Will Steam Deck support DLSS? :: Steam Deck General Discussions

kilésengati Jul 18, 2021 @ 10:51pm

No, DLSS is exclusive to Nvidia's RTX GPUs, but the Deck's AMD APU may supports AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR).

Last edited by kilésengati; Jul 19, 2021 @ 1:29am

#1

Balderick Jul 19, 2021 @ 2:57am

It may be unlikely Steam Deck supports FSR (AMD equivalent of DLSS) due to its 5-15W TDP . Steam Deck will also be unlikely support Infinity Cache (aka direct Storage) or Smart Access Memory.

Though Valve refer to the custom amd hardware used in Steam Deck as "next gen" it is really current gen console like in a smaller form factor, so can not support same feature set of current gen consoles,

Ray tracing is also another feature unknown to be supported on Steam Deck, as well as 4K@120 fps with Freesync or Adapive sync support

However all these features could be enjoyed by Steam Deck users if streaming from a host pc that does support all these things, and a suitable display that supports Adaptive sync or Freesync when Steam Deck is in Dock mode.

Last edited by Balderick; Jul 19, 2021 @ 3:01am

#2

Jacob Locke Jul 19, 2021 @ 3:17am

I thought I read it was a 60hz screen. I could be thinking of something else.

With the size of the screen and it's resolution I doubt fsr will be required to maintain 60fps in most games. May not be running at Ultra settings to achieve that. But who cares? Most of your game play will still be on your pc. This is a handheld. I'll only use it for the times I'm out and about and stuck waiting somewhere. But for those times it will be awesome.

Series X/S and PS5 are still being referred to as 'next gen'. As I remember it, they are built on Zen3/RDNA2. I read somewhere the Deck is Zen2/RDNA2. We'll have to wait for real world testing to see how it really performs.

#3

Balderick Jul 19, 2021 @ 4:20am

Yes, Steam Deck screen only has 60 hz refresh rate with 1280x800 resolution but in docked mode it supports

External connectivity for
controllers & displays
USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support; up to 8K @60Hz or 4K @120Hz, USB 3.2 Gen 2

Yes, i too am looking forward to learning if Steam Deck supports Adaptive sync, FSR, Infinity Cache, HDR, and Smart Access Memory as well as seeing it being used for 8K @ 60 or 4K @ 120 hz gaming though think a streaming host capable of those resolutions and refresh rates will be needed.

I see Steam Deck as having awesome potential as a game streaming client when in Docked mode and hooked up to a larger screen especially for when using cloud gaming vm as streaming host - not just a portable gaming device.

Last edited by Balderick; Jul 19, 2021 @ 4:24am

#4

WarnerCK Jul 19, 2021 @ 4:30am

Originally posted by Brashen:
Series X/S and PS5 are still being referred to as 'next gen'. As I remember it, they are built on Zen3/RDNA2. I read somewhere the Deck is Zen2/RDNA2. We'll have to wait for real world testing to see how it really performs.

The consoles are Zen 2/RDNA 2, the same as the Steam Deck. It's just that the APU in the Steam Deck is smol.

#5

kilésengati Jul 19, 2021 @ 10:08am

Originally posted by Balderick:
It may be unlikely Steam Deck supports FSR (AMD equivalent of DLSS) due to its 5-15W TDP . Steam Deck will also be unlikely support Infinity Cache (aka direct Storage) or Smart Access Memory.

Support for FSR goes back to the entire RX500-series. Speculating upon the performance figures given by Valve, the APU's graphics performance will be comparable to the RX550, which supports FSR. Hopes are up, but I wouldn't be mad if FSR and such are not making the cut, as in its current state, it's only available to games that have this feature enabled by the developers anyway and playing with lowered settings and with only 30 FPS isn't as big of an issue on a screen this small, so long as the game runs stable.

#6

Hatchetforce Jul 19, 2021 @ 10:15am

The first PS5 title was just patched to employ AMD's FSR. I would say it is a little early in the game to make a call on if it will be able to employ it in any capacity. But I also wouldn't rule out some form of it either.

#7

Yistaan Jul 19, 2021 @ 10:29am

Steam Deck supports hardware ray tracing right? Several online articles claim that Valve says it does, but I don't remember seeing anything about ray tracing on the Steam Deck website itself.

#8

kilésengati Jul 19, 2021 @ 10:34am

Originally posted by Yistaan:
Steam Deck supports hardware ray tracing right? Several online articles claim that Valve says it does, but I don't remember seeing anything about ray tracing on the Steam Deck website itself.

