Revolutionizing Graphics with DirectSR and Auto SR

Summary

Sources

developer-tech.comdevblogs.microsoft.comvideocardz.com

In the rapidly evolving landscape of gaming technology, the recent announcement by Microsoft marks a significant milestone. The preview release of DirectSR, a new API, is designed to standardize super resolution (SR) support across Direct3D twelve titles. This initiative, born from a collaboration between Microsoft, AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA, aims to simplify the integration of SR technologies by offering a unified code path. This development is poised to leverage the in-market upscaling technologies of these industry giants through a common set of inputs and outputs, promising a significant leap forward in gaming graphics. DirectSR's primary goal is to streamline the process of integrating SR technologies, such as DLSS Super Resolution from NVIDIA, FidelityFX Super from AMD, and others. By providing a single implementation pathway, DirectSR enables developers to exercise a diverse array of SR technologies more efficiently. This approach not only reduces development costs but also offers tight control and deep integration for upscaling games, ensuring that players can enjoy the benefits of SR diversity at lower development costs. All games currently under development are encouraged to utilize this collaborative effort, which provides seamless multi-vendor support to Direct3D twelve titles set to release in the future. For games lacking built-in super resolution, non-AI-based scalers like NVIDIA Image Scaling and Sharpening and AMD RadeonTM Super Resolution are implemented at the driver level. These scalers offer universal scaling for any existing game without requiring additional game or SDK work. While these non-AI approaches may not match the image quality of native rendering, they provide a valuable frame rate boost. Players can enable these features through vendor-specific graphics settings, selecting scaling and sharpening factors, and adjusting the in-game resolution according to their preferences. The introduction of Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR) further enriches the gaming experience. As the first OS-integrated AI-based super resolution for gaming, Auto SR stands out for its ability to enhance existing games automatically, requiring no manual configurations from the user. This technology, utilizing AI, aims to improve frame rates and image quality simultaneously. Auto SR operates by rendering games at a lower resolution to boost frame rates, then employing advanced algorithms to upscale and enhance the visuals. This process is profoundly beneficial in gaming, as it eloquently balances frame rates with visual quality, offering players a more immersive and delightful gaming experience. Auto SR's unique appeal lies in its automatic application and enhancement of existing games. It focuses on bringing the benefits of super resolution to the player's existing game library without the need for manual configurations. Simply starting a game activates Auto SR, instantly enhancing it to deliver visuals that surpass native 1080p quality with the fast frame rates typically seen at lower resolutions. This technology is deeply integrated into the OS, modifying the gaming process to ensure smooth coordination from the driver to the display output. As a result, players can effortlessly enjoy enhanced visuals without noticing any changes in full-screen or windowed borderless modes. At the heart of Auto SR lies a sophisticated AI model, specifically a convolutional neural network trained on gaming content. This model is designed to deliver exceptional quality visuals, surpassing even native 1080p from visuals rendered as low as seven hundred vertical lines. The AI model operates on a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), hardware built to efficiently process the complex operations required by convolutional neural networks. This setup enables the use of larger AI-based SR models, resulting in significant visual enhancements. Auto SR represents a departure from traditional super resolution technologies built into games. Unlike approaches that require games to alter their rendering, Auto SR enhances games without additional information. It relies on larger models and the NPU to create stunning visuals, introducing a single frame of latency on average. Despite this, the sharper graphics and faster frame rates more than compensate for any perceived delay, enhancing the overall gaming experience. The collaboration between Microsoft, AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA through DirectSR, coupled with the introduction of Auto SR, heralds a new era in gaming graphics. These advancements promise to make a vast portion of the gaming library look and feel even more incredible, offering a fantastic balance of frame rate and visuals. As the gaming industry continues to evolve, these technological strides are set to enhance the gaming experience by providing seamless, high-quality visuals without compromising performance, marking a significant leap forward in the pursuit of immersive and visually stunning gaming experiences. The advent of super resolution technologies has ushered in a transformative era in the domain of gaming graphics, redefining the boundaries of visual quality and performance. Super resolution, or SR, stands at the forefront of this revolution, employing sophisticated techniques to upscale visuals, thereby enhancing image quality while simultaneously maintaining or even boosting frame rates. This segment delves into the intricacies of SR in gaming, elucidating its operational mechanism, the collaborative efforts that led to the development of DirectSR, its pivotal role in Direct3D twelve titles, and the manifold benefits it accrues to both developers and gamers. At its core, super resolution technology is designed to render games at a lower resolution to significantly increase frame rates. Subsequently, advanced algorithms, often powered by artificial intelligence, are employed to upscale the visuals. This upscaling process meticulously enhances the details and sharpness of the image, bringing it closer to, or even surpassing, the quality of higher native resolutions. The essence of SR technology lies in its ability to strike a delicate balance between visual fidelity and performance, ensuring that gamers do not have to compromise on either aspect for an immersive gaming experience. The inception of DirectSR by Microsoft, in collaboration with industry giants AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA, marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of super resolution technologies. This