AMD has recently released a new software update named Adrenalin 2019 Edition for their Radeon series graphics card which brings in some unique and intriguing features we have ever seen. The most impressive feature that they have introduced is the ability to stream games in VR directly to your phone.
To make it simple, it will allow you to enjoy virtual reality in games with spending thousands of bucks. You will just need your smartphone, a VR headset like Daydream or even Google Cardboard and your PC. Then all you need to do is download an App from Playstore called AMD link which will connect your smartphone to PC thus allowing you to play VR games using a normal VR headset.
You might think that the quality will be poor and the game would lag but that is not the case. It works like a remote desktop app that is modified to experience virtual reality. TechRadar went hands on with the Radeon ReLive for VR feature.
During a short demo, we hardly experienced any lag or slowdown in frame rate that would have caused us a bout of nausea. Instead, we were able to freely look around just as if we were playing VR games with a traditional headset hooked up directly to a PC.
This works by connecting AMD’s Radeon Software installed on the PC with AMD Link app on the smartphone or standalone VR headsets allowing the user to access their library of Steam VR games.
You even try out 4K resolution at 60 FPS if your GPU is powerful enough. Of course, it turns down a few graphics settings to provide smooth performance with low latency. The software also uses hardware acceleration to optimize streaming from your PC to a mobile VR headset and ensures a seamless gaming experience.
Of course, there are some limitations to this tech otherwise who would spend thousands of dollars on a proper VR setup. For starters, current smartphones and standalone VR headsets have rotation-only 3DoF controllers instead of 6DoF which means it can not track your hand and other movements and you will need a controller to play the game.
Still, it is a really impressive technology which offers an inexpensive way of experiencing completely wireless VR. Now let’s talk about the compatibility, to experience the VR streaming feature, you’ll need a modern AMD GPU (specifically RX 470, RX 570, RX 480, RX 580, RX 590 or RX Vega series). Also, it can only run on Windows 10.
AMD recommends using a router which has the WiFi 5 (802.11ac) that most routers even the cheap ones out there support. They also recommend you to use 5 GHz channel instead of the 2.4 GHz channel. So if you have everything on the list then you can enjoy the ReLive for VR feature right away.
There are some other important features in the Adrenalin 2019 Edition which we will talk about in our next update. Tell us what you think about this technology. If you have any queries then make sure to drop down a comment below.