AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution technology now available
The source code is out for AMD’s upscaling technology – but when is it coming to Linux?
AMD has finally officially launched its FidelityFX Super Resolution technology. Similar to Nvidia’s proprietary DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) tech, FidelityFX Super Resolution uses machine learning to upscale games to higher resolutions without a noticeable performance cost.
As an example, the technology could take a game running at 1080p resolution and upscale it to 4K, while maintaining image quality. The game should then run much more smoothly than if it were running at 4K natively, especially on lowerpowered hardware.
What sets AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution apart from DLSS is that while DLSS is closed source and limited to Nvidia’s latest high-end RTX graphics cards, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution is open-source as part of the GPUOpen initiative (https://gpuopen.com), and it will also support both AMD and Nvidia GPUs.
While the technology is currently Windowsonly, the source code is due to be released under an MIT licence in the middle of July (so by the time you read this), and hopefully the community will set to work bringing it to Linux. As for DLSS, while we’re not in love with its proprietary nature, there’s also some good news there for Linux gamers, as Nvidia and Valve have worked together to bring support for DLSS to Proton (https://github.com/ValveSoftware/ Proton), which enables Windows-only games to run in Linux via a compatibility layer. Because DLSS can improve performance in games (sometimes drastically), it can now be used to make playing Windows games in Linux via Proton feel even more like you’re playing them natively.
For more about AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution, visit the GPUOpen website (https:// bit.ly/LFX279AMDFx), which details how the technology works, and how it can improve game performance. There’s also a list of games that are being patched to support the technology.