February 23, 2026
Fake frames, real fury
Intel XeSS 3: expanded support for Core Ultra/Core Ultra 2 and Arc A, B series
Intel’s ‘fake frames’ hit more PCs — smooth eyes, slow hands
TLDR: Intel’s new driver extends XeSS 3 frame generation to more Arc GPUs and Core Ultra chips. The community is split between loving smoother visuals and hating “fake frames” for masking input lag, fueling jokes about 240Hz flexing and fresh skepticism about Intel challenging Nvidia.
Intel dropped a new driver that turns on XeSS 3’s Multi‑Frame Generation across more machines, including Arc A and new B‑series GPUs (“Alchemist” and “Battlemage”) and Core Ultra chips like Meteor Lake, Lunar Lake, and Arrow Lake. Translation: it adds extra “in‑between” frames to make motion look smoother, even if your PC can’t truly draw that many.
Cue the brawl. One camp hates the idea of “fake frames.” wmf says there’s “nothing I want less,” rolling eyes at folks chasing 240 Hz bragging rights. bpavuk calls out the cognitive dissonance: “looks like 120 FPS, feels like 40–60,” because input lag—the delay between click and action—doesn’t shrink.
Then there’s the practical crowd. enjoykaz drops a Steam Deck/Elden Ring boss example: your hands send inputs at 45 Hz, while your eyes see 90—fine for reading patterns, risky for split‑second reactions Elden Ring. KronisLV just wants more life from an Arc B580 before the next wave of “UE5 slop.” And DeathArrow stirs the pot: does Intel really compete with Nvidia? Result: smooth eyes vs slow hands, feel vs flex, and non‑stop snark.
Key Points
- •Intel released WHQL-certified Graphics Driver 32.0.101.8509 for Arc B-Series, Arc A-Series, and Core Ultra processors with Arc graphics.
- •XeSS 3 Multi-Frame Generation support is extended to Arc B-Series (Battlemage), Arc A-Series (Alchemist), and Arc GPUs in Core Ultra 2 (Lunar Lake, Arrow Lake H) and Core Ultra (Meteor Lake).
- •The driver supports Windows 10 64-bit (22H2) and Windows 11 64-bit updates 21H2, 22H2, 23H2, 24H2, and 25H2.
- •Platform support includes Intel Arc Graphics (Alchemist, Battlemage) and Intel Core Ultra processor family (Meteor Lake, Lunar Lake, Arrow Lake-S, Arrow Lake-H, Panther Lake).
- •Intel advises that the generic driver overwrites OEM drivers, recommends corporate users stick to OEM drivers, and provides resources on WHQL differences, Windows Update issues, Arc Pro drivers, and historical drivers.