Xbox Series X and Nvidia GPU owners are set to get big performance boosts from a somewhat unlikely source, as AMD is set to support these devices with FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0, the company's next-generation upscaling tech that was just announced at GDC 2022.
As reported by Gamespot, AMD unveiled its FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.0 upscaling tech during its GDC 2022 keynote, and confirmed it will be available to Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU owners as well as players on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles. Although details about support on Microsoft consoles were slim - AMD stated it didn't currently have a timeline of when we can expect FSR 2.0 on Xbox - it's great that the tech is coming to consoles at all.
Ultimately, it's a huge win for console owners, where fixed hardware means upgrades aren't possible without buying a separate console entirely. Many Xbox Series X/S titles also feature performance modes that lower the resolution in order to boost frame rates. With FSR 2.0, performance modes should be able to enhance resolutions to something much crisper, essentially giving players the best of both worlds.
As a result, Xbox games should start to look noticeably better thanks to a bump in image quality. Games that struggle to maintain a full 4K resolution may now have an easier time holding it, as FSR 2.0 should help to cover up any serious loss of visual clarity as well.
What is FidelityFX Super Resolution?
Much like Nvidia's own DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution is upscaling technology that boosts the resolution of supported games with minimal hits to overall performance. The tech is able to upscale to more demanding resolutions, then, such as 4K, so long as the user owns a supported GPU or console.
What this means for the end user is they're able to experience a higher level of image quality on lower-end hardware, and won't need to break the bank on a flagship GPU like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090.
Much like the first generation tech AMD launched last year, FSR 2.0 is currently confirmed to feature three distinct graphical settings; Quality, Balanced and Performance modes. And while we have no concrete launch date for FSR 2.0 just yet, AMD is targeting a release window of Q2 2022. As such, we can likely expect FSR 2.0 to drop sometime between April and June.
Analysis: will FSR 2.0 come to PS5 or Switch?
We're very pleased that FSR 2.0 is coming to Xbox Series X/S consoles, of course. But considering AMD's first generation of the upscaling tech is already available on Microsoft's systems, it does seem like a no-brainer that its next-gen tech would follow suit.
We'd be more interested in seeing if FSR 2.0 makes its way to other consoles, too, especially considering the tech is open source. What's more, the PS5 shares much of the same AMD hardware that the Xbox Series X is built with. As such, it would be a shame if PS5 owners were to miss out on FSR 2.0 when it seems like it'd be right at home on Sony's flagship console, too.
One other console to consider is the Nintendo Switch, where upscaling tech could seriously benefit the comparatively underpowered console. On Switch, games typically cap out at 1080p in docked mode, and 720p when played portably. Introducing FSR to the Switch could be a huge boon for the console, then, especially as we're likely not going to see the Nintendo Switch 2 for quite some time.
FSR on Nintendo Switch doesn't seem all that unrealistic, either. During the Nintendo Switch Sports network test, for example, a user was able to find evidence of FSR implementation within the game's various licenses, potentially hinting the upscaling tech could be used for future first-party titles from Nintendo.
FSR 2.0's system requirements might be beyond the scope of the Switch's current hardware, but if the upscaling tech does indeed come to the portable console, we'd love to see AMD's next-gen version be supported on a potential upgraded Switch model somewhere down the line.
