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AMD SDK suggests 4x and 6x frame generation multipliers are in the works — driver-level tweak will let gamers upgrade existing titles to FSR4 ML-based frame generation
The latest version of AMD's ADLX developer kit has been published a scant five days ago, and some eagle-eyed folks have already spotted a meaningful new addition that's relevant for AMD gamers worldwide. This revision adds support for an incoming driver-level override for FSR4 Frame Generation (FG), with a twofold purpose.
First, it lets games coded with FSR3.1 FG support to upgrade their frame generation to the high-quality AI-based method FSR4 uses. Second, it'll at some point enable selecting the frame generation ratio, a value that currently sits at only 2x for FSR4 but ought to almost certainly include 4x and 6x in the near future. This new toggle ought to be quite similar the existing Adrenalin toggle to upgrade the upscaling type to the latest version.
All told, this should be welcome news for most any gamer with and AMD graphics card. The greatest benefiters, though, will undoubtedly be those with modest cards, who'll enjoy added smoothness and improved perceived visual quality. Plus, getting a free upgrade for games using FSR 3.1 FG is the cherry on top.
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A ratio of 2x is fairly tame in the days when Nvidia's DLSS can reach up to 6x frame generation, and lags behind even Intel in this regard. Adding fuel to the fire, FSR FG has historically had issues with frame pacing, so adding higher ratios and smoothing out frame delivery are sorely needed additions to bring AMD to feature parity with its main competitors.
The new feature's technical name is "IADLX3DFidelityFXFrameGenUpgrade", and it's a driver-level interface that includes "GetRatio" and "SetRatio" functions among others. Those, in turn, use the ratio values defined by "ADLX_FFX_FRAME_GEN_RATIO". That sounds like a lot of technical gobbledygook, but the relevant bit is that it exposes driver-level functionality for both upgrading the FG type, and setting the ratio.
As shown in the relevant SDK lines, the possible ratios are "unknown" and "2x". Obviously, 2x is the currently available ratio, but it's a safe enough bet to that AMD wouldn't bother adding the Set/GetRatio functions if it wasn't planning on having values beyond that at some point. There's little telling when this will happen precisely, but we're guessing sometime soon, as the presence of this SDK functionality implies there's an extant necessity for it.
Bruno Ferreira is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has decades of experience with PC hardware and assorted sundries, alongside a career as a developer. He's obsessed with detail and has a tendency to ramble on the topics he loves. When not doing that, he's usually playing games, or at live music shows and festivals.
Who needs game developers just get 1000x frame generators and let the video card generate a fake game :)
People just need to remove the FPS counter from their screens and play their game. When you use fake frame generators you might no longer see the issue on the screen but you can still feel the lag in the controls.
