Microsoft gets its own AI upscaling technology integrated directly into Windows 11, which will be released on the latest version Copilot+ PCs. It’s called Automatic Super Resolution, or Auto SR, and it should work on any game you play on PC. While there are still a fair number of potential pitfalls, it promises gamers the ability to achieve higher frame rates on less powerful PCs, all without needing one of Nvidia or AMD’s latest discrete GPUs.
The Auto-SR function is currently limited to Qualcomm’s ARM-based CPUs, but could still be a big deal if it works as well as Microsoft claims.
Developers on Microsoft’s DirectX Blog showed how the film featured a scene from Borderlands 3 at 720p, it looks like it’s running at 1440p instead, but at much higher frame rates than if it were running at native 1440p without Auto SR. At its recent Build conference, the Mountain View tech giant showed off Borderlands 3 and Baldur’s Gate III on the new Copilot+ PCs with these graphics improvements.
The exciting thing about it is that it is not built into the game itself, but is applied automatically without having to fiddle with any game settings. The DirectX developers claim that it uses an AI model trained on game content and powered by the new Snapdragon X Plus and Elite chips to improve the look and performance of each title. So let’s forget about other AI features like Microsoft Paint’s Procreate art generator or automatic screenshot creation and potentially problematic RecallThis is a really interesting use case for Microsoft’s AI and the real reason why you should have a PC with NPU functions.
Once you enable Auto SR, a lot happens under the hood. The PC automatically lowers the resolution of your desktop before upscaling everything. This only works really well in fullscreen or borderless windowed mode. You also won’t be playing the most demanding titles, like Red Dead Redemption 2 or Cyberpunk2077 at the highest settings with a stable frame rate, but it could work well to boost performance in mid-range games or better scaled.
The program runs automatically for 11 games, including God of War, Resident Evil 2, And The Witcher III. You can enable it for other games not on the list by adding the EXE file in Windows 11 settings.
How does Auto SR work?
Games typically have to work directly with Nvidia or AMD to enable DLSS or FSR in their games. Microsoft promises that its AI upscaler will boost the resolution and frame rate on every game you play with your new Copilot+ PC. While DLSS software uses “jitter and MIP bias” to add finer details to upscaled graphics, Auto SR instead relies “on larger models and the NPU,” according to Microsoft.
Auto SR also joins Microsoft’s DirectSR APIan all-in-one package that allows game developers to combine FSR 2.2, Intel’s XeSS, and DLSS Super Resolution in one go. The DirectX developers claim that this SDK implementation will allow gamers to choose which AI upscaler they want “at runtime.”
What are the big problems with Auto SR?
So there’s a lot of really interesting things happening with AI upscaling, and to be clear, this is only good news for gamers on a tight budget who want to play with better framerates. There will be some issues, however. For one, Auto SR introduces latency. Microsoft claims that latency is only one frame “on average.” We can imagine some games introducing even more latency.
As mentioned, the big problem is whether you can play many games at all. The first Copilot+ PCs all run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Plus and Elite Chips. These are ARM-based chips that promise better performance with lower power consumption. The problem with ARM, however, is that they run far fewer games natively compared to x64-x86. Auto SR also works on emulated X64 games, but regardless, it’s just not the same experience as without emulation.
Also interesting is Microsoft’s limitation of Auto SR to Qualcomm ARM chips. Copilot+ with a AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series The CPU is already planned for this year. Intel is also developing its Lunar Lake chips, which should include a good enough NPU for Microsoft’s needs. Microsoft hasn’t said whether it plans to port Auto SR to x86, but there’s little reason why it couldn’t.
We should also face the fact that Auto SR may not be as capable as DLSS 3 or 3.5. Nvidia had a head start on AI upscaling technology and has gotten much better over time with additional features like frame generation and DLAA anti-aliasing. AMD’s FSR and Intel’s XeSS lag behind in terms of features and capabilities, but those two have also been in the business longer than Microsoft. We’ll want to test it out for ourselves once we finally have time to test the upcoming Copilot+ PCs in person.