Asus handhelds get a major FPS buff with new graphics driver

The Asus ROG Ally is full of nifty tools to boost performance, including AFMF, also known as AMD Fluid Motion Frames. Similar to AMD FSR or NVIDIA DLSS, this in-built plugin uses frame generation tech, providing a helpful jump in FPS in demanding titles on handheld. PC players have been enjoying AFMF 2.1 for a little while, but now, both models of the ROG Ally can reap the benefits.

Owners of the portable gaming consoles can boot up the Adrenaline application right now and download the AFMF 2.1 update, which Asus has listed as a graphics driver patch. AMD is being surprisingly quiet about the patch’s launch on the Asus ROG Ally and Asus ROG Ally X, especially as the update landed on the application with little fanfare.

Notable games that support AFMF 2 usage include Forza Horizon 5 and Baldur’s Gate 3. Many consider the latter one of the best Steam Deck games, so it’s encouraging to see it receive support here.

According to Asus, “AFMF 2.1 delivers additional quality improvements that can help reduce ghosting, restore details, and handle on-screen text overlays better.” If you’ve been struggling with stutters and frame drops, there are thousands of games that benefit from AFMF 2.1, per Asus’s website.

In our testing, we’ve found that games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Last of Us 2, and the Dead Space remake see promising results that strive past the 50 FPS mark. Of course, it all depends on your graphical settings and resolution. What I’m curious to see is how the new update affects demanding FPS games like The Finals or Embark’s upcoming title, ARC Raiders. You can read more about it in my ARC Raiders preview.

The Asus ROG Ally is one of the best Steam Deck alternatives, but there’s still room for it to grow. Could Xbox’s Asus-branded handheld be what we need to take it to the next level? I hope so, although it isn’t exactly what I’m looking for from Microsoft.

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