Skip to main content

AMD’s next version of FSR promises better visuals and support for Xbox

At GDC 2024, AMD has announced an update to FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), its upscaling tech for improving frame rates in games. FSR 3.1 brings some predicted improvements to image quality and stability, but with it, also some changes to how it’s positioned as a platform.

The main tweak is that FSR 3.1 frame generation is now “decoupled” from FSR upscaling for the purpose of working “with other upscaling solutions.” Presumably, this means with Intel’s XeSS or Nvidia’s DLSS. This hopefully also means that you can toggle off frame generation from FSR 3, just like you can with DLSS, giving you more minute control of performance. As one user shared on Reddit, this would also be helpful for those on older RTX GPUs, combining DLSS with AMD’s frame generation.

Recommended Videos

Announced today at #GDC2024, we are excited to share some details on AMD FSR 3.1.

This upcoming update to our upscaling and frame generation technology brings improved image quality, new developer features, and more.

Available for developers Q2. Read: https://t.co/l78xzZr3HY pic.twitter.com/5QOl7NYb6j

— AMD Radeon (@amdradeon) March 20, 2024

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!

FSR 3.1 also comes with a new API to help encourage more adoption from developers in the future. According to AMD, this new API will make debugging easier and “allows forward compatibility” with future versions of FSR. This is important, especially since FSR 3 adoption has been relatively slow. AMD was celebrating that 40 titles currently or will eventually support FSR 3, but it’s definitely a work in progress, with AMD seemingly putting more emphasis on driver-based AMFM (AMD Fluid Motion Frames) recently. Of the 40, 21 of the titles are in the “upcoming games” category.

AMD also announced that FSR 3.1 will also support for two development kits: Vulkan and Xbox. There weren’t many details added in this regard, but both are exciting prospects for better support for FSR on consoles and handhelds. As Phoronix points out, Vulkan API support makes it possible to get FSR 3.1 on games that are Linux-native.

When it comes to improvements to image quality, AMD says FSR 3.1 will bring “improved temporary stability at rest and in movement,” which includes reduction of flickering, shimmering, and “fizziness” surrounding objects in motion. AMD also says FSR 3.1 will preserve details in textures better too.

Two screenshots side by side of FSR 3.1 compared to FSR 2.2 in ghost reduction.
AMD

The first game to officially announce support for FSR 3.1 is Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which will be adding the updated upscaling to its arsenal “later this year.” As shown by some GIFs on AMD’s blog, you can see the visual improvement going from FSR 2.2 to 3.1, specifically in ghosting reduction and temporal stability. How big of a difference this will be coming from FSR 3, however, is yet to be seen.

FSR 3.1 will be available for developers through GPUOpen in the second quarter of 2024.

Luke Larsen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Luke Larsen is the Senior Editor of Computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.
What to expect from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel at CES 2025
ces 2025 what to expect from amd nvidia intel jensen 1

A lot hangs on CES 2025. The show hasn't mattered for the world of PCs and computing this much in many years. After the past year, the stakes have never been so high for the big three. Intel is in an extremely compromised position -- will it win back trust? Will AMD be able to capitalize on the opportunity? Can anything stop Nvidia from taking over the world?

A week from now, we just may have some answers to those questions. Buckle up for what will most certainly be a wild week of announcements. The RTX 50-series GPUs is top of mind, but it may end up only being the tip of the iceberg.
What to expect from Intel at CES 2025

Read more
The best PC gaming feature of 2024 didn’t come from Nvidia, AMD, or Intel
Forza Horizon 5 on the Sony InZone M10S.

One of the great benefits of PC gaming is the ability to take matters in to your own hands. Not enough games support your favorite feature? Unhappy with the frame rate your PC is producing? There's all sorts of applications that can let you tinker and optimize your PC gaming experience.

Many of these are rather niche, but there's one that I would recommend just about every PC gamer install. It's called Lossless Scaling, and if you haven't already heard of it, I'm about to make your day.
How Lossless Scaling scaled up

Read more
AMD’s next GPU already has two big problems
AMD logo on the RX 7800 XT graphics card.

We're about to enter a new era of GPUs, with Nvidia, AMD, and Intel duking it out for slots among the best graphics cards. But this time around, things are different. Team Red, which has traditionally served as a downward force on prices against much more popular Nvidia GPUs, is caught in the middle of a graphics card market that's headed in two vastly different directions.

Although AMD has yet to formally unveil its RDNA 4 graphics cards, the company has confirmed that it's coming early next year. The details about AMD's next-gen GPUs are still up in the air, but you don't need any official specs or benchmarks to see the precarious position that AMD is in. The company's next-gen graphics cards already have two big problems -- Nvidia, which likely will pursue flagship dominance, and AMD itself.
A picture of what's coming

Read more