At the beginning of the month, Immortals of Aveum welcomed a highly anticipated update, as it introduced FSR 3 Frame Generation for the first time on consoles, a technique aimed at doubling the framerate. At a time when many “next-gen” games are once again limited to 30 FPS, it could allow you to enjoy a better gaming experience, provided of course that it is sufficiently efficient. Digital Foundry took a look at this first iteration of FSR 3 on Xbox Series X|S and PS5, and here is their verdict.
What is FSR 3 Frame Generation?
Before we fully dive into Immortals of Aveum’s performance, it’s worth remembering what FSR3 Frame Generation is.
Concretely, this is AMD’s image generation solution, which could be compared to Nvidia’s DLSS 3. The only difference lies in the fact that AMD opts for a purely software technique, while Nividia relies on dedicated hardware which is currently only found in its RTX 40 cards:
The technique between the two solutions is very similar: two images are generated successively, then a third interpolated image is inserted between the two, and so on. What you get is like a concertino effect generating standard frames and interpolated frames providing a higher frame rate
Digital Foudry explains that if in the best case this allows the framerate to be doubled, the process is not “free” and has a computational cost:
In the best case, it is possible to double the frame rate, but the gain is usually lower. Indeed, the generation of images is not free, it has a computational cost. The GPU must process the interpolated frame and this takes time, but in a scenario where the CPU is limited, it is possible to have GPU cycles in reserve, allowing the output frame rate to be doubled.
In the case of Immortals of Aveum, the gain is generally less, and we must also take into account the fact that this impacts the responsiveness of the controller in hand.
Big boost at stake!
However, experts show that FSR3 Frame Generation can still considerably improve the experience here. During gameplay phases, the game runs natively between 40 and 60 FPS, and activating FSR 3 allows you to enjoy a framerate between 70 and 90 FPS, whether on Xbox Series X or PS5.
The Sony console displays a very slightly higher native framerate and activating FSR 3 allows you to benefit from a “performance” boost of around 67%. As for the Xbox Series X, the gain is around 72%.
According to experts, the results are positive and very similar on both platforms with a 120 Hz screen, especially when using VRR.
Good surprise on Xbox Series S
The good news for Xbox gamers is that not only does the Xbox Series S also benefit from FSR 3, but it is also the machine that offers the highest framerate. The game actually runs natively around 60 FPS, and activating FSR 3 allows a boost above 100 FPS, a gain of more than 78%.
This advantage over Xbox Series S is explained by the fact that Microsoft’s small console also requires major graphical compromises in the game, and also a much lower rendering resolution than on Xbox Series X or PS5.
The “premium” consoles run at a native resolution of 960p, then upscaled to 4K via FSR 2, while the Xbox Series S aims for 1080p from a native resolution of only 432p, i.e. one of the biggest resolution gaps we’ve seen.
Lots of harmful effects despite everything
Obviously, image generation is not a magic solution and several harmful effects are still to be deplored. First, there is an increase in input lag of around 8.3 ms when FSR 3 is activated on Xbox Series X, and 15.3 ms on Xbox Series S.
Image quality is also impacted, notably with artifacts that may appear on the screen more or less accentuated depending on the situation:
The nature of image generation is that the more commonality there is between two standard rendered images, the fewer artifacts there are; the faster the movement, the less precise the interpolation and the less satisfactory the image. Characters running from left to right directly in front of the camera are a challenge with that sort of ghosting effect you see.
Magic effects are even more problematic and you should be able to easily spot interpolated frames versus standard frames, which is why having a higher base frame rate is beneficial.
The game’s HUDs can also be problematic, as they are not impacted by image generation and therefore run at a frame rate reduced to half that of the rest of the game, which also introduces artifacts on the screen.
Below is the full video from Digital Foundry. Overall, the implementation of FSR 3 Frame Generation seems quite encouraging, but the solution involves several compromises.
Remember that Immortals of Aveum is available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PC. The game is also included in the EA Play catalog and is therefore playable without further delay for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. Don’t hesitate to tell us what you think of the title, but also of course of this first iteration of the FSR 3 Frame Generation on consoles.
