Last June, we launched one of our most highly anticipated software technologies ever, AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution (FSR) (1). Right from the beginning, FSR was praised by both game developers and gamers for being a game-changing upscaling technology. FSR delivers outstanding performance boosts (2) in supported games to a broad spectrum of hardware, both AMD and select competitors, while remaining incredibly easy for developers to integrate into their games. All these benefits led to the rapid adoption of FSR technology in games, and it is the fastest adopted software technology in AMD history (3). FSR is now supported by over 90 game developers and publishers and is available now (as of March 15, 2022) in 61 games and 20 upcoming games, that’s over 80 games in total!
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But here at AMD, we don’t rest on our laurels, and in the nine months since we launched FSR we have been paying close attention to all the feedback from game developers, the media, and from gamers like you -- we haven’t stopped working on how to make FidelityFX Super Resolution technology even better. Today, we’re incredibly excited to be able to announce AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution (FSR) 2.0 (4), the next generation of our open-source upscaling technology expected to be available in Q2 2022, and also give you a first look at FSR 2.0 technology in the game DEATHLOOP.
Next-Level Temporal Upscaling with Incredible Image Quality
AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 technology is a temporal upscaling solution with incredible image quality that is the result of many years of research into upscaling technologies. It has been built by AMD from the ground up to deliver similar or better than native image quality and help boost framerates in supported games.
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FSR 2.0 temporal upscaling uses frame color, depth, and motion vectors in the rendering pipeline and leverages information from past frames to create very high-quality upscaled output and it also includes optimized high-quality anti-aliasing. Spatial upscaling solutions like FSR 1.0 use data from the current frame to create the upscaled output and rely on the separate anti-aliasing incorporated into a game’s rendering pipeline. Because of these differences, FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 delivers significantly higher image quality than FSR 1.0 at all quality mode presets and screen resolutions.
No Machine Learning Hardware Required and Broad Support
Like FSR 1.0, FSR 2.0 does not use Machine Learning (ML) in its upscaling algorithm. While ML is one vehicle to solve a number of problems, it is not a requirement to achieve good quality upscaling. Therefore, FSR 2.0 does not require dedicated ML hardware which means more gamers can benefit from it. FSR 2.0 will work across a wide range of products and platforms, and like FSR 1.0, that includes select competitor graphics cards.
Get a First Look at FSR 2.0 in DEATHLOOP
Enough talk, why don’t we have a look at a preview of FSR 2.0 in action. It’s all well and good to tell you that the next-gen of FSR has significantly better image quality and another thing to see it with your own eyes – as the saying goes, seeing is believing! We’ve been working closely with our friends over at Arkane Studios and Bethesda to bring FSR 2.0 to the award-winning DEATHLOOP (a game that already has FSR 1.0) and we’d like to give you an early preview of what to expect from our latest upscaling technology.
Take a look at the images below to see a 4K comparison (click on the images for the full-sized versions) of AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 in “Quality” mode compared to both native 4K resolution and FSR 1.0. When compared to the native output, the FSR 2.0 image quality is virtually identical and noticeably better than FSR 1.0 in the same mode, with improved edge quality and fine geometric and texture detail (5).
FSR 2.0 "Quality" Mode
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How about a more challenging scenario? Let’s have a look at FSR 2.0 in “Performance” mode, again compared to 4K native results and FSR 1.0 in the same mode. As can be seen, the FSR 2.0 output is significantly better than FSR 1.0. In fact, at regular viewing distances, even FSR 2.0 “Performance” mode can help boost performance and still deliver near-native quality gaming experiences (5).
FSR 2.0 "Performance" Mode
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What About in Motion, How Does FSR 2.0 Compare?
Of course, looking at still images can’t compare to seeing something moving, especial when it comes to temporal upscaling solutions, so why don’t we have a look at FSR 2.0 in DEATHLOOP in this 4K video (view in full screen for the best comparison results) (5).
Even in motion, it’s clear to see that FSR 2.0 produces substantially better results than FSR 1.0 and has incredible image quality that is practically indistinguishable from native image quality.
When Will FSR 2.0 be Available?
AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 technology will be available in Q2 2022, with DEATHLOOP being one of the first games planned to be updated to support FSR 2.0.
Also, both FSR 1.0 and FSR 2.0 will be available as open-source solutions on GPUOpen for developers to integrate into their games, depending on their specific needs.
Learn More Soon
Today is only the first step on the FSR 2.0 journey, and you’ll be able to learn many more details about FSR 2.0 in the near future – in fact, as soon as next week at GDC (Game Developers Conference) on March 23, 2022. If you’re a developer attending the conference, you’ll be able to check out our GDC talk where AMD software engineers Colin Riley and Thomas Arcila will do a deep dive explaining exactly how FSR 2.0 works in detail. You also won’t want to miss AMD’s Lou Kramer and Arkane Lyon’s Gilles Marion GDC talk either: A Guided Tour of Blackreef: Rendering Technologies in DEATHLOOP, which starts just before our FSR 2.0 talk.
