Get # Console Performance Leaps Forward: An Evolution in Gaming Technology

Gamers are forever caught up in a tug-of-war between the PC and console worlds. Each platform has its own set of pros and cons, and consoles are often criticised as inferior in terms of performance compared with their PC counterparts. But the march of time has closed this gap considerably. Some of these advancements include console-level games running on AMD’s latest CPUs, or the excitement surrounding the PC’s exclusive spectral technologies. But in May 2023, we were presented with an entirely new concept. The integration of frame generation technology – previously a fortress of PC gaming – is available now in consoles, such as AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 3, which is enabled in new Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5 titles.

Frame Generation: A Game Changer for Consoles

The Arrival of FSR 3 on Consoles

Just like this latest update, Immortals of Aveum gave PC gaming experiences that were previously exclusive to consoles. But while the third generation of Fidelity Super-Sampling (FSR 3) was unveiled to consoles, it was as if the console gaming experience had taken a leap directly to 2023 PC gaming standards. A single test on Xbox Series X even showed up to a 72 per cent performance boost. It is as if we have done things backwards. Once gaming was a PC-focused phenomenon that had to eventually be loaded on consoles as a catch-up measure. Now, PC gaming is benefiting from console inventions. Who would have thought that we would be talking about consoles moving PC gaming forward, instead of the other way around?

The Impact on Game Performance

According to Digital Foundry, which looked at the Xbox Series X version of Immortals of Aveum, frame generation can make the game spike from an inconsistent 40 fps to 60 fps, to a consistent higher refresh rate. John Linneman of Digital Foundry said that the higher frame rate seemed like playing a 120-fps game. Such high frame rates for an Unreal Engine 5 game is unprecedented on the platform. Frame generation is also something players can toggle on or off, providing more control than previously seen on consoles.

Challenges Along the Way

And while frame generation enhanced the experience for longer, the challenges have not been without glitches. Players have reported visual artefacts, freezes and stutters in gameplay, as well as issues with HUD elements that exhibit ‘2D lag’ (when items appear to be updating slower than the rest of the frame). All this suggests that frame generation is very early in its console life cycle.

The Rise of Upscaling Technologies in Gaming

FSR and DLSS: Bridging the Gap Between PC and Console Gaming

PC gaming has been reinvigorated in recent years with advancements in upscaling and frame generation technologies such as Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR). These generative AI iterations of traditional anti-aliasing programs can improve performance without top-of-the-line hardware, including DLSS 3. The third iteration of FSR has released to massive commercial acclaim, and is now making its way into console gaming. This is a big deal, as both the Xbox and the PlayStation are powered by AMD hardware, so it makes sense that FSR 3 could be applied to them.

The Competitive Edge in Console Gaming

The addition of FSR 3 is no mere technical milestone, though, but also an indication that today’s race isn’t just about the raw numbers of teraflops. While Nvidia’s DLSS 3 is exclusive to its RTX 40-series graphics cards, FSR 3’s wider GPU compatibility could set a new competitive benchmark, one that redefines expectations of console-class gaming quality. The feature could well result in games ultimately demanding more of consoles, elevating what consumers have come to expect from the graphical fidelity and smoothness of their play experiences.

The Future of Console Gaming

A New Horizon

With console gaming leveraging frame generation technology such as FSR 3, the path is now open to higher performance levels. While this early implementation shows the technology’s potential, there are still challenges to overcome before it feels like an improvement to gaming. In the years ahead, we may well see more console titles adopting FSR 3 as a standard feature.

The Decision Between PC and Console

Now that console performance has become strong enough to make the choice a real one, frame generation technology might have a place in elevating gamers to a world of high-quality gaming, regardless of their preference of platform.

Understanding Consoles: A Deep Dive

Gaming consoles for any platform are the staples of any gamer’s environment due to the fact that it offers gaming experience unrivalled by that of games on PCs. This is because consoles were built from the ground up with gaming in mind, with hardware excelling at games and a plug-and-play experience, without the hassle of constant upgrades in hardware that PC gaming entails. Newer consoles with advanced technology such as AMD’s FSR 3 only further the competitive edge of the console. This renders consoles in general a more viable option for the pursuit of high framerates and gaming in general.

The saga of console gaming is one of incremental innovation (usually when a new generation is announced) and the pushing of the bar higher and higher. New technologies such as frame generation and upscaling will usher in a new era in this saga, as console players can finally start playing games at a quality previously thought to be reserved for PC gamers. The convergence of PC and console gaming is quite likely in the not-so-distant future.