Don't Hold Your Breath for DLSS: Microsoft Just Shoved Its Own Upscaler Into a Handheld

Microsoft has started preliminary testing of the universal Auto SR upscaler on the Xbox Ally X handheld system. The feature, previously only available on laptops with Snapdragon chips, now works on a device with an AMD processor — but for now exclusively in docked mode and only for Xbox Insider program participants.

Auto SR is a built-in Windows 11 upscaling mechanism that uses the neural processing unit (NPU) inside the Xbox Ally X's processor. In terms of how it works, it resembles NVIDIA DLSS: the game renders at a lower resolution, then the algorithm reconstructs the image to high quality while boosting framerates. The main difference from DLSS, FSR, and XeSS is that Auto SR doesn't require developer support. The tech can forcibly upscale most games running DirectX 10 or newer, though results may vary.

The company's blog clarified: "Docked mode involves using larger screens and higher resolutions, where image quality degradation is more noticeable, and some games struggle to maintain a stable framerate. Auto SR was designed specifically to solve this problem, which is why we're starting preliminary testing in docked mode, where we expect players to benefit the most."

Among the first compatible titles: Forza Horizon 5, Assassin's Creed Mirage and Valhalla, Control, DOOM: The Dark Ages, The Outer Worlds 2, Tom Clancy's The Division 2, and Rainbow Six Siege. Using Forza Horizon 5 as an example, they showed that Auto SR allowed enabling "ultra" settings with a 30% FPS boost compared to native 1440p at comparable image quality. Ally X owners can toggle the upscaler on or off right from the Game Bar.

For now, the new features are only available to insiders, but the public release will obviously happen after testing. The current set of changes is another step toward making a TV-docked handheld console behave like a stationary one, without any extra effort from the user.

Which games do you think would benefit the most from forced upscaling like Auto SR on a handheld device? Share in the comments.