Microsoft just announced DirectSR, a new application programming interface (API) designed in collaboration with major GPU manufacturers that will enable game developers to “seamlessly integrate Super Resolution into a new generation of PC games.”
Programmer Joshe Tucker notes in the official blog post that “DirectSR is the missing link that developers have been waiting for as they approach SR integration, delivering a smoother, more efficient experience that scales across hardware.” Super resolution is a technique that increases the resolution and visual quality of games by using machine learning and AI to upscale images, reducing the burden on graphics cards, which may struggle with higher resolutions such as 4K.
The API will enable “multi-vendor SR” via “a common set of inputs and outputs allowing a single code path to enable a variety of solutions including Nvidia DLSS Super Resolution, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution and Intel XeSS.” If you’re unfamiliar with any of these technologies, they’re essential tools created by the big three GPU makers that use AI to improve in-game resolution by creating new frames (or generating additional pixels) that improve overall image quality improve with minimal impact on performance.
So developers will be able to support the DirectSR API and easily integrate scaling technology from Nvidia, AMD and Intel, rather than writing specific code for each.
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DirectSR, an API created by Microsoft’s DirectX team, appears to offer a more universal solution and should make it easier for game developers to implement super-resolution upscaling technology in their titles, rather than having to work with separate APIs for Nvidia, AMD and Intel’s own super-resolution technology.
If game makers want to support DLSS, FidelityFX and XeSS, they can now simply use DirectSR. The time savings from using one API instead of three can be significant for game developers. This feature works with AMD, Nvidia, and Intel graphics cards, unlike DLSS, which is exclusive to modern Nvidia GPUs. AMD Super Resolution is more versatile and can be used with different brands of graphics cards, just like XeSS, but DLSS remains the most impressive technology at the moment, even if Nvidia doesn’t like the idea of other GPU makers using it (so to speak). fair to Team Green, DLSS relies on hardware exclusive to Nvidia RTX GPUs, which gives it a performance advantage).
This could lead to more games supporting DLSS, FidelityFX and Because adding DLSS, FidelityFX, and XeSS are separate and time-consuming processes, many game developers have to choose just one to focus on. DirectSR could change that.
This is also great news for gamers who like to adjust graphics settings to achieve the best performance and image quality on their machines, regardless of which GPU they have. Having more options is a positive thing, and if DirectSR lives up to Microsoft’s claims, we may be closer than ever to universal upscaler support becoming the standard.