Microsoft DirectSR, super resolution for all GPUs?

Microsoft is gearing up to drop some exciting news at GDC 2024 (that’s the Graphics Developer Conference) kicking off on March 23. Developers should get ready to learn about new super resolution tech, which is reportedly called “DirectSR” – as in Direct Super Resolution.

DirectSR may be aiming to establish a standardized solution for graphics cards operating at a software level, complemented by GPU accelerated cores. Which cores and what architectures, that is something Microsoft is yet to confirm.

Probably the primary objective is to ensure compatibility with the latest GPU architectures, those that already support Intel XeSS, AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS. As demonstrated by AMD and Intel, super resolution technology does not have to be vendor-locked, but their performance may vary depending on an implementation.

Microsoft could finally provide a solution supported by all modern GPU architectures that is much easier to implement by game developers. Currently, game developers are required to add each technology individually, but this process is simpler as the underlying features are already present, such as motion vectors or other temporal upscaling tech.

Scheduled for presentation on March 21, the event will feature engineers from Microsoft, AMD, and NVIDIA.

Microsoft DirectSR, Source: GDC

Recently, it was revealed that Microsoft is working on enabling “Auto SR” feature within the Windows operating system. It is unclear if this technology is anyhow connected to the DirectSR, or rather works at a higher level, akin to what AMD is doing with Radeon Super Resolution (a driver level upscaling).

Windows “Automatic Super Resolution” feature, Source: PhantomOcean3

Source: GDC