FSR 2.0 for Xbox Series X, but we want Switch compatibility

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As of yet, there is no official news from AMD about the release of FSR 2.0 on the Nintendo Switch. This new version of AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 is sure to please everyone who previously enjoyed the original AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution software. When AMD’s updated version of its temporal upscaling solution begins appearing in games in Q2 2022, the company thinks you’ll agree.

image credits: AMD

The absence of hardware upgrades is a major drawback of console gaming, which is why AMD’s participation at GDC 2022 this week was so welcomed. Xbox Series X and Series S consoles will be able to take use of the company’s smart FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR 2.0) innovation.

Depth, motion vectors, and colour are all important concepts to master in order to fully appreciate the computer science underpinning FidelityFX Super Resolution. You don’t have to dig into the nitty gritty here, but for those of you who do, here are the basics: It improves your framerate while retaining the visual quality of the game at the native resolution. To put it another way, if you’re willing to make little tweaks to your game’s resolution and aesthetics, you’ll be rewarded with better frame rates. This, at least, is the gist of it, although the specifics of how it’s implemented may vary from game to game.

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It’s excellent news, even if there isn’t a specific date. Similar to Nvidia’s own DLSS technology, FSR also upscales games in real time, allowing you to play at 1080p resolution with the quality of 2K visuals. At least theoretically, it’s the best of all worlds for the Xbox X and S, providing games that struggle to run smoothly at 4K resolution a chance to improve their performance. Below is a video of Deathloop demonstrating this.

In order to make this a reality, it will need to be implemented by a game developer, but Xbox users should not give up hope. In theory, the PS5 may be a follower of the AMD-powered PS4 someday, but the real reward could be support for a much older device.

The one for whom we are praying

The Switch is the oldest current-generation system, and Nintendo’s portable hybrid may just be halfway through its lifespan. While developers have done amazing things with its restricted internals (The Witcher 3 on Switch is a technological wonder), it’s safe to assume that the hardware is reaching the end of its useful life at this point, after five years of existence.

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Could FSR 2 be of assistance? It is possible. In the licence agreement for the Nintendo Switch Sports network test, one Twitter user found a reference to FSR, which suggests that Nintendo is at least considering the option.

It is possible that FSR will help Switch remain competitive in light of the fact that the OLED display has fallen short of expectations in terms of performance increase. However, as The Verge points out, performance depends on the graphics card you select, and the Switch isn’t exactly a graphical powerhouse.

Nevertheless, any increase is preferable than none at all in this case. The Switch 2 is still a long way off, so we’ll take what we can get at this point in time.

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In FSR 2.0, there will be three modes of operation: quality, balanced, and performance. As expected, they function as expected, with quality emphasising visual fidelity preservation and performance emphasising framerate optimization. You may get more information on AMD’s technology on the company’s blog.

Although FSR isn’t a magic bullet, you still need one of the top graphics cards to get the most out of your PC gaming. A tutorial about the differences between AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS is also available on our website.

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