AMD’s FSR Upscaling 4.1 Comes To Older GPUs, Steam Machine And Xbox ROG Ally Support On The Way
AMD has officially rolled out FSR Upscaling 4.1, its latest AI-powered upscaling technology, to owners of RDNA 3 GPUs—earlier than the previously expected July release. This update brings significant improvements in performance and visual fidelity, closing the gap between AMD’s solution and Nvidia’s DLSS, which has long been the market leader in this space. The release also hints at future support for more devices, ensuring broader accessibility for gamers.
A Step Closer to DLSS-Level Performance
FSR 4.1 operates using similar principles to other upscaling technologies but has evolved to deliver results that rival DLSS in both speed and image quality. This advancement is especially notable because the same AI framework powers Sony’s PSSR 2 for the PlayStation 5 Pro, which builds upon AMD’s core technology with additional refinements from Sony’s engineers.
With this update, the upscaling suite is no longer limited to the latest RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT GPUs. Now, a wider range of RDNA 3 GPUs, including popular models like the RX 7800 XT and RX 7800 XTX, can take advantage of the improved upscaling features. To use FSR 4.1, users will need the latest version of AMD’s Adrenalin software, which can be downloaded from the official website.
Expanding Support to RDNA 3.5 APUs
AMD is also working on bringing FSR 4.1 to devices equipped with RDNA 3.5 APUs, such as Valve’s Steam Machine and the Xbox ROG Ally X. These devices have lower memory bandwidth compared to traditional GPUs, so AMD is developing lightweight AI models tailored to their performance characteristics. This expansion aims to ensure that even hybrid devices with integrated graphics can benefit from the latest upscaling improvements.
Looking ahead, AMD has confirmed plans to bring FSR 4.1 to RDNA 2 GPUs by 2027. However, this likely won’t extend to the Steam Deck, which uses a RDNA 2 GPU. While this update could have given the handheld device a performance boost, the hardware limitations of the Steam Deck may prevent it from benefiting, especially as the device has become more expensive over time.
