AMD

AMD made a compromise withFSR 3 . The frame - generation technical school was announced in November 2022 , and it took nearly a year for it to show up in a biz . Even now , months after release , FSR 3 is only usable in 12 games , the Leo ’s share of which are legacy titles and individual - player games that are past their prime . Adoption was n’t working , hence the indigence for a compromise .

The via media is AMD Fluid Motion Frames , or AFMF — one of the least tricky acronym , but I divagate . This is driver - free-base systema skeletale generation . FSR 3 is n’t useable in a gross ton of games , but AFMF sidestep that vault , so long as you have an AMD graphic card . you may use bod multiplication through the driver in fundamentally anyDirectX 11 or DirectX 12game . Sounds pretty sweet .

Jacob Roach in a promotional image for ReSpec

The trouble is that AFMF is n’t very practiced . The experience ranges from slimly good than playing the game natively to downright worse . As the only way forrader for AMD ’s frame - generation tech , it ’s a distressing sign .

AFMF is not FSR 3

AMD is adamant that AFMF is not FSR 3 . That ’s a statement I agree with , but it ’s easy to see why AFMF and FSR 3 always come up in the same conversation . Both offer human body propagation , or more accurately , soma interpolation . They work in the same path ; your graphics batting order supply two frames and compare them , and then it look a frame in between free-base on the difference of opinion between them . The critical difference is that FSR 3 does this in the secret plan engine as part of the render word of mouth while AFMF does it after the rendering is already done . That difference is why AFMF can be installed as a equipment driver after the fact .

The biz locomotive engine advantage is a big mickle for effigy quality . As part of the deliver pipeline , FSR 3 can get at details like motion vectors from the game , allowing it to more accurately generate a bod . It can also carve out elements like the UI and menus , which are particular pain points for bod - contemporaries tech . AFMF ca n’t do that . It adopt the final frame you see , UI and all . AFMF has shockingly good quality considering how it works , but you’re able to still spot some artifacts that are n’t present with FSR 3 .

AMD recognizes that AFMF is n’t perfect , so or else of just letting it go , AFMF mechanically call on off whenever there ’s too big of a divergence between two frames , particularly in fast motion . There are some artifacts on menus and the like , but the real killer for AFMF is the dynamic way in which it mold .

AFMF had a somewhat jittery reception during most gameplay .

I tested four game , and out of that raft , AFMF provided a unfit experience in three of them . The only exception isLike a Dragon : Infinite Wealth , and that ’s principally due to the fact that it ’s a bend - free-base game . For the other three , I would rather play these games natively with lower smoothness than ferment AFMF on .

The reason why is simple : The peaks and valleys of AFMF are too obtrusive . In most of the game I tested , I was hovering between 70 frames per second ( fps ) and 90 fps with upscaling turned on at 4K. The pacing between each frame was comparatively coherent , and when it mount and fly , there was a smooth ride down or up . That ’s was n’t the case with AFMF .

Any metre there was too much of a difference of opinion between two frames , AFMF turn off , pass to a jarring experience where it never felt like the game is still . If you walk in a straight line of business slowly , it looks placid . But during any sort of real gameplay , you ’re vibrate between a high skeleton pace and a low one . A coherent , relatively low frame rate will finger smoother than one that ’s jumping from high to low constantly .

That was sure enough my experience , with a somewhat jittery reception during most gameplay . Even with the frame rate counter depict a higher figure , the game did n’t feel as still .

The best mode to demonstrate that is a frame clip graph , which you could see above inLike a Dragon : Infinite Wealth . These tests were campaign with aRyzen 9 7950Xand anRX 7800 XT.I have a handful of these charts , so it ’s deserving excuse what they show . This is the time between each frame , with a sampling taken every quarter of a second over the class of a few transactions . high-pitched frame clip entail lower frame pace , but that ’s not what ’s significant with these charts . We ’re looking at consistency . Ideally , you need your chassis clip to be as close to a flat business as potential . That leads to a quiet experience , as the sentence between each frame is similar .

That ’s not what you see inLike a tartar : Infinite Wealth . With AFMF off , there was some variation as I ran around the street of Hawaii and tussled with a few baddies , but everything is in close proximity . AFMF , on the other hand , spike every time I strike the camera . Finally , FSR 3 deal to lour the frame of reference fourth dimension ( and amend the frame rate ) , demonstrate a standardized level of consistency as the results with AFMF turn off . There ’s your cogent evidence — AFMF is certainly not FSR 3 .

AFMF is not a compromise for lacking FSR 3 support

I did n’t do anything special for these test . I played three to five minute of the game , load the same save file and running around the same country . It ’s worth noting that this is specificallynota bench mark political campaign . It ’s suppose to mime existent gameplay , so you’re able to forgive some horizontal surface of edition . For exemplar , you’re able to see a duet of spikes in both the AFMF off and FSR 3 solvent where the frame pace shortly dipped inLike a tartar : Infinite Wealth . We ’re look at the overall course , not any individual spike .

