The performance benefits of both AMD FSR and Nvidia DLSS, not forgetting Intel XeSS, are undeniable, but spotty support for one or all of these upscalers impedes their usefulness. Thankfully, Microsoft is now providing a solution to developers, dubbed DirectSR, which should make to much easier to implement these features into games.
Nowadays the best graphics cards offer more than just their raw performance, be it with or without ray tracing, with feature sets including upscalers playing an important part in determining their value. Both AMD and Nvidia now each have their own upscaling tech, but each one operates differently and requires individual attention when implementing it into a game, often leading to either FSR or DLSS arriving post-launch. It’s hoped that this Microsoft API will help address this delay.
Announced via a post on the DirectX Developer Blog, Microsoft is aiming for DirectSR to “enable seamless integration of Super Resolution (SR) into the next generation of games.” Microsoft claims this is the “missing link developers have been waiting for,” as it provides the means to activate DLSS Super Resolution, FSR, and XeSS via a single code path rather than the current need for multiple paths.
The API will soon enter a public preview for developers to try out and provide feedback to Microsoft, but we will see it in action at GDC during the DirectX State of the Union session on March 21, 2024. Sadly, there’s no sign of the company discussing its upcoming Auto Super Resolution feature yet, which has been spotted in preview builds of Windows 11.
I hope that DirectSR can put an end to the annoyance of having to wait for your preferred form of resolution upscaler to make it to your favorite game. To engage in some momentary wishful thinking, I will cross my fingers that it will bring about Helldivers 2 DLSS support far quicker than the current indefinite timeline.