Arm has launched an open-source solution designed to improve graphics upscaling on mobile devices, aiming to deliver PC-quality gaming experiences on smartphones while optimizing both performance and power consumption.
The new solution, called Arm Accuracy Super Resolution (Arm ASR), is a temporal upscaler that utilizes information from multiple frames to create high-quality images from lower-resolution sources. This technique enables game developers to render graphics at reduced resolutions and then upscale them, resulting in significant performance gains without compromising visual quality.
The development of this temporal upscaler was motivated by the need to tackle common graphical performance issues in mobile gaming.
Arm’s solution builds upon AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 (FSR2), an impressive open-source project that has seen success in the PC and console gaming sectors. By adapting this technology for mobile use, Arm aims to offer developers a familiar API and configuration options that facilitate integration.
To showcase the capabilities of Arm ASR, the company conducted tests on a commercial mobile device equipped with an Arm Immortalis-G720 GPU and a display resolution of 2800×1260. The results indicated significant improvements in GPU performance compared to rendering at the device’s native resolution:
Crucially, the upscaling technique enables high-quality rendering while maintaining stable, low temperatures, effectively preventing the thermal throttling issues that can adversely affect user experience during long gaming sessions.
“Upscaling operates by rendering certain stages of the frame at a lower resolution and subsequently applying the technique to scale from a lower to a higher resolution,” Arm explained.
“It should not be employed at every stage of the frame rendering process, as this can result in unsightly artifacts, particularly with full-screen effects or user interfaces. However, when used earlier in the rendering pipeline, it can be highly effective and even provide anti-aliasing as part of the overall process.”
The performance improvements realized with Arm ASR directly contribute to power savings, which is a critical consideration for mobile gaming.
In partnership with MediaTek, Arm validated these power savings on a Dimensity 9300 handset, showing significant reductions in power consumption compared to rendering at native full resolution:
Arm’s game content team has successfully applied the ASR technology to their “Mori” demo, an Unreal Engine project aimed at pushing the limits of future mobile GPUs. The results highlighted the upscaler’s capability to maintain fine details while enhancing performance, utilizing Robust Contrast-Adaptive Sharpening (RCAS) to further improve image quality.
In keeping with the open-source philosophy of initiatives like AMD’s GPUOpen, Arm has chosen to release Arm ASR under an MIT open-source license. This decision enables developers to access and experiment with the technology freely in their own projects, potentially speeding up the integration of high-quality upscaling in mobile games.
The launch of Arm ASR marks a significant advancement in mobile graphics technology, providing developers with a robust tool to optimize their games for both performance and power efficiency without sacrificing visual fidelity.
As the mobile gaming industry continues to explore the limits of what handheld devices can achieve, solutions like Arm ASR will play a crucial role in delivering engaging and immersive gaming experiences to players globally.