AMD FSR: Redstone’s Promise Lost in the Shift to Diamond?

The story of AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) has become a cautionary tale of ambition outpacing execution. Not long ago, FSR Redstone felt like a genuine turning point, a suite of technologies poised to challenge Nvidia’s DLSS dominance. But as AMD pivots toward the even newer FSR Diamond, tied to next-generation Xbox hardware, a sense of unease is growing. It feels like AMD is constantly looking ahead even as failing to fully deliver on what’s already here.

FSR Redstone: A Promising Foundation

FSR Redstone wasn’t just another incremental update; it represented a fundamental shift in AMD’s approach to image upscaling and rendering. According to AMD, Redstone aimed to match Nvidia’s feature set with a full-stack, machine learning-driven pipeline. This included ML-based super-resolution (AMD’s equivalent to DLSS), frame generation, Ray Regeneration (similar to Nvidia’s Ray Reconstruction), and radiance caching for path-traced lighting. The promise was a cohesive ecosystem that developers could rely on, finally closing the gap with Nvidia’s offerings.

A Half-Baked Release

However, the rollout of Redstone has been far from smooth. Initially, it was locked behind RDNA 4 graphics cards, requiring significant tinkering to enable on older RDNA 3 hardware. Even with compatibility achieved, support has been sparse, and the full potential of Redstone hasn’t materialized in many games. The feature rollout itself has been fragmented, with key components like radiance caching still slowly being integrated. Frame generation, a feature Nvidia has refined over two years, continues to suffer from immersion-breaking frame pacing issues on AMD’s side.

Hardware support further complicates matters. Much of Redstone’s functionality is exclusive to newer RDNA 4 GPUs, limiting access for a large portion of AMD’s user base. And even when it does function, the results have been inconsistent. Fluid motion frames, AMD’s answer to DLSS Frame Generation, hasn’t consistently delivered the smooth, artifact-free experience users expect.

FSR Diamond Shifts the Focus

Now, attention is shifting to FSR Diamond, which is reportedly tied to Microsoft’s Project Helix and next-generation Xbox hardware. Diamond promises deeper integration with future GPU architectures, advanced frame generation, and a more unified feature set. While this represents a potentially exciting direction, it also raises concerns about AMD abandoning Redstone before it has a chance to mature. It feels like AMD is asking us to look ahead while not fully delivering on the present.

Crimson Desert Exposes the Gap

The game Crimson Desert provides a stark illustration of the current state of affairs. In comparisons with Nvidia’s DLSS 4.5, Redstone’s 4K upscaling struggles with image stability. Fine details, such as foliage and distant geometry, appear softer, and motion introduces noticeable instability. DLSS, even with its aggressive upscaling, maintains a level of clarity and stability that Redstone currently lacks. This isn’t simply a matter of pixel-peeping; it’s a noticeable difference in overall image quality.

A Question of Trust

This situation isn’t necessarily about a lack of technological vision. Both Redstone and Diamond demonstrate that AMD knows where it wants to go with its rendering technology. The problem lies in follow-through. A promising platform was launched with incomplete support, features arrived piecemeal, and adoption remains limited. Now, before Redstone can fully establish itself, the spotlight shifts to Diamond.

For gamers, this creates hesitation. It’s difficult to invest in a technology when its future is uncertain. For developers, it complicates planning, as they may be reluctant to invest time in a platform that could be superseded quickly. FSR Diamond might be the future, but Redstone, the present, risks becoming a forgotten stepping stone.

AMD needs to demonstrate a commitment to fully realizing Redstone’s potential through wider support and complete feature delivery. Only then can it rebuild trust with both gamers and developers and establish itself as a true competitor to Nvidia in the realm of upscaling technology. The next steps for AMD aren’t about announcing new features; they’re about delivering on the promises already made.

Further reading on the topic can be found at Reddit’s r/buildapc, where users discuss the relative merits of DLSS and AMD’s FSR technologies. a recent YouTube short offers a quick comparison of Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR, though the video is currently unavailable.