Here’s why Nvidia’s Smooth Motion frame gen update is a big deal for emulation, while we wait for 40 series support
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Many modern games make use of Nvidia's DLSS technology. This set of tools incorporates frame generation, which can make games run more smoothly by adding additional frames for higher framerates. For fans of older games, however, this sort of tech was largely out of reach. Until now.
Nvidia has now enabled a technology called Smooth Motion for the Vulkan API. Smooth Motion works similarly to Fluid Motion Frames from AMD (which recently reached AFMF v2.1) and acts as a driver-level frame generation feature. Until now, it was only supported on DirectX 11 and DirectX 12, but its inclusion in the Vulkan API opens it up to many more games, especially classic and retro titles via emulation.
A big deal for emulation?
With retro gaming hardware increasingly expensive or hard to find, many fans of retro gaming use their PCs with emulators, often using backup ROMs taken from their collection of CDs and cartridges to preserve the physical media from damage.
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Support for the Vulkan API is particularly useful in emulators, and many of them do rely on this API to function on modern hardware. It is also often the graphics API of choice for Steam Deck compatibility. Adding Smooth Motion to this API will enable users to have a smoother experience in many classic titles.
Games that run at capped framerates can now enjoy better frame pacing and higher FPS through the use of this technology. This benefit has already been confirmed by several users on Reddit. Wii U and PlayStation 3 emulators now both support Smooth Motion, which makes a huge difference for games like The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD or Little Big Planet.
Currently, however, Smooth Motion only supports Nvidia RTX 50 series graphics cards. Nvidia previously confirmed plans to extend support back to RTX 40 series cards, but it is unknown if users of older RTX 30 series cards will eventually be able to benefit.
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