Valve has confirmed that it is collaborating with AMD to implement support for FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4 on the Steam Machine. The company stated that the integration is currently underway and will be available soon, though a specific release date has not yet been provided.
FSR 4 is AMD's latest iteration of its machine learning-based upscaling technology, designed to enhance performance and visual quality in games. While AMD initially indicated FSR 4 would launch for its RX 7000-series graphics cards in July, the company has been less clear about its availability for older architectures, including the RDNA 3 GPUs that power the Steam Machine. This direct partnership between Valve and AMD suggests a tailored effort is required to ensure the Steam Machine's semi-custom GPU benefits from the enhanced upscaler.
Valve anticipates that FSR 4 will offer a significant improvement in upscaling graphical quality for the Steam Machine. However, the technology's increased performance demands, particularly on hardware not originally designed for it, could present a challenge. The Steam Machine's relatively modest GPU relies heavily on upscaling and frame generation to handle modern titles at desirable resolutions. The added overhead of FSR 4 might necessitate a careful balancing act between performance and visual fidelity for users.
Currently, the number of games with native FSR 4 support is limited. Many titles rely on AMD's Adrenalin driver software for FSR integration. It remains to be seen how FSR 4 will be implemented within SteamOS for games that do not have direct support, adding another layer of consideration for Steam Machine owners.