When it comes to getting the best graphics performance out of games, there have always been a number of choices. Unfortunately, some come with vendor lock-in while others just don’t give you what you want. Microsoft has decided to step into the ring and give everyone the what it thinks is the best solution.
Lately, Microsoft has been developing a new API that should make implementing super-resolution much easier. It is being called DirectSR and was worked on alongside Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, each with their own methods.
What this will allow developers to do is make one API call to get the appropriate implementation of super-resolution instead of having to make three different ones. The current approach makes things a bit difficult. Nvidia has DLSS which is only available for Nvidia graphics cards. AMD has FSR which can be used by all graphics cards, but isn’t as good as DLSS. Intel also has its own method, XeSS, which works best on Intel cards but can work on others.
DirectSR is the missing link developers have been waiting for when approaching SR integration, providing a smoother, more efficient experience tht scales across hardware.”
Microsoft program manager Joshua Tucker
For those who do not know, super-resolution is a technology that boosts samples a game at a lower resolution. It then takes that resolution and upscales it using machine learning and other techniques. This helps a game look phenomenal without much more GPU power being used to render the scene. It essentially plays a game at 720p and upscales it to look almost distinguishable from native 4K.
If Microsoft can pull this off, developers wouldn’t need to make sure all super-resolution options are available. They just need to plug into DirectSR and all the heavy lifting will be done for them.
Pretty sweet idea, Microsoft!
Source: Engadget
