Steam Deck Can Use AMD’s Super Resolution Technology

The Steam Deck is all set for launch in just a few weeks, and those who managed to place their orders are undoubtedly excited to get their hands on the system. In the weeks leading up to the launch, Valve is updating its support documentation, revealing more of what the Steam Deck will be capable of doing.

One of those important documents is the Steam Deck FAQs. AMD’s mentions are particularly interesting in the FAQs as the company’s tech is powering the Deck. One of the questions was about the Vulkan dynamic rendering, which is supported by the hardware already and will soon be supported by the Deck’s drivers.

Another question related to AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution technology and whether it would be implemented in the Deck.

Steam Deck Able to Use AMD Super Resolution Sans Game Compatibility — AMD FidelityFX

Turns out, not only is AMD’s upscaling technology present in games that support the feature, but Valve is working to make it an OS feature as part of a future release.

Once that happens, games could potentially make use of FSR even if the games themselves don’t natively support it.
Valve

AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution is similar to NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Super Sampling tech. It takes lower-resolution images and makes them higher-resolution without negatively impacting the system’s performance. However, unlike DLSS, AMD FSR does not use AI and is open source, so it is possible for any game or hardware to make use of it.

If AMD’s FSR is supported natively on the Deck’s OS, it could even be possible for some games to have better performance on the handheld as compared to regular PCs. It could also mean the feature could be used in games that don’t have FSR support from the developers.

READ: Horizon Zero Dawn & God of War Now Officially Verified for Steam Deck

No time frame was given when the AMD FSR would be natively supported, but we know it’s in the pipeline. Valve also recently added Easy AntiCheat support to the Deck OS, allowing games like Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Battlefield 2042 to be playable.

The Steam Decks start to ship out on February 25th.

About Valve Software

Valve Corporation, also known as Valve Software, is an American video game developer, publisher, and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington. Valve is best known for the software distribution platform Steam, along with gaming franchises such as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Portal, Day of Defeat, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead, and Dota.