With all these next gen console struggling to reach 60fps, why haven't developers or engines innovated to make 30 FPS games feel smooth and less janky. Motion blur is pretty awful in most games, but with AI and other innovations why have we not had any improvements in making 30FPS games look and feel smooth?
There have been.
Maybe worth noting also that
this research predates AI frame-gen by 12+ years:
this has been a topic for as long as games existed.
There were multiple titles released on PS3/360 where the game (input, physics, game-logic, animation etc.) runs at 30fps, but presents(audio, rendering) at 60. People just never noticed it and think those were actual 60fps games (yes, not even the tech channels had any idea), because it worked well enough.
Simulators/racers have been doing physics/simulation and input at much higher tick(up to 480hz in some cases) for 25 years or so, also in an effort to make game feel more responsive irrespective of display refresh.
Not to mention VR titles (on
all platforms) have been doing various tricks to increase responsiveness AND perceived framerate from day 1.
Ultimately there's more than a fair share of discussions online about 'why do some 30fps games feel smoother than others' - and it's not all just placebo.