Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

AMD drops support for Raptr-developed PC performance app Gaming Evolved

Danny Cowan
By

amd drops support for gaming evolved pc performance app raptr head
Image used with permission by copyright holder
AMD video card owners who relied on the hardware manufacturer’s Gaming Evolved app to regulate in-game performance may see a range of compatibility issues cropping up in the months ahead, as AMD announced that it is dropping support for the once-useful app.

While installed versions of the Gaming Evolved app will still function, AMD notes that it will no longer issue updates adding compatibility and recommended settings for forthcoming games, rendering its feature set largely useless.

Recommended Videos

Developed in collaboration with online gaming activity tracker Raptr, AMD’s Gaming Evolved app automatically tweaked in-game graphics settings for supported games in order to achieve maximum performance based on a user’s hardware setup. AMD previously hired a team of developers to keep the app updated with support for new games as they were released, increasing compatibility and boosting performance for a majority of supported titles as a result.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!
Privacy Policy

In addition to serving as a valuable tool for AMD video card owners, the Gaming Evolved app was a rewards program that allowed gamers to earn points for their in-game playtime and community participation. Points could then later be redeemed for free games, hardware, and apparel during frequent giveaway promotions.

Noticing that the app was no longer included as part of AMD’s downloadable Crimson driver packages, tech news source WCCFtech questioned the company regarding Gaming Evolved’s future. AMD afterward issued a response that put a definitive end to the app’s lifespan.

“Starting September 12 2016, AMD is no longer bundling the ‘AMD Gaming Evolved App’ by Raptr with builds of Radeon Software,” AMD told WCCFtech. “The application will still work. AMD will cease to undertake any compatibility testing, install support, or general technical support for this application, nor will it be available through Radeon Software or its installer. Previous builds of Radeon Software that include the ‘AMD Gaming Evolved App’ dated before September 12 2016 will remain intact and will not be affected.”

As of this writing, AMD’s Gaming Evolved app is still available for download from Raptr’s site, though a lack of updates will limit its usefulness in the months ahead.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
The ReSpec newsletter is here: your weekly breakdown of the tech behind PC gaming
Jacob Roach sitting behind a ReSpec logo.

The world of PC gaming moves fast. New titles are constantly being developed and discovered, game-changing hardware launches that could affect your next PC upgrade, and news breaks that can alter the stakes for some of the biggest PC companies in the world.

We're so invested in this corner of the tech industry that we're launching a newsletter, and it's called ReSpec. Once you sign up, you'll get your very own weekly breakdown of the tech behind PC gaming -- delivered right to your inbox each Friday morning.

Read more
Nvidia is the ‘GPU cartel,’ says former AMD Radeon manager
A hand holding the RTX 4090 GPU.

AMD's former senior vice president and general manager of Radeon has come out with some strong words against Nvidia. Scott Herkelman called Nvidia "the GPU cartel" in response to a story from the Wall Street Journal in which Nvidia's customers claim that it delays GPU shipments in retaliation for those customers shopping with other suppliers.

The accusation in question comes from Jonathan Ross, CEO of AI chip startup Groq, who said, "a lot of people that we meet with say that if Nvidia were to hear that we were meeting, they would disavow it. The problem is you have to pay Nvidia a year in advance, and you may get your hardware in a year, or it may take longer, and it's, 'Aw shucks, you're buying from someone else, and I guess it's going to take a little longer.'"

Read more
AMD’s FSR 3 compromise just isn’t working
AMD presenting FSR 3 at Gamescom.

AMD made a compromise with FSR 3. The frame-generation tech was announced in November 2022, and it took nearly a year for it to show up in a game. Even now, months after release, FSR 3 is only available in 12 games, the lion's share of which are legacy titles and single-player games that are past their prime. Adoption wasn't working, hence the need for a compromise.

The compromise is AMD Fluid Motion Frames, or AFMF -- one of the least catchy acronyms, but I digress. This is driver-based frame generation. FSR 3 isn't available in a ton of games, but AFMF sidesteps that hurdle, so long as you have an AMD graphics card. You can use frame generation through the driver in basically any DirectX 11 or DirectX 12 game. Sounds pretty sweet.

Read more