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Asus ROG Ally takes fight to Steam Deck with frame generation update

Asus promises to bring AMD Fluid Motion Frames (FMF) technology to its gaming handheld in a future download, potentially boosting frame rates.

Asus ROG Ally frame generation update

Asus has shown it’s still putting plenty of energy into supporting the Asus ROG Ally, with a handful of recent tweets detailing the latest and future features of its Asus ROG Ally updates. These include a new quick-access TDP slider in the most recent update, but Asus has also reassured ROG Ally owners that a future update will also include support for AMD Fluid Motion Frames (FMF), the frame-generation, frame rate-boosting technology that it announced recently.

For those not familiar with AMD FMF, it’s a graphics technology similar to Nvidia’s DLSS 3 and AMD’s FSR 3 frame generation, creating an AI-enhanced estimation of new frames based on a combination of previous frames. This in effect creates a much smoother-feeling, higher frame rate without a huge amount of extra GPU power required to create the frames. Crucially, though, unlike DLSS 3 and FSR 3, FMF doesn’t require the game to have the feature built into it, but can instead work with any game via the graphics driver.

Our first experiments with AMD FMF have shown it’s far from always perfect but it can significantly boost frame rate, and on a device such as the ROG Ally where you’re constantly trying to balance performance, graphical quality, and battery life, it could be a game changer in the fight for the best handheld gaming pc. That’s because while some people have managed to mod the Steam Deck to work with AMD FMF, it isn’t currently officially supported, potentially leaving huge frame rate increases off the table.

The reason Asus hasn’t already provided FMF support in its latest ROG Ally update is that it feels “the driver still requires some testing on our end”. Following this testing, Asus also notes that the driver will need certification from AMD before release. However, it assured its X/Twitter users that “We know you are very excited to try out AFMF (we are too!), and we’re working to get it to you as soon as possible.”

Asus ROG Ally frame generation update tweet

As for the currently-available update (ACSE 1.4.10), it’s available to download through Asus’ Armoury Crate software and includes these features:

  • Added quick Manual Mode adjustment options for SPL, SPPT, and FPPT in the Command Center.
  • Users can now assign the Gyro Enable feature to multiple buttons.
  • A “Never show again” option has been added to the Campaign popup.
  • New Game Profiles will have their Operating Mode set to “Unassigned” to prevent conflicts when changing the global Operating Mode through Command Center.

Are you excited about the prospect of AMD FMF arriving on the Asus ROG Ally – and potentially other gaming handhelds – in the near future? Share your thoughts with us on the PCGamesN Facebook and X pages.