Xbox Project Helix will receive Free-Speed Release Diamond and new machine learning capabilities.
AMD and Microsoft have officially confirmed that FSR 4.1 image-scaling technology is coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles, ROG Xbox Ally handheld devices, and Radeon RX 6000 desktop graphics cards. This lightweight AI model was specially designed for RDNA 2 graphics processors, which do not have dedicated hardware for AI calculations. The release comes after Sony introduced its Quick Spectral Super Resolution technology for the standard PlayStation 5. However, AMD and Microsoft are not stopping here. Engineers from both companies are already working on the next stage of their long-term partnership. Their goal is to build advanced software and hardware for a new hybrid gaming platform called Project Helix.
Microsoft is developing a complete set of graphics technologies called FSR Diamond for its future system. Its main feature will be a new upscaling technology known as FSR 5. Unlike traditional methods that use information from images across space and time, this system will use neural networks to create and improve images. It is designed to compete directly with NVIDIA's DLSS 5 technology. FSR Diamond will also include an improved system that creates several extra frames to make gameplay much smoother, along with a special module for ray tracing. The AI network will fill in missing details in 3D objects, handle complex surfaces, and reduce visual noise while calculating global illumination in real time. This will reduce the workload on the processor's computing units when full path tracing is enabled.
Running FSR Diamond, the FSR 5 upscaler, and full neural network rendering in hardware will require powerful matrix cores in AMD's new custom processor. Engineers are designing the new processor architecture to support calculations that use fewer bits of precision and hardware-based data compression. These features should allow the system to upscale images and create several extra frames at the same time without increasing input delay. Bringing machine-learning tools directly into the DirectX development environment will also let game developers use the same settings profile on consoles and PCs. The next-generation Xbox Project Helix system and Radeon desktop graphics cards with hardware support for these technologies are planned for release at the end of 2027.