I require to build that before showing you theStarfieldchart you could see above . There are a lot of squiggly lines here , so allow ’s take them one by one . With both FSR 3 and AFMF turned off , you may see some variation . Those abbreviated spike you see — where the frame meter photograph straight up — is because of a stammer . There are also some rounder peaks and valleys , as this chart make up a dowery of fight where the frame rate was n’t completely unchanging .

With AFMF on , you see similar trouble . There are large spikes indicating a stutter , as well as summit and valleys in framing time , but it ’s the overall trend that ’s a problem here . The frame time is all over the place in a active armed combat scene , jerking back and forward between a in high spirits and low physical body fourth dimension unrelentingly .

As mentioned , these are n’t 100 % identical bench mark trial , so you see some areas where AFMF on has a higher frame time than AFMF off . That ’s not an yield with the tech , but rather some variableness in each of these runs . The percentage point is n’t to single out a portion of this chart and compare the three results — the end here is show the overall trend of shape time .

StarfieldandLike a Dragon : Infinite Wealthboth support FSR 3 , so you could ( and should ) just habituate that feature article rather than AFMF . The driver - base frame generation is there for everything else , but unluckily , other game show the same problems that we can see in FSR 3 game .

Star Wars Jedi : Survivoris a good example of how that hurt the experience . In stark   contrast toStarfield , I did n’t get into any combat in this running , but choose a short , linear platforming division through the Shattered Moon . With AFMF off , the frame time is clean stable , but with it on , you’re able to see some open spike throughout the two - minute test .

It ’s a slew better thanStarfield , but the absolute majority of this examination was just my character scarper in a straight line of credit with an occasional jump or zipline . It ’s a expectant example of how even under ideal setting for AFMF , the feature of speech still has limitation .

For a more naturalistic gameplay experience , appear atReturnal . This plot has a comparatively all-encompassing camera in fighting , so it ’s not as jittery asStarfieldwith its first - person view . Still , there ’s a ton of edition with AFMF turned on . For all of these runs , I was n’t just standing still and whip the photographic camera around — I was play the game , reacting as anyone would when playing it .

Proper FSR 3 support is the only way forward

This raft of testing exposed how bully FSR 3 really is . It ’s not quite as high character asNvidia ’s DLSS 3 , but it ’s unaired enough . Add on top the fact that you could use FSR 3 with virtually any GPU — and equipment like theSteam Deck and ROG Ally — and there ’s an argument that it ’s even unspoilt than DLSS 3 in sure aspects . It ’s just not available in enough games .

Since October of last yr , FSR 3 has only made its means into 12 games . Only three of those games are operose slugger — Call of Duty Modern Warfare III , Farming Simulator 22 , and as of a few day ago , Starfield . Iwrote about this exact issuefour calendar month ago , and the situation has barely improved since then . For setting , in the same four - month period from release , DLSS 3 showed up in 25 games , the bulk of which were newfangled titles likeAtomic Heart , Warhammer 40 K : Darktide , Need for Speed Unbound , andSpider - Man : Miles Morales . There ’s no doubt Nvidia has a big head set off for DLSS 3 support , but FSR 3 is still lagging far behind in borrowing charge per unit .

AFMF is n’t good enough to occupy those gaps . In compose this article , I ’ve see half a dozen small tips and play a joke on users have found in using AFMF , such asadding a frame pace capto eliminate charge , and that ’s cracking . I wish that the feature survive and that users can mess around with it to see if it better their gameplay experience , because in some cases , it actually does . It ’s just not a result for game lack FSR 3 accompaniment .

AFMF need some big improvements before it can live up to its promise .

To AMD ’s reference , it ’s not call out from the rooftops about AFMF , and it ’s certainly not say AFMF is a replacement for FSR 3 . It ’s easy to see where you could make that laying claim , though . AFMF and FSR 3 are always in the same conversation , and headline utter about boosting performance in “ most PC games ” have already made the round . Even with seemingly good purpose , AFMF looks like a solution for game that miss FSR 3 financial support when it ’s clearly not .

AFMF needs some big improvements before it can truly fill in the game that FSR 3 misses , but give the gadget driver - base overture of the tech , I ’m not certain how much further it can go . It ’s a very interesting feature that I ’d love to see mature , theoretically providing a performance boost in just about any game you may throw at it . I just bid it come after we already had a all-inclusive swath of game that support FSR 3 because AFMF is clearly much worse right now .

As it stand now , FSR 3 is only uncommitted in a modest number of title , the bulk of which have very abject player count . And in blank space of proper FSR 3 support is AFMF , which does very minuscule in most games to meliorate the experience . If AMD can fix up AFMF , I ’ll be the first to cheer them on . But as of now , it has a long path to go .