Most of these articles, to be honest, are hype-junk opinion-pieces. Until Valve releases a statement or the outlets have actual correspondence as proof, it's all just speculation.

#9

WarnerCK Jul 19, 2021 @ 11:08am

Originally posted by Yistaan:
Steam Deck supports hardware ray tracing right?

AMD's ray tracing solution doesn't use dedicated cores, it's done as a compute shader. RDNA 2 (which the Deck uses) can run these compute shaders - it's the same kind of architecture as the PS5 and Xbox, and AMD's newest beefiest GPUs. Except that it's only a tiny slice of them, so it wouldn't be terribly performant.

On top of its lack of grunt, the open source AMD Linux driver doesn't yet support the ray tracing instructions. When it does, it will be able to run (slowly, because smol) Vulkan ray tracing. DirectX ray tracing won't be available until that can be translated into Vulkan ray tracing, which hasn't happened yet, but is expected during the autumn.

So, by the time the Deck launches, it will likely technically support ray tracing. But you wouldn't want to use it with the 15W power budget and tiny APU.

#10

Yistaan Jul 19, 2021 @ 11:10am

Originally posted by WarnerCK:
Originally posted by Yistaan:
Steam Deck supports hardware ray tracing right?
AMD's ray tracing solution doesn't use dedicated cores, it's done as a compute shader. RDNA 2 (which the Deck uses) can run these compute shaders - it's the same kind of architecture as the PS5 and Xbox, and AMD's newest beefiest GPUs. Except that it's only a tiny slice of them, so it wouldn't be terribly performant.

On top of its lack of grunt, the open source AMD Linux driver doesn't yet support the ray tracing instructions. When it does, it will be able to run (slowly, because smol) Vulkan ray tracing. DirectX ray tracing won't be available until that can be translated into Vulkan ray tracing, which hasn't happened yet, but is expected during the autumn.

So, by the time the Deck launches, it will likely technically support ray tracing. But you wouldn't want to use it with the 15W power budget and tiny APU.

Thanks for the detailed and in-depth explanation!

EDIT: Just saw this, we may be seeing more powerful ray tracing on small devices in the near future: https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidia-arm-powered-gaming-laptops-ray-tracing-dlss-proof/

Last edited by Yistaan; Jul 19, 2021 @ 11:46am

#11

Balderick Jul 19, 2021 @ 2:38pm

Those next gen ARM64 devices with RTX 30 GPU will be much more expensive than Steam deck though

Have to admit i considering cancelling Steam Deck reservation and commit to those truly next gen ARM devices.

Or just buy a Xbox X or PS5 lol

Watching all the IGN and Valv edev videos on youtube just echoes to much of what was promised in 2013 with Steam Machines. And i just want a Steam for window sexperience. Without compatibility layers.

Much rather ii use Steam for windows through virtualisation using cloud gaming services.

Until Valve announce their own cloud gaming service i dont care much much about Steam Hardwrae or SteamOS.

Last edited by Balderick; Jul 19, 2021 @ 2:45pm

#12

Meatloaf Cocktail Jul 19, 2021 @ 2:43pm

15W of graphics compute power would most definitely not give you anything close to enjoyable RT or FSR experiences.

This is for low/mid-spec gaming on AAA at native res. That's about it.

#13

Balderick Jul 19, 2021 @ 2:46pm

15 W and zen 2/ rdna 2 is perfect for cloud gaming client though - what is missing is the cloud gaming service.

Yistaan links to something much more exciitng than Steam Deck - Nvidia released Steam Portable in 2013 which brought pc gaming to ARM in 2013 using cloud gaming

Now in 2021 ARM64 laptops/desktops with 30 series Nvidia GPU runs games locally with DLSS and ray tracing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lmH2I3_IDQ

Valve choosing last gen zen 2 and rdna 2 is not best 2021 has to offer - it odd Valve refer that as "next gen" when it really current gen if not last gen already.

Those next gen ARM devices with RTX 30 series GPU may just be the first of many interesting devices running aarch64

Last edited by Balderick; Jul 19, 2021 @ 2:57pm

#14

WarnerCK Jul 19, 2021 @ 3:33pm

Originally posted by Yistaan:
Thanks for the detailed and in-depth explanation!

No problem.

EDIT: Just saw this, we may be seeing more powerful ray tracing on small devices in the near future: https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidia-arm-powered-gaming-laptops-ray-tracing-dlss-proof/

It's worth noting that that device is also running Arch Linux, just like the Steam Deck, and that the RTX 3060 is a 170 W part.

#15

Steam Deck

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