AMD Releases Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition: Overlay, App & More for 2017

Final Thoughts

To preface, a list of resolved issues was not provided before today’s launch. Glancing over the release notes, a few snippets were not included in the presentations or press releases. FreeSync 2 display support for HDR10 titles is a notable one, considering that we have not heard much since the original announcement of the initiative. Other than the two Samsung monitors, we've only covered an AOC announcement on displays due in April 2018. And of course, the list of bug fixes include several resolutions that users have clamored for in the past couple months.

As for Adrenalin Edition proper, the streaming focus tends to take center stage with Radeon Overlay, AMD Link, and the ‘Connect Tab’. The community angle is more of an accessory to the streaming attributes.

The core features updates and Vulkan emphasis does make Adrenalin useful for general users, but the increased social focus and streaming/sharing integration brings GeForce Experience and ShadowPlay to mind. For streamers, the combination of AMD Link on a tablet/smartphone, Radeon Overlay, and ReLive Adrenalin seems like it could positively impact workflow, particularly if they are doing it casually.

In gauging AMD Link especially, there seems to be some reasonable use cases beyond streaming. For social gamers who want to send screenshots or instant replays of everything to everyone, AMD Link provides that quick option during a respawn timer or end-of-round. It also provides an easy way to post in-game videos or pictures to social media.

In most cases, users will have their phone nearby when on a desktop or laptop, and AMD Link can turn that into a ‘free screen’ for performance monitoring if desired. For laptops and similar situations where screen space is at a premium, this would be a good alternative to an OSD that would show up too small anyway. In all of those scenarios, though, the newsfeed seems superfluous.

Offhand, considering a Radeon Pro Software ReLive and hypothetical AMD Pro Link might have some interesting business functionality. But at the very least, AMD has come very far since even Raptr and Gaming Evolved, and at the same time cut down a few excess syllables to their display driver name.

For both Crimson ReLive and 17.7.2, we reiterated the importance of execution. With Adrenalin, AMD has made the UX much more consistent across different products and configurations. From last year, ReLive is continuing to accumulate better features and find a stronger niche with Radeon Overlay and AMD Link; though in practice this mostly depends on how streamers and social gamers take to it.

On the feature side, Adrenalin is another solid entry for AMD and RTG’s annual major updates. But AMD’s first high-end card launch in two years, especially one featuring a new forward-looking microarchitecture, is not irrelevant to even feature updates, and graphics software is not totally divorced from the hardware itself; a good UX at the least complements the hardware. Users are still inquiring about the RX Vega hardware features, which has affected their expectations of Adrenalin Edition and presumably their present response to it. Consumers still recognize that Adrenalin Edition is a driver that includes performance improvements.

The new Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 17.12.1 drivers are available through the Radeon Settings tab or online at the AMD driver download page. More information on this update and further issues can be found in the Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 17.12.1 release notes.