Microsoft Sets New Super Resolution Standards with Exclusive Copilot+PC Requirements
Brook.X
Starting February 2024, Microsoft has been actively developing a system-level super resolution feature for Windows 11, in collaboration with Nvidia, AMD, and Intel. This initiative aims to deliver super resolution capabilities across all supported graphics cards via system-level APIs.
There are two types of super resolution features developed by Microsoft: Microsoft DirectSR (DSR) and Microsoft Auto SR (ASR).
The latter, ASR, is an automatic super resolution feature designed to optimize images automatically—for instance, enhancing game visuals without requiring manual adjustments from the player.
In the latest support documentation, Microsoft has outlined the hardware requirements for ASR, indicating that it is exclusively available for Copilot+PCs equipped with an NPU unit. Traditional x86 processors do not support this feature.
Hardware Requirements for ASR:
- Copilot+PCs must have a Snapdragon X series processor with a Hexagon NPU and an integrated GPU.
- Windows 11 version 24H2.
- The latest GPU and NPU drivers must be installed.
- A minimum resolution of 1080p is required.
- The latest version of the Auto Super Resolution Package must be installed.
- Games must be based on DirectX 11 or DirectX 12.
- Games must be natively developed for Arm64 architecture or emulated through an x64 translation layer.
Microsoft has also collaborated with game developers to certify a wide range of games for automatic super resolution, enabling the super resolution feature by default on Copilot+PCs without any need for user configuration.
For non-Copilot+PCs, such as traditional x86 architecture desktops, Microsoft still offers the DSR feature, which also provides system-level super resolution support. However, this requires adaptation by the graphics card manufacturers through Microsoft's API interface.
This move by Microsoft might seem impractical to some, especially for users with powerful graphics cards like the Nvidia RTX 4080, capable of supporting automatic super resolution. Yet, these users would only have access to DSR instead of ASR, suggesting a push towards promoting Copilot+PCs.
