Frame generation is coming to handhelds but it might not be what you expect

Frame generation might be coming to some gaming handhelds thanks to an update to AMD Radeon 700M integrated GPUs, but there’s a catch.

Frame Generation is considered something of a game-changer for many fans of modern AAA games. The use of tools like Nvidia’s DLSS 3 has enabled huge jumps in the frame rates of games such as Starfield and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Now AMD has enabled its version of the technology on its Radeon 700M integrated GPUs, which will bring frame-generation tech to handhelds for the first time.

Fluid Motion Frames (also known as AFMF) is AMD’s answer to DLSS and acts as a broader version of FSR 3 Frame Generation and should function on any game that uses DirectX11 or 12. AFMF does suffer somewhat in comparison to DLSS 3 and FSR 3 as it cannot use motion vectors to construct new frames as accurately. It can also suffer somewhat with increased lag due to the additional processing time needed to add the extra frames, though AMD’s Anti-Lag+ technology can reduce this slightly.

Frame generation comes to the Asus ROG Ally and more

Despite the disadvantages, AFMF is overall a net positive for handheld devices that use the Radeon 700M series, such as the Asus ROG Ally, which uses the 780M in its architecture. The ROG Ally can struggle with the FPS of some more demanding games, resulting in a framerate that can struggle to consistently keep 60FPS, even on medium or low graphics settings, according to tests conducted by Tom’s Guide. For this use case, AFMF could be extremely useful, stabilizing the framerate and ensuring a smoother experience for users.

There is a problem, however. AMD is recommending that AFMF should only be enabled if your framerate is already 60FPS or higher. This is assumed to be due to the latency issue with lower framerates making the game feel sluggish or unresponsive. This restriction, though logical, would largely defeat the point of enabling the feature at all for many users.

Perhaps further updates to the technology will make AFMF more attractive for handheld users. News on future developments will be right here at Dexerto.