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With Nvidia’s DLSS, AMD’s FSR, and Intel’s XeSS, there’s no shortage of upscaling tech that makes games look and run better. However, Microsoft is now entering the market with Qualcomm and reworking Windows 11, which has come with a few new pieces of software, including its Auto Super Resolution (ASR) upscaling tech.
Like other upscaling tools, ASR claims to boost performance when playing games on Qualcomm-powered Windows laptops. However, Microsoft hasn’t explained its new feature very well—and that’s why we’re here to help.
What Is Auto Super Resolution?
Auto Super Resolution, also called Auto SR or ASR, is an AI-based frame generation and upscaling tech that Microsoft is debuting with its new Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft is calling it the “first OS-integrated AI-based super-resolution for gaming.” With thefuture of Windows 11 banking heavily on AI, this new feature is no surprise.
The feature stems from Super Resolution (SR), where games are rendered at a lower resolution to boost framerates and then advanced, often AI-powered, algorithms upscale and enhance the visuals. If implemented properly, the end result is a game that looks and performs well.
Microsoft’s DirectX team has already released a preview of its DirectSR API, which allows developers to integrate SR technologies such as Nvidia DLSS, AMD’s FSR, and Intel’s XeSS into their games. However, these technologies are often implemented on a per-game basis, and that’s where ASR shines.
As the name suggests, ASR is applied automatically and enhances existing games, unlike other SR technologies that are implemented on a per-game basis. While competitors are focusing on using AI to improve in-game FPS and graphics quality, ASR aims to bring the same benefits to your existing game library with no manual configuration needed.
In theory, you should be able to just start your game and play it as usual, with ASR working in the background to enhance your experience.Microsoft claimsthe visuals will surpass native 1080p quality with “fast frame rates typically seen at lower resolutions.” ASR renders visuals as low as 700 vertical lines, so you can expect the difference to be at least as different as games rendered between 720p and 1080p.
One important thing to note is that Auto SR and DirectSR are two separate components that work together to deliver this enhanced gaming experience. The difference is that DirectSR focuses on next-generation games and developers, while Auto SR enhances existing games, improving the gaming experience automatically.
How Does ASR Work?
Microsoft claims that ASR uses a “sophisticated AI model—a convolutional neural network (CNN) expertly trained on gaming content.” Specific details of the AI model or how it functions haven’t been revealed yet. The feature takes advantage of the NPUs (neural processing units) in the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus and Elite processors in Microsoft’s new Copilot+ PCs to run its underlying AI model.
It kicks off by automatically adjusting the desktop resolution downwards, causing games to run at a lower resolution. ASR then coordinates data transfers between the NPU, CPU, and GPU to apply its AI enhancements to game visuals without interrupting gameplay. Microsoft claims that ASR only adds a single frame of latency on average.
Keep in mind that ASR’s optimizations affect all on-screen elements during gameplay, including any open applications. However, these changes should be unnoticeable, provided you’re in full-screen or windowed borderless viewing modes. Once you exit the game, your desktop reverts to normal.
ASR vs. DLSS vs. FSR vs. XeSS
It’s hard to draw a direct comparison between ASR and competitors from other brands, such as Nvidia’s DLSS, AMD’s FSR, and Intel’s XeSS, because ASR is different in functionality from other AI-based upscaling technologies we’ve seen in the past.
Developers need to integrate DLSS, FSR, or XeSS into a game to reap the benefits. Whereas ASR automatically optimizes any game running on your PC.
Additionally, DLSS, FSR, and XeSS require games to alter their rendering by using methods like jitter and MIP bias to add finer details. ASR can enhance games without any extra information from the game, improving them as they exist, as it relies on its underlying AI model and NPU to do the heavy lifting instead. The closest competitor to this method isAMD’s FSR, which upscalesgames on any GPU.
So, while we can’t draw any direct comparisons between Microsoft’s magic upscaling tech and its competitors, we’ve already seen how DLSS and other technologies in the space can improve our games, and I expect ASR to be no different.
The biggest difference here is Microsoft’s claims of ASR optimizing existing games without any developer or player interference required. It means that once ASR hits the market, it’ll far outnumber the games that support DLSS, FSR, or XeSS and be available across the board.
If the improvements are as significant as Microsoft claims, ASR has the potential to be the go-to AI-upscaling tech in the space. Microsoft includes support for 11 games at launch; however, it is also supported on most games that run on DirectX 11 or DirectX 12 and run on either native Arm64 or emulated x64 platforms.
For an evolving list of games that support ASR, visit theWindows on ARM Ready Softwarewebsite, an open-source project Microsoft is contributing compatibility data to. The site also shows other programs that have native ARM support, so it’s a handy reference in case you’re looking to switch to Windows on ARM.
Do You Need a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Chip to Use ASR?
Microsoft has certain hardware requirements in place for ASR, including:
While the requirements suggest that ASR might be a feature unique to Snapdragon X series processors, that’s thankfully not the case. It’s just that since the feature only exists on Copilot+ PCs, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X processors are the only ones that can run it at the time of writing.
ASR is a Windows feature, which means as long as ARM-based processors from Intel and AMD can make the requirement for being called Copilot+ PCs, you should be able to run ASR on just about any Windows machine. This means that Intel’s upcoming Lunar Lake and AMD’s Strix Point CPUs should be able to run ASR.
Should You Consider ASR Before Your Next PC Purchase?
ASR is going to be put to the test once Copilot+ PCs start reaching consumers. If the feature lives up to the hype, it can add to the ever-growing list of why you’d want to switch to Windows on ARM.
If you’re in the market for a new PC, it’s worth hanging back for a couple of months to see how ASR and Copilot+ PCs, in general, perform in the wild. Combined with the other benefits that Windows on ARM promises, ASR can be the perfect cherry on top.
That said, any powerful enough PC should be able to run games relatively well for the foreseeable future, so if you need to get one quickly, make sure to get one with hardware that matches your requirements.
