Asus has just released an update for its ROG Ally, allowing games to run faster on the portable device.
How is this framerate wizardry achieved? Well, it’s not magic, but rather thanks to technology from AMD introduced in the ROG Ally, known as AFMF (AMD Fluid Motion Frames).
We’re excited to announce that @AMD Fluid Motion Frames will be available on #ROGAlly! The iGPU driver and ACSE update coming later today will include everything you need to use this new feature. Read the full changelog here 👉https:/ /t.co/UkpqhVBGpx pic.twitter.com/tH7GYg0WtEApril 24, 2024
This is essentially a look at driver-level frame generation – artificially generating extra frames to boost the frame rate – that works in all DX11 and DX12 PC games. (Unlike technology like FSR 3, which includes frame generation – and much more – but requires support that has to be coded into the game by the developer).
You may have heard of AFMF before, as it has been around for a while, later entering beta last year and getting an official release in January 2024.
Asus has now officially ported it to the ROG Ally in an update coming out today, so you should be able to get it now.
After updating, Asus explains: “Just open the AMD software and go to Gaming > Graphics to enable AMD Fluid Motion Frames. AFMF is not yet available in the Command Center, but we are working to integrate it further.”
Analysis: Frame changer
This is something that many Asus ROG Ally owners have been looking forward to for a while, with some people having already unofficially messed up an installation of AFMF. Now you don’t have to bother with such solutions anymore and you can get the feature officially on the handheld by just downloading the latest update.
Some people describe it as an absolute game-changer – and there’s no denying that it makes many games significantly faster, significantly increasing frames per second (fps) – while others are a bit more cautious.
What is the last, more cautious camp about? Well, AFMF isn’t exactly a panacea to framerate heaven – not across the board. For fast twitch games like shooters it introduces extra input lag (due to the process of generating the artificial frames), which is certainly bad news for competitive play.
Additionally, in fast-moving games, AFMF will generally intelligently disable itself during fast motion sequences to avoid artifacts and imperfections that are likely to occur – that price isn’t worth paying for the extra fps. (Smooth but glitchy doesn’t really work, let’s be honest). So high-octane action games are more likely to disable the technology and generally have less impact.
There’s also the fact that AFMF tends to work better, increasing the smoothness of an already decent frame rate. So, for example, if you’re trying to boost a game that’s already hitting 60fps, it’ll do a great job – but not so much if you’re trying to boost a title that’s chugging along at, say, 20fps. Not that it won’t work – it’s just that the results won’t be as good on a lower fps game.
Still, you can always try it out with a particular PC game, and if you don’t like it, don’t use it. But as noted, some find that AFMF is excellent at boosting fps in many titles, and it’s especially useful for getting already decently running games towards that magical 120 fps to get the most out of the Ally’s 120 Hz screen. to fetch.
This is certainly a very important update for ROG Ally – the most essential yet in our books, anyway. Indeed, the biggest criticism from some is that it took a while to arrive, as it was implemented in AMD’s Adrenalin GPU driver four months after AFMF officially went live.
Through VideoCardz