HardwareArm has developed a new shader-based upscaler using AMD’s open source FSR 2.2 as its starting baseWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
HardwareArm has developed a new shader-based upscaler using AMD’s open source FSR 2.2 as its starting baseWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Arm)
Processor designer Arm has createda new shader-based upscaler for mobile deviceswith tiny GPUs but high-resolution screens. What makes this one different to the likes of Qualcomm’s Game Super Resolution and Nvidia’s DLSS Super Resolution is that it’s not only open-source itself but it’s also been developed from the work of another open-source project: AMD’s FSR 2.2 upscaler.
Game developers can choose to implement a raft of different upscaling methods—some are reliant on having a specific bit of hardware in the gaming PC (e.g. Nvidia’sDLSS Super Resolutionrequires a GeForce RTX graphics card), while others are entirely shader-based and only require a general level of GPU features.
One of the most widely employed upscalers is AMD’sFidelityFX Super Resolution(FSR) and over the years it’s gone from being a basic spatial upscaler to a complex, multi-staged temporal system. Most discrete graphics cards can handle the shader routines with ease but tiny GPUs, especially those integrated into mobile devices' processors, aren’t necessarily powerful enough.
To make matters worse, in the case of smartphones, those GPUs have to deal with a display that has an enormous number of pixels. Upscaling would be really useful here but if you don’t have enough shader units then a complex temporal upscaler is out of the question and you’re left with having to use a simple spatial one that doesn’t produce nice results.
Hence why Arm has developedArm Accuracy Super Resolution(Arm-ASR)—an upscaler that isn’t as complex as those used in gaming PCs but is still temporal. Essentially, the software engineers used AMD’s FSR 2.2 as its starting base, simplified some of the routines, and optimised them for Arm-based, low-power processors.
With such devices, not only are you getting more performance for a relatively small hit in graphics quality, but you’re also getting a reduction in power consumption. That means less heat and a longer battery life, both of which are very welcome in mobile devices.
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Image1of2(Image credit: Arm)(Image credit: Arm)
Image1of2(Image credit: Arm)(Image credit: Arm)
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(Image credit: Arm)(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)
(Image credit: Arm)
For me, the most important part of all of this is the fact that Arm-ASR will be released under an MIT open-source license, paving the way for game developers to perhaps implement it forhandheld gaming PCs. The APUs in these machines have more potent GPUs than those in a typical smartphone but you still need to leverage upscaling to enjoy the right balance of graphics and performance in big games.
The work might also garner Qualcomm’s attention for itsSnapdragon Xchips that currently power allCopilot+ AI PCs. These have GPUs that are purportedly a match for anything that Intel has to offer,according to Qualcomm, but the word on the street is that the reality doesn’t quite match the marketing claims.
Your next machine(Image credit: Future)Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.
Your next machine
(Image credit: Future)Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.
(Image credit: Future)
Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.
Imagine just how neat that would be: Using a Qualcomm upscaler, developed from Arm-ASR, which in turn was made from FSR.
None of this would have been possible, of course, if FSR wasn’t open-source in the first place and even though it’s not a system without flaws, the fact that anyone can use it and create their own systems is a major plus. We’ve seen coders use AMD’s development kit tocreate mods that swap DLSS for FSR, proving once again that open-source is a great pathway to creativity and innovation.
AMD has just released an updated version of itsFidelityFX SDK, sporting an improvedFSR 3.1 upscalerand a fully decoupled frame generation algorithm, so it’s only a matter of time before someone makes a mod that implements them in a favourite game or two. And you never know, we might just see an Arm-ASR mod for Copilot+ PCs, too.
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