AMD leverages synthetic intelligence to power its innovative frame-generation technology, aiming to enhance the power consumption and extend the battery life of portable devices like the Steam Deck. AMD’s forthcoming FidelityFX Tremulous Decision 4 is poised to be its fourth iteration of technology aimed at boosting visuals in video games, further elevating graphics quality and realism.
AMD recently disclosed it shifted its focus inward around 9-12 months ago to concentrate on an AI-driven approach, as the original FSR technology didn’t align with where gaming’s future was headed. The corporate remains locked in a fierce struggle for supremacy against Nvidia’s dominance of the GPU market, with AMD’s custom-designed chips typically featured in some of the top-tier graphics cards available; however, Nvidia enjoys a significant advantage in AI-driven gaming technology, having established a substantial lead in this area.
Jack Hung, Senior Vice President and General Manager of AMD’s Computing and Graphics Group, discussed the company’s shift in focus during an interview with Tom’s Hardware at the IFA tradeshow in Berlin. According to Hunyh, “the FSR2 and FSR3 eras have been analytical-based, with a focus on filters.” He notes that AMD is shifting its approach, embracing AI-based technology for body interpolation, which he claims will lead to elevated effectiveness in maximizing battery life.
By leveraging applied sciences related to Fixed Sample Rate (FSR), demanding video games can effectively manage slow body frame rates on underpowered graphics processing units (GPUs) through a combination of resolution scaling and temporal reprojection techniques, thereby enhancing overall gaming performance. The latter refers to the placement where additional frames are inserted between those rendered by the graphics processing unit (GPU), thereby increasing the frame rate charge to ensure a smoother gaming experience.
Unlike Nvidia’s DLSS 3, which leverages AI to generate additional frames by harnessing the power of tensor cores integrated into the GPU, FSR 3’s body is designed to be GPU-agnostic, allowing it to function seamlessly on any GPU hardware. While our tests suggest that DLSS 3 generally outperforms FSR 3 in upscaling and preserving detail, it exhibits fewer visual artifacts and shimmering effects. Currently, DLSS supports more video games than FSR 3.
As AMD enthusiastically leverages AI-driven innovations in FSR 4, its impressive prowess in upscaling and frame generation may soon experience a significant boost. While FSR 4’s hardware requirements remain unclear, it’s notable that AMD’s RDNA 3 GPUs, including the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, feature matrix cores capable of supporting AI calculations, albeit currently underutilized in gaming applications.
While this shift may herald a significant transformation for AMD’s desktop gaming GPUs, its far-reaching consequences also extend to handheld chip design, where AMD currently holds sway, powering not only the Steam Deck but also the Asus ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go. Hunch’s frustration stems from concerns that battery life won’t meet expectations in the latest devices, with AMD set to employ FSR 4 technology to mitigate this issue.
Honeyy also discussed with the team the importance of limiting the frame rate on handheld devices to a range of 30-35 frames per second, with the goal of conserving battery life. Capping the frame rate would undoubtedly limit the facility draw, but maintaining 30-35fps falls short of modern PC gaming standards. Moreover, AMD explicitly recommends using FSR 3 upscaling in games running at 60fps and above, suggesting there is sufficient data available to generate more frames. Will we’ll have a keen interest in seeing how this performs once FSR 4 is finally released.
If AMD successfully implements FSR 4, future handheld gaming devices could potentially be faster and more power-efficient? If the Steam Deck 2’s new CPU includes full AI hardware to offload upscaling and frame-generation workloads from the rest of the chip, while also providing decent CPU and GPU performance, gaming efficiency and picture quality may improve, and battery life may last longer too.
While specific details remain elusive, Hynh’s confirmation at least confirms that FSR 4 is in development. As AMD has been refining its expertise for several years now, a launch is likely imminent; however, game developers will require some time to integrate the technology once it’s available.
If you’re keen on taking your gaming experience on-the-go, consider exploring the top handheld gaming PCs that suit your needs and preferences next. As handheld devices like the ASUS ROG Ally X become increasingly prevalent, coupled with advancements in AMD’s Frame Rate Supersampling technology, you’ll be astonished at the sheer number of today’s games that can be played seamlessly on a handheld.
