AMD’s machine-learning upscaler, FSR 4.1, is coming to Xbox: first to the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, then “coming soon” to Xbox Series X and Series S. AMD announced it on October 20 in a blog post and video published at 14:00 UTC, but neither AMD nor Microsoft has given a date for the consoles.
The same announcement says Microsoft’s next-gen console, Project Helix, will use a future version called FSR “Diamond”. On PC, FSR 4.1 is live today for Radeon RX 6000 graphics cards and Ryzen AI laptops with AMD’s Adrenalin 26.10.1 driver.
AMD's announcement slide. FSR 4.1 is 'coming soon' to Xbox Series X|S, with no date yet. Image: AMD
Table of Contents
Which Xbox devices get FSR 4.1?
| Device | AMD chip | FSR 4.1 status (Oct 20) |
|---|---|---|
| ROG Xbox Ally X | Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | First in line. ASUS says FSR 4.1 comes to the Ally X “this year”; AMD says timing is up to each handheld maker |
| ROG Xbox Ally | Ryzen Z2 A | Included: AMD lists Z2 A handhelds and Xbox’s Jason Ronald names the Ally and Ally X |
| ROG Xbox Ally X20 | Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | Not named in AMD’s post, but it uses the same chip as the Ally X |
| Xbox Series X and Series S | Custom AMD | “Coming soon”; Ronald says developers get it “very soon” |
| Project Helix | Custom AMD | Will use FSR “Diamond”; no details yet |
As our ROG Xbox Ally X20 specs breakdown shows, the X20 runs the same Z2 Extreme as the $999 Ally X, the chip AMD used for its handheld tests.
What FSR 4.1 does
FSR 4.1 renders a game at a lower resolution and uses a machine-learning model to rebuild a sharper, higher-resolution image,. AMD says that on a Radeon RX 6800 XT at 4K, FSR 4.1 in Performance mode delivers “sharper detail and cleaner motion” than the older FSR 3.1 in Quality mode. For Ryzen AI 9 laptops and Z2 handhelds, AMD built a new model “less than half the size of the original INT8 model.”
AMD's own ROG Xbox Ally X test in The Blood of Dawnwalker (1080p Low, frame generation on): 27, 54 and 63 fps average. Image: AMD
FSR 4.1 is part of AMD’s FSR “Redstone” package, which also covers Frame Generation, Ray Regeneration and Radiance Caching, and AMD says over 400 games now support at least one of those features. The Xbox announcement itself only covers Upscaling 4.1, though. Nothing has been said about frame generation on Series X|S.
Do Xbox games need an update for FSR 4.1?
On the consoles, yes, as far as the announcements go. AMD calls FSR 4.1 “a powerful new tool” for developers, and Ronald wrote on X that it “will be available to developers on XBOX Series X|S very soon.” Neither company described a system-wide switch, so expect it game by game, through patches or new releases. No Xbox console game has been named yet.
Windows handhelds work like PC: once your device gets the update, you turn on “AMD FSR Upscaling” in the Graphics tab of AMD Software, then pick FSR in a supported game’s settings. AMD’s handheld test used The Blood of Dawnwalker at 1080p Low on an Ally X. AMD’s own lab numbers: 27 fps with FSR 3.1 native AA, 54 fps with FSR 3.1 Quality and 63 fps with FSR 4.1 Performance, all with frame generation on.
What Xbox and AMD said
Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet joined AMD’s Jack Huynh in the announcement video:
“We’ve worked very closely with AMD to optimize this technology, giving developers another powerful tool for great performance and visual quality for players… And there’s even more ahead with Project Helix, leveraging FSR Diamond to power what comes next.”
AMD also credits Sony. FSR 4.1 grew out of Project Amethyst, its machine-learning partnership with PlayStation, and AMD says that work is “at the heart of” FSR 4.1, QSSR on the base PS5 and PSSR on PS5 Pro. The Verge notes the Xbox news lands just weeks after QSSR reached the base PS5, and IGN frames it as Xbox’s answer to QSSR. Those comparisons are the outlets’ view; AMD and Xbox haven’t compared image quality across consoles.
What’s next
The open question is when Series X|S games actually ship with FSR 4.1. IGN hopes Microsoft gets it out before GTA 6 launches on November 19, but neither AMD nor Xbox has tied it to any game or date. Ally X owners should watch for an ASUS update, which ASUS says is coming this year. For developers, AMD says FSR SDK 2.4 with Vulkan support arrives on GPUOpen “in the next couple of weeks.” AMD and Xbox gave no details on FSR Diamond beyond the name; our Project Helix explainer covers everything else Microsoft has confirmed, and Fortune’s unconfirmed Helix price report covers what it might cost.
Sources: AMD Gaming blog (Oct 20), AMD Gaming on YouTube, Jason Ronald on X, AMD Adrenalin 26.10.1 release notes, The Verge, IGN.
Live: Follow today’s gaming news as it happens
Featured image: AMD
