight free simple pistol you're basically down to "I guess this may hit because middle of the screen?!". That is the hard part.

Any games using this kind of mechanic? Most games I see that have only certain weapons have scopes/iron sight include crosshairs, otherwise it's normally every weapon has iron sights.

There is no changes to the weapon accuracy in insurgency when you aim down the sight. Even recoil is the same. ADS just lets you as a human have a better indicator of where the bullet should go if you fired. Because there is no hud in this game (Except for tagging squad-mates and objective points).

there usually are options to simply switch of the crosshair at least on the highest difficulty level

In the beginning, there was a crosshair. Then as graphics developed to the point where the gun model looked good enough to show off up-close, ironsights were introduced, to show off graphics. People also liked it for the hazy cloud of reasons they mostly justify under the word "realism". Now, it's just standard.

Source? Because I'm almost certain it is just by the feel the game gives you, but I'll give it a try and record it if I have too, just to see if it is or not.

Insurgency wiki. Apparently was wrong about the recoil, (there is slight exaggeration of the recoil), but the aiming is the same accuracy. The difference is that in free aim mode, the target is what your gun is pointing at, not the magical centre of the screen.

I don't really think it increases difficulty, honestly.

It reduces your aim and movement speed, in games like Doom you had to dodge projectiles while moving at the land speed record and simultaneously aiming at enemies that were shooting at you. Some weapons even required you to lead your target.

I guess that also has to do with the fact that most FPS's take place in current day/WWII times, so all the weapons are hitscan instead of projectile (which does kind of increase difficulty, just in a different way), but that just speaks to how we need more sci-fi shooters. (and on a totally unrelated note, god I hope Battlefront is good.)


Not to mention, iron sights is part of the reason for that inoperable cancer called aim-assist. I don't know what company was first to put that into a game, all I know is that I hope they went bankrupt.

"Here, let us give you this thing that aims for you, but let us first make it so that it will never point at the head, which is where you should be hitting."