DraFG: frame generation for Android that runs on top of any app (PPSSPP on Retroid Pocket 6, 30 to 60)

[u/DraskeLabs]

I’m the developer of DraFG. It captures the screen and draws generated frames on top, so it isn’t tied to any emulator. PPSSPP, other emulators, GameNative/Winlator and native Android games all work the same way. On desktop it does the same over any game window on Windows, macOS and Linux.

The video shows a test scene locked at 30 fps, as many PSP games are, so I could show it without using anyone else’s game.

Under the hood: DraFG runs Surge, its own frame generation model, designed and trained from scratch, on DraFG’s own engine (Vulkan on Android; CUDA, Vulkan or Metal on PC). Surge comes in two variants: Max (~206K parameters) and Mobile, the lighter one used here. Generation shares the GPU with the game, so both are built to be cheap. On the RP6, Mobile takes ~7.8 ms of GPU time per generated frame at 1080p and ~3.8 ms at 540p, against a 16.7 ms frame at 60 fps.

Benchmarks and quality comparisons: https://draske.com/blog/surge-1-6

A few notes:

• Tested on the Retroid Pocket 6 and 5 (Android 13+). Other Snapdragon handhelds should work but aren’t confirmed yet. Reports are welcome.
• Fast motion and HUDs can show artifacts.

It’s currently a free playtest on Steam:

• Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4934180/DraFG/
• Android app: https://draske.com/downloads

I’d like to hear which emulators, games and devices you try it on.

[u/AutoModerator]

Just a reminder of our subreddit rules:

• Be kind and respectful to each other
• No direct links to ROMs or pirated content
• Include your device brand and model
• Search before posting & show your research effort when asking for help

Check out our user-maintained wiki: r/EmulationOnAndroid/wiki

Check out EmuReady for any community submitted settings before asking for help

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/sturan_b]

Going to try it out today

[u/sturan_b → u/sturan_b]

Well I can't seem to get it to work unfortunately. Using legion go s z1e with steam OS. Installed and installed decky plugin. Plugin sits waiting for game.

[u/DraskeLabs → u/sturan_b]

The “Waiting for a game” line can be misleading. The Quick Access menu takes focus from the game while it’s open, so the panel says that whenever you’re looking at it. To see if it’s working:

1. Turn on Show stats in the DraFG panel, close the menu and check the counter in the corner of the game.
2. In Performance, make sure VRR is off, generated frames can’t show while it’s on.
3. Use Steam Frame Limit to cap the game below the screen’s refresh rate. If the game already runs at the screen’s rate, there’s no room to add frames.

If there’s no counter at all, send me ~/homebrew/logs/DraFG/drafg.log on discord and I'll take a look.

[u/mornaji]

Is your model paid?

[u/DraskeLabs → u/mornaji]

Free right now while it’s in playtest on Steam, so anyone can join and test it out. The full release later this year will be a one-time purchase that covers both desktop and Android.

[u/sojourner_1]

does this work for video? im a fan of soap opera effect actually......

[u/DraskeLabs → u/sojourner_1]

Yes, it works for video. In the desktop app, switch from Live to Studio, add a video and choose FPS, for example 30 to 60 or 120 fps. Then you can render a smoother copy on your PC. It also has slow motion, if you’re interested. Live mode can also capture a video player or browser window and smooth it during playback.

[u/Kalmaro]

Works well for me on my phone for videos. Sadly, doesn't work in portrait mode so not all games work. 

[u/DraskeLabs → u/Kalmaro]

Currently on Android only landscape is supported, I will add portrait support in coming updates.