And for the rest of us, videos of the presentations will be available on GPUOpen.com soon afterward.
We’re Just Getting Started
And this is only the beginning, so stay tuned to the AMD Community gaming blogs, AMD Radeon™ social channels on Twitter, Facebook (and others), and check back on our FSR web page and the news page on GPUOpen. We can’t wait for you to be able to check out FSR 2.0 technology in the coming quarter to see how it will help take supported games to the next level in both performance and image quality.
LEARN MORE ABOUT AMD FIDELITYFX SUPER RESOLUTION
LEARN MORE ABOUT AMD FIDELITYFX SUPER RESOLUTION 2.0 FOR DEVELOPERS
LEARN MORE ABOUT AMD FIDELITYFX SUPER RESOLUTION FOR DEVELOPERS
Alexander Blake-Davies is a Software Product Marketing Specialist for Radeon Software for Developers at AMD.
DISCLAIMERS AND FOOTNOTES
- AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 1.0 is available on select games and requires developer integration. See https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/radeon-software-fidelityfx-super-resolution for a list of supported games. AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution is “game dependent” and is supported on the following AMD products: AMD Radeon™ RX 6000, RX 5000, RX 500, RX Vega series graphics cards, RX 480, RX 470, RX 460, and all AMD Ryzen™ Processors with Radeon™ Graphics if the minimum requirements of the game are met. AMD does not provide technical or warranty support for AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution enablement on other vendors' graphics cards. GD-187.
- Testing by AMD Performance Labs as of July 22, 2021, on a test system configured with an AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900X CPU, AMD Radeon™ 6900 XT/6800 XT/6700 XT/6600 XT graphics cards, 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM, and Windows 10 Pro, with Smart Access Memory enabled and using FSR "Performance" mode vs. FSR off. Actual performance will vary. Games tested: Baldur's Gate 3 (“Ultra”); Black Desert Global Lab (“Epic”); Chernobylite (“Epic”); Deathloop™ (“Ultra”); Far Cry® 6 (“Ultra”); Gamedec (“Very High”) Grounded (“Epic”); Necromunda®: Hired Gun™ (“Epic”); Resident Evil™ Village (“Epic”); Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt (“Ultra”). Benchmark tests: Baldur's Gate 3, Vulkan®, 3840 x 2160, “Ultra” settings, FSR OFF/FSR “Performance” mode. Black Desert, DX11, 3840 x 2160, “Epic” settings, FSR OFF/FSR “Performance” mode. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt, DX12, 3840 x 2160, “Ultra” settings, FSR OFF/FSR “Performance” mode. Chernobylite, DX11, 3840 x 2160, “Epic” settings, FSR OFF/FSR “Performance” mode. Deathloop™, DX12, 3840 x 2160, “Ultra” settings, FSR OFF/FSR “Performance” mode vs. the same system with FSR off. Far Cry® 6, DX12, 3840 x 2160, “Ultra” settings, FSR OFF/FSR “Performance” mode. Gamedec, DX12, 3840 x 2160, “Very High” settings, FSR OFF/FSR “Performance” mode. Grounded, DX12, 3840 x 2160, “Epic” settings, FSR OFF/FSR “Performance” mode. Necromunda®: Hired Gun™, DX12, 3840 x 2160, “Epic” settings, FSR OFF/FSR “Performance” mode. Resident Evil™ Village, DX12, 3840 x 2160, “Epic” Settings, FSR OFF/FSR “Performance” mode. RS-430.
- Based on AMD internal analysis, November 2021, FidelityFX™ Super Resolution is the fastest adopted software gaming technology in AMD’s history. GD-195.
- AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 2.0 will be available in select games and requires developer integration.
- DEATHLOOP game settings: “Ultra” graphics preset with raytracing, DirectX® 12. AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT with AMD Smart Access Memory™ and FSR 2.0 “Quality” and “Performance” modes enabled (driver: AMD Radeon™ Software Adrenalin 21.50-220210a), AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900X, 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM, Qogir AM4 motherboard, and Windows® 10 Pro May 2020 update (19041.508). Results may vary.
ATTRIBUTIONS
Deathloop © 2022 ZeniMax Media Inc. Developed in association with Arkane Studios. Deathloop, Arkane, Bethesda, Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and related logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved.
© 2022 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved. AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, FidelityFX, Ryzen, Radeon, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. DirectX is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the US and other jurisdictions. Other product names used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.