A couple of months ago, Microsoft officially revealed something called Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR), which is an AI-upscaling technology that's being implemented in the latest CoPilot+ PCs featuring Snapdragon X processors.
The idea behind Auto SR is to render "existing" games at a lower resolution (resulting in improved frame rates) and then use "advanced, often AI-powered, algorithms" to "upscale and enhance the visuals with stunning detail". It can technically be applied to any game, as all you have to do is enable the feature within Windows.
"Auto SR stands out in two exciting ways: it’s applied automatically and enhances existing games. Like other SR technologies, Auto SR uses AI to improve frame rates and image quality. However, Auto SR focuses on bringing the benefits of super resolution to your existing game library with no manual configurations needed. This makes it ideal for players who prefer a straightforward experience."
"Simply start your game, and Auto SR instantly enhances it, allowing you to effortlessly enjoy visuals that surpass native 1080p quality with the fast frame rates typically seen at lower resolutions. Auto SR boosts detail and performance on compatible hardware, transforming your gameplay and letting you experience select titles in a new light."
It's still early days for Auto SR right now, with only a small number of titles properly optimised for the technology, but it's generating a lot of discussion already - mainly thanks to a Digital Foundry deep dive that was published yesterday.
Xbox's Phil Spencer clearly enjoyed it too, as he was spotted reposting the following tweet on social media:
This is all well and good, but what does it mean for Xbox? Well, Microsoft has said nothing about implementing Auto SR into consoles as of yet, aside from a brief mention that the Auto SR team's aspiration is to "consistently deliver exceptional enhancements across all formats and devices". Possibly, one day, that'll include Xbox as well.
That said, we'll probably be waiting until the next generation of Xbox before that happens (if it does at all), so don't get your hopes up just yet! It's a feature that's certainly worth keeping an eye on though - here's what DF says about it:
"Auto SR is no DLSS or XeSS, but it certainly has its uses and when it works well, the quality boost is appreciable."
"It's an intriguing start for the technology and I'll be following its progress with much interest."
Do you think Auto SR could make its way to Xbox eventually? Let us know in the comments down below.
Comments 9
It could be a good option, and having a lower internal resolution that's then upscaled is far from a new trick.
Depending on how the requirements work out this could be a good thing to implement in the rumoured "Xbox Handheld" to improve performance without needing to use as much power.
I understand that for the next Xbox to use this technology it will need an NPU.
Do we really believe that we will see another Xbox? I know that Bond has said there will be one and potentially a handheld but can we believe them anymore?
I hope there is but I’m far from convinced anymore.
Microsoft has already been working on a new generic DirectSR framework for upscaling, I would be surprised if the next xbox doesn't have NPU chips to handle a temporal version like DLSS. This has to be the main innovation that we are going to be looking at for next gen hardware.
My question is: How exactly is this different from AMD RSR and Nvidia NIS?
Of course the answer is: It isn't. The only reason this exists is for the WoA ARM laptops that don't have AMD or Nvidia GPUs to use the former. And MS didn't invent it so it doesn't count. A Microsoft staple since 1992.
@MjJmediablogger There will be one because right now XB still depends on showing GP subscription growth, and if they end the console the majority chunk of their sub numbers vanish overnight. Even a failed next console will lead to less investor hysteria than watching the GP numbers collapse back to 2018 levels. A failed console is just a failed console. Failed GP is the end of MS's entire cloud sub gaming future.
@NEStalgia, first it will be interesting to see how the GPU numbers will develop in the next 1-2 years as I assume quite a few people got the subscription much cheaper a while ago and stacked it up for quite some time. E.g. in a few months it'll be the first time I will/would have to pay for GPU on a monthly basis and I'm sure that's the case for a lot of other people as well.
@NEStalgia I think the main difference is that Auto SR works at OS level, i.e. you can apply it to any game or application, even if it is very old. This can be very useful for backward compatibility with X360, which runs most games at 720p. Nvidia and AMD solutions require to be integrated into the game code.
Another interesting difference is that Auto SR works using the NPU, i.e. it has no cost to the GPU which can be fully dedicated to game performance.
@Pabpictu RSR and NIS work at the driver level and are applied to any game as well. It's DLSS and FSR that need to be baked into the game. It's really the same thing as RSR and NIS, except that it works with the Qualcomm SOC's (or Intel for that matter) without needing AMD or Nvidia graphics. Which is a good thing for competition and all, but it's irritating that they tout it as soooo unique.
The one thing you're right about is that it uses the NPU, it's also hair splitting, a bit more power on the GPU to use for RSR/NIS is probably more cost effective than having a whole NPU added, but, again it's useful for the Qualcomm chips, as they do have an NPU and do not have a discrete GPU. For any dedicated gaming build (NeXtBox, or PS build) it's six to one if it goes for adding an NPU for upscaling or just allocates a little more GPU spec for it.
It mostly still comes down to "having upscaling without AMD/Nvidia GPU hardware" being the main benefit. (presumably including Intel Arc, which also is a plus for a number of reasons.)
This technology would absolutely bankrupt Capcom, since majority of their revenue is selling already remastered remasters of remastered games nonstop.
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