initiative aimed to standardize SR support across Direct3D twelve titles, thereby simplifying the integration process for developers. DirectSR serves as a universal conduit through which developers can harness the upscaling technologies offered by these hardware manufacturers, through a common set of inputs and outputs. This collaborative effort not only alleviates the burden of developing multiple code paths for different SR technologies but also significantly reduces development costs. The integration of DirectSR into Direct3D twelve titles offers a plethora of benefits. For developers, it provides a streamlined pathway to incorporate advanced SR technologies into their games, offering them tight control and deep integration options for upscaling. This simplification of SR integration is instrumental in reducing the complexities associated with leveraging different SR technologies, enabling developers to focus on enhancing the gaming experience without being bogged down by technical intricacies. Gamers, on the other hand, stand to benefit immensely from the integration of DirectSR into Direct3D twelve titles. By standardizing SR support, DirectSR ensures that gamers can enjoy high-quality visuals across a broad spectrum of hardware platforms, without the need for manual configurations or adjustments. This not only elevates the visual quality of games but also ensures that these enhancements are accessible to a wider audience, regardless of the specific hardware in use. The potential for a unified gaming experience across different hardware platforms is a testament to the transformative impact of DirectSR, promising a future where seamless, high-quality visuals are the norm rather than the exception. Furthermore, the collaborative effort behind DirectSR and its integration into Direct3D twelve titles underscores the industry's commitment to advancing gaming technology. This unified approach to SR support is indicative of a broader trend towards standardization and interoperability in gaming technologies, aimed at fostering an ecosystem where developers and gamers alike can reap the benefits of technological advancements. In conclusion, the rise of super resolution technologies, exemplified by the development and integration of DirectSR, represents a significant milestone in the quest for enhanced gaming visuals. By simplifying the integration of SR and offering a pathway to a unified gaming experience across diverse hardware platforms, DirectSR stands as a beacon of innovation, heralding a new era in gaming graphics where high-quality visuals and performance coalesce to create immersive and visually stunning gaming experiences. The unveiling of Automatic Super Resolution, or Auto SR, represents a groundbreaking advancement in the realm of gaming technology. As the first operating system-integrated, AI-based super resolution tailored for gaming, Auto SR sets itself apart by its ability to automatically enhance games. This innovative technology eliminates the need for manual configurations, offering a seamless and user-friendly approach to improving game visuals. This segment explores the distinctive features of Auto SR, the sophisticated technology underpinning it, and its significant impact on both existing games and the future landscape of gaming. Auto SR's primary distinction lies in its automatic application. Unlike traditional super resolution technologies that require users to manually adjust settings or configurations, Auto SR operates seamlessly in the background. Upon launching a game, Auto SR instantly activates, rendering games at a lower resolution to boost frame rates, then employing AI-powered algorithms to upscale the visuals. This process significantly enhances the detail and sharpness of the image, providing gamers with superior visual quality without compromising performance. The convenience of Auto SR's automatic enhancement makes it an attractive option for gamers seeking to elevate their gaming experience effortlessly. At the heart of Auto SR's capability is its use of artificial intelligence and a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). The technology is built around a sophisticated AI model, specifically a convolutional neural network trained on a vast array of gaming content. This model is adept at upscaling visuals to surpass even native 1080p quality from lower resolutions. The AI model operates on an NPU, a specialized hardware component designed to efficiently process the complex operations required by convolutional neural networks. This setup allows for the use of more extensive AI-based SR models, resulting in substantial visual enhancements without straining the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The practical implications of Auto SR for gamers are profound. By rendering games at a lower resolution then upscaling, Auto SR not only improves visual quality but also enhances frame rates, offering a smoother and more visually appealing gaming experience. Gamers can access this technology on select devices equipped with the requisite hardware, including those with a Snapdragon X processor. Auto SR comes pre-configured on these devices to enhance a selection of popular games by default, requiring no additional steps from the user. Looking towards the future, the prospects for expanding Auto SR's capabilities are promising. The technology's integration at the operating system level opens avenues for broadening its application to more devices and a wider selection of games. By continuing to refine the AI model and its integration with the NPU, it is anticipated that Auto SR will support an even greater array of gaming content, including titles that may not have been originally designed with super resolution in mind. Furthermore, efforts are underway to enable Auto SR on a broader range of hardware platforms, including those powered by AMD Ryzen AI and Intel Core Ultra processors. This expansion aims to make Auto SR's benefits accessible to a larger segment of the gaming community. In conclusion, Automatic Super Resolution stands as a pioneering development in gaming technology, offering an unprecedented level of convenience and visual enhancement to gamers. By leveraging advanced AI and NPU technology, Auto SR distinguishes itself through automatic application, superior visual quality, and performance improvements. As this technology continues to evolve and expand, it holds the potential to redefine the gaming experience, making high-quality visuals and seamless performance accessible to a broader audience. The future of gaming looks brighter than ever, with Auto SR leading the charge in the quest for immersive and visually stunning gaming experiences.