AMD brings remote local co-op with its latest Radeon Software update, but there's a catch

What you need to know

• AMD just released its Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.4.1 update.
• The update allows your PC to stream games to another PC if both have Radeon GPUs.
• The update also introduces useful features such as built-in Ryzen CPU metric displays.

AMD announced a significant update today that brings several new features and improvements to the best graphics cards from team red. Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 21.41 includes an updated AMD Link for Windows, as well as a new Link Game feature that lets you stream games and play local co-op games remotely. Small additions include new tools to help you monitor Ryzen CPU performance more easily.

The ability to stream games and play local co-op titles remotely via AMD's Link Game feature is a welcome addition. It's somewhat similar to Steam's Remote Play Together feature, though both participants need Windows 10 and Radeon graphics to use AMD Link. Still, for games that aren't covered via Steam's Remote Play, this could be useful.

The update also allows for easier Ryzen CPU monitoring, in case you have one of AMD's latest and greatest such as the Ryzen 9 5950X. There are third-party pieces of software that can handle CPU monitoring just as well as AMD's offering, but having such features baked into the company's software is convenient for keeping track of key CPU info like temperature and fan speed.

Here's everything new, as shared by AMD:

• AMD Link
  • A brand-new AMD Link for Windows client is now available that allows you to stream your games and desktop to other Radeon graphics enabled PCs.
  • New "Link Game" feature that allows you to easily connect with a friend to play games together on a single PC or even help them troubleshoot a PC issue or problem.
  • Redesigned streaming technology for better visuals and lower latency.
  • New quality of service feature that dynamically adjusts your streaming settings based on your internet connection.
  • Now supports up to 4k/144fps streaming.
• Radeon Software
  • Customized user interface options are now available in the Radeon Software installation to modify the user interface. Options exist for a Full Installation, Minimal Installation and Driver only installation.
  • Vivid Gaming Display Color Enhancement GD-187: A new color profile that allows users to enable a more vivid look for their display color.
  • Color Deficiency Correction GD-187: A new feature that allows users to adjust their display colors for all three major color deficiency types with strength sliders.
  • Improved search bar functionality.
  • Stats information for games is now available in the games tab.
  • Historical navigation buttons added to easily move back and forth between tabs.
  • Toggle added to enable or disable the built-in web browser.
  • Settings option added to enable or disable all hotkeys in a single click.
• Record & Stream
  • Recording and streaming settings have been consolidated into one easy to use tab.
  • A new Streaming Wizard is now available which helps users configure their recording and streaming settings for the first time. A new 'adaptive' quality setting is available in the wizard that allows Radeon Software to monitor your stream and make changes to quality based on your stream's performance.
  • Improved scene editor usability for creating and editing scenes.
  • An option is now available to select which display you would like to record or stream from in multiple display system configurations.
• Performance Tuning
  • Introduced CPU metrics and monitoring to the performance metrics tab in Radeon Software.
  • Improvements made to the performance metrics tab including design updates to the graphs for metrics, more performance readouts, improved logging controls and improved performance overlay controls and graphs.
• AMD Crash Defender
  • Preserves data and keeps your system running in some cases where your system may have otherwise experienced a crash or hang.
• Microsoft® PlayReady AV1 Decode SupportGD-187
• AMD Eyefinity support extended to Ryzen™ Mobile 4000 and Ryzen™ Mobile 5000 series.