There are a myriad of new refinements to be had in the AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Update, along with some new features that are sure to be a big draw for gamers and streamers.
Getting down to brass tacks, we’ll first talk about performance. At the end of the day, all of the added functionality in these drivers is nice, but we all want increased performance first and foremost. Thankfully, AMD is delivering here, promising up to a 15 percent boost in today’s «top games» on average compared to Radeon Software Adrenalin 2018. Some of the biggest gains, however, were noted in Battlefield V (39 percent), Call of Duty: WWII (21 percent) and Star Control: Origins (24 percent).
One of the big new features is the expansion of Radeon ReLive with game streaming to mobile device and even virtual reality (VR) headsets. In both cases, your desktop PC serves as the host which then streams content to your iOS — or Android -based smartphone or tablet.
AMD is promising up to 4K 60fps game streaming to these mobile devices thanks to hardware acceleration, along with relatively low latencies. With streaming games, you can either use on-screen controls or a Bluetooth controller, although we’d probably recommend the latter for the best possible experience.
As previously mentioned, Radeon ReLive also extends streaming to supported VR headsets. However, AMD is using a mix of services to enable this functionality. You’ll need to enable Steam VR integration in Radeon Settings and launch Steam VR. Additionally, on your VR headset, you’ll have to launch the Radeon Relive for VR app to get started.
VR streaming is only supported on Radeon RX 400, RX 500 and RX Vega series hardware at this point.
