Microsoft’s DLSS competitor is now available on the Xbox Ally X handheld

Microsoft is starting to test its Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR) feature with the Xbox Ally X. Auto SR was first released on other Copilot Plus PCs about two years ago, improved visuals and frame rates in select games. Now, Microsoft is trying to play it on the Xbox Ally X, allowing the 7-inch console to improve the resolution and quality of the big screen TV.

“Stable gaming means bigger screens and higher resolution, where frame rate drops are more noticeable or where some games struggle to maintain a smooth FPS,” Microsoft said in a detailed post on Auto SR. “That’s the problem that Auto SR was designed to solve, so we’re starting to preview it with features that we hope players will see the most benefit from.”

Car SR it works like Nvidia’s DLSS, it renders games at a lower resolution to increase frame rates and upscales the frames to create a better picture. DLSS has been surprisingly popular in recent years, more than 80 percent of RTX GPU owners are introducing DLSS upscaling. “It’s often a big part of many modern games, and players expect it,” says Microsoft.

Not every game has DLSS, AMD’s FSR, or Intel’s XeSS, but Microsoft’s Auto SR is built into Windows and can use higher resolutions in existing games without the game’s integrated options. It’s not clear how well this will work in different games. Originally Auto SR was something the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon laptops could do automatically for 12 select games, and now it’s up to AMD and Microsoft says you can turn it on for DirectX 10 or later games with different results.

Microsoft shows how Auto SR can improve frame rates and features Forza Horizon 5. The company is using an NPU chip on the Xbox Ally X to avoid affecting the GPU side of the graphics card.

Auto SR will be integrated into the Game Bar on Xbox Ally X, allowing players to pause or pause games. Microsoft says it will be more efficient for games running below 60fps, helping titles run smoothly. If you want to start testing Auto SR on Xbox Ally X, all you have to do is join the Xbox Insider program.

Along with Auto SR, Microsoft and Asus are also improving the quality of the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X devices. The game play will now move to the TV and the mobile display will be turned off when connected to the TV, and ROG Bulwark will now enable Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) for simple games on compatible TVs. Microsoft is also working on expanding this feature to other “Made for Xbox” docks in the future.

There’s also a new display widget in the Game Bar to adjust resolution, refresh rates, and project colors without leaving the game. Microsoft has also disabled the built-in controls on Xbox Ally connected if you have included an Xbox controller. If you want to move around with the cursor, a new Gamepad Cursor mode it makes it easy to control programs that weren’t designed to be controlled. Microsoft and Asus are also adding “power vibration” to Xbox Ally devices to better match “what you expect from Xbox devices.”

Finally, Microsoft is also adapting the ability to share a single game library from various PC storefronts on Xbox Ally devices. “Starting this month, you can now add, remove, edit, and launch any game or app installed directly from Xbox — including games from PC game stores and developers,” says Roanne Sones, CVP of game tools and environment at Xbox.