Microsoft DirectSR To Make Super Resolution Tech Integration Into Games Seamless For Devs, Supports NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, Intel XeSS

Microsoft has previewed its DirectSR technology by detailing its actual purpose and it seems to be a seamless integration of Super Resolution technologies from different vendors including NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR & Intel XeSS.

Microsoft's own Super Resolution technology for Windows has been the talk of the town recently, but at least DirectSR isn't that, it's something even better. Microsoft's GDC session mentioned that they are working with various partners including AMD and NVIDIA when it comes to DirectSR and now we have a clear understanding of what the technology is and what is it going to offer.

On the official Microsoft DirectX Developer Blog, Joshua Tucker reveals that DirectSR is a new API that is made to make Super Resolution technologies such as NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR & Intel XeSS integrate seamlessly and easily into current and next-gen games which will utilize this API. This is going to be a game changer based on what Microsoft is saying and the API will be scalable across multiple hardware configurations, offering a smoother and efficient experience.

We’re thrilled to announce DirectSR, our new API designed in partnership with GPU hardware vendors to enable seamless integration of Super Resolution (SR) into the next generation of games. Super Resolution is a cutting-edge technique that increases the resolution and visual quality in games. DirectSR is the missing link developers have been waiting for when approaching SR integration, providing a smoother, more efficient experience that scales across hardware.

This API enables multi-vendor SR through a common set of inputs and outputs, allowing a single code path to activate a variety of solutions including NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution, and Intel XeSS. DirectSR will be available soon in the Agility SDK as a public preview, which will enable developers to test it out and provide feedback. Don’t miss our DirectX State of the Union at GDC to catch a sneak peek at how DirectSR can be used with your games!

via Microsoft Devblogs

Rather than developers having to invest additional resources for the integration of upscaling tech, Microsoft's DirectSR API will provide a common set of tools and a singular code path to enable the aforementioned upscaling technologies. DirectSR is said to be available in the Agility SDK soon as a preview release, allowing developers to hop straight into the action and provide feedback based on early testing.

Upscaling technologies have become a major thing in the past few years. They provide better game performance with minimal sacrifices to performance. In some cases, upscaling technologies even offer better image quality than the native render. It's fair to say that AI-based upscaling tech from NVIDIA (DLSS) and Intel (XeSS) is slightly ahead of the curve. Furthermore, each vendor has created a more open source environment for the integration of their upscaling tech such as NVIDIA's Streamline & others such as AMD offering the full source code for its FSR tech.

Some already offer support across different GPU vendors such as FSR supporting NVIDIA & Intel GPUs and XeSS supporting AMD & NVIDIA GPUs, it is great to see that work is being done to offer a better solution.

Recently, we have seen game developers backing out from supporting certain upscaling tech within games. Starfield was the most recent example which lacked NVIDIA DLSS and Intel XeSS support at launch which was only added recently. Similarly, Nightingale recently removed FSR 3 support citing game bugs. While Frame Generation is a different tech, it looks like DirectSR will pave the way for Frame Generation support too in the future. Meanwhile, Microsoft is also working on its own AI-based Super Resolution technology for Windows known as AutoSR which can be enabled in the Windows OS and support games/apps while being hardware agnostic.

There are great things to look forward to coming ahead. Super Resolution upscaling tech is a reality and they are a superb solution for low-power devices such as handhelds and Mini PCs. Game developers could also put more effort into optimizing their games for the PC platform since they will save more time in the integration of upscaling/FG tech with the use of Microsoft's DirectSR.