AMD has also launched their latest VR Ready Crimson 16.3.2 Drivers which deliver VR support to many GCN cards that have been recommended by AMD for VR Gaming including the flagship Radeon Pro Duo which is being launched this quarter. The driver also supports the latest Oculus SDK v1.3 and uses the latest LiquidVR features that give GCN based cards a good boost in performance by taking advantage of Async shaders.

Note: AMD has provided the link to the drivers below but they haven't gone live yet. AMD has assured that the drivers will be available shortly.

AMD's VR Ready Crimson 16.3.2 Drivers Released - Support Oculus SDK v1.3 and Radeon Pro Duo Graphics Card

The Crimson 16.3.2 drivers have two important features, one is that they deliver VR support on Radeon cards. The second is that they come with the LiquidVR technology which is AMD's software suite to provide devs and content creators the tools to harness the power of GCN architecture in their applications. The key features of the LiquidVR SDK include Asynchronous Shaders, Affinity Multi-GPU and Quick Response Queue. AMD plans to build an entire VR ecosystem around LiquidVR which would help current and upcoming GCN cards to provide the best performance to users in VR content.

AMD themselves have previously stated that their products are powering 83% of VR systems around the globe. This is quite a huge figure but as of right now, only 1% of the installed PC market has VR ready systems. Taking in mind that the entire Windows PC install base in around 1.4-1.5 Billion in 2016, this is a very low install base and to change that, the system requirements of having a VR ready system have to be fulfilled by faster yet less costly hardware components. Major markets such as China are expected to see a 142% VR Growth rate in 2020 which will be made possible with next generation hardware and better software side support in the VR market.

Oculus Rift starts shipping today! People have been dreaming about immersive high-end VR for decades, and now the Rift is here and AMD is ready. To align with this major VR milestone, we are releasing a new driver: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.3.2 Driver includes support for the Oculus Rift SDK v1.3 – as well as the Radeon Pro Duo – and is optimized for the Rift, offering the most stable and compatible driver for developing VR experiences on the Rift to-date. We’ve worked very closely with Oculus to implement LiquidVR features into their software that take full advantage of Radeon GPUs. For example, our Asynchronous Shaders and new Quick Response Queue feature are utilized to enable Oculus’ Asynchronous Time Warp technology that reduces latency and image judder caused by dropped frames. via AMD



















The latest Crimson drivers enable VR support with the availability of VR HMDs (Head Mounted Displays). Just a couple of weeks back, AMD announced their latest VR Ready Premium and VR Ready Creator programs. The VR Ready Premium program aims to deliver certified VR Ready PCs based on AMD hardware to consumers. The VR Ready Creator program provides content creators and developers with a variety of tools to help them create VR experiences and take advantage of AMD's GCN cards.

“Radeon VR Ready Premium” solutions for exceptional VR experiences – Certified Radeon R9 290-class graphics cards and higher, and systems built using those cards, are now eligible for the “Radeon™ VR Ready Premium” seal. “VR-optimized systems like the HP ENVY Phoenix is specifically configured with the quality, performance and computing power to enable amazing virtual experiences,” said Kevin Frost, vice president and general manager, consumer personal systems, HP Inc. “HP is working with AMD to deliver the VR-ready HP ENVY Phoenix tower for a seamless out-of-the-box experience. With the Radeon VR Ready Premium program, it will help customers to take the guess work out of selecting the right VR capable graphics.”

“Radeon VR Ready Creator” solutions for VR professionals, experience designers, and developers – The “Radeon VR Ready Creator” seal signifies unprecedented performance and industry-leading innovation that empowers VR content creators and experience designers with incredibly powerful and capable development tools. Featuring an upcoming graphics card with AMD’s LiquidVR SDK (software developer kit), the “Radeon VR Ready Creator” designation signifies the ultimate performance for both content creation and consumption for VR professionals.

AMD has partnered with HTC, Oculus and Sulon to provide the best support for their cards in VR experiences. The latest driver make sure that all recommended GCN cards (R9 290 or above) are set for VR content and the flagship Radeon Pro Duo is fully utilized to deliver the best content creation power to developers. Expect the drivers to go live shortly.