Nvidia's DLSS 4 is Impressive: Here's What AMD's FSR 4 Needs to Compete with It.
AMD, you can do it.
Nvidia has introduced its innovative DLSS 4 model, setting high standards for AMD and its FSR 4 technology. The initial impressions of FSR 4 in performance mode seem promising, but AMD may face difficulties competing if this new technology is exclusive to the RDNA 4 architecture.
Nvidia's new DLSS 4 technology has proven to deliver excellent image quality and stability, even in super-resolution modes, leaving AMD challenged to keep pace with FSR 4. So far, FSR 4 is only confirmed to work on RDNA 4 GPUs, with no information about its compatibility with older models, which could put AMD at a disadvantage against DLSS 4, which is compatible with GPUs from the RTX 2000 series.
The jump from DLSS 4 from convolutional neural networks (CNN) to the new transformer model promises significant benefits for video games, especially for those suffering from poor optimization. While this should not be an excuse for developers to relax on optimization, it is undeniable that it will play an important role in the future.
During CES 2025, demonstration material for FSR 4 has already been showcased, and a relevant example is a comparative video between FSR 3.1 and FSR 4. Although there is no frame counter to assess performance, the visual clarity observed is a positive indication of the capabilities of this new technology.
If FSR 4 manages to compete directly with DLSS 4, the only downside for AMD would be its potential exclusivity to RDNA 4. This could be due to hardware limitations preventing it from functioning on older GPUs. Similarly, Nvidia faced criticism previously for the exclusivity of its DLSS 3 frame generation to the RTX 4000 series, a topic that resurfaces in this context.
Despite the desire for AMD to provide solid competition to Nvidia in the GPU market, the company has indicated that its focus will be on mid-range models, while DLSS 4 will be available across all RTX GPUs. This suggests that AMD's position may not be sufficient in this race.
