AMD FSR 4 works wonders on Steam Deck, introducing significant image quality improvements in select games that make the performance hit more than worth it in most cases.
New comparison videos shared online by Deck Wizard compare Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Stellar Blade running on Steam Deck with AMD FSR 4 and FSR 3.1.5. The side-by-side comparison of both games highlights how the new version of the upscaler, which has only recently unofficially become available on Steam Deck, delivers significantly cleaner and sharper image quality than its predecessor, making the performance hit well worth it in most cases. While both games are best experienced at 60 FPS - especially Stellar Blade, given its action-focused gameplay—the improvements already visible at this early stage suggest that FSR 4's implementation on the handheld platform has strong potential and may only get better with further optimization.
AMD FSR 4 is the first version of the upscaler to go the full "AI" route, following NVIDIA DLSS and Intel XeSS in using machine learning to improve image quality and performance of modern games. Initially only available for RX 9000 series GPUs, workarounds have been discovered to use the new version of the upscaler on RDNA 3 and RDNA 2 through a leaked INT8 version of FSR 4's source code, which can be manually implemented using tools like OptiScaler. Although with a performance hit, the upscaler still delivers significantly better image quality on this old hardware.
More information on AMD FSR 4 can be found on its official website.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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