Fingers on: Home windows’ DLSS rival is not prepared to avoid wasting handheld gaming
Abstract created by Good Solutions AI
In abstract:
- PCWorld examined Microsoft’s Auto SR, a DLSS rival unique to the Asus ROG Ally X, discovering it delivers solely marginal 10% efficiency good points in video games like Borderlands 3.
- The expertise presently works solely in docked mode at 720p decision and produces notably degraded visuals described as ‘muddy’ and ‘swimmy’ in comparison with native decision.
- Auto SR stays in Preview standing with important usability points together with incorrect scaling and required recreation restarts, making it insufficient for handheld gaming enchancment.
Final week Microsoft introduced the arrival of Auto SR, its Home windows-branded different to upscaling tech like DLSS, with nice fanfare. After being semi-exclusive to Snapdragon laptops, it got here to the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X and… nothing else. Not even the non-X variant, because it wants an NPU to run. And in addition it solely works in docked mode, not handheld mode. Removed from an amazing begin.
PCWorld video chief Adam Patrick Murray simply occurs to have an Xbox Ally X (the black one, once more, the one one which this works on) over in our labs. He was variety sufficient to run just a few checks. And suffice it to say, between the poor visuals, added complications, and unusual limitations — solely engaged on one ROG Xbox Ally X mannequin, solely in docked mode, and solely at a 720p decision for upscaling — this isn’t the panacea for PC handhelds that Microsoft would love you to assume it’s.
Since Microsoft held up Borderlands 3 as a perfect take a look at mattress for Auto SR, that’s the place Adam began. On the medium preset, which is fairly okay for the Xbox Ally X’s built-in graphics working on the 35-watt “turbo mode,” AutoSR managed to spice up the framerate as much as 62. That’s higher than 57 frames per second on the really helpful 1080p….however solely by about ten %. And also you lose just a few frames versus working unenhanced on the identical 720p base decision.
Borderlands 3, DX12, fullscreen, medium preset
| 1080p native | 57 FPS common |
| 720p native | 68 FPS common |
| Auto SR 720p | 62 FPS common |
However the numbers don’t inform the entire story. In line with Adam, getting this to work requires greater than plugging in a dock and flipping a swap in settings. In his phrases it appears a lot worse than native — no marvel these Microsoft screenshots have been so cropped. He says it’s way more costly when it comes to efficiency and appears worse than native, with different complications besides. “Clunky as [bleep] and I needed to restart the sport typically to get it to take maintain.”
Whereas it’s solely formally supported on a handful of video games, Home windows 11’s Auto SR tech ought to work with something working DirectX 10 or later. So he additionally tried a few benchmark staples, which give us the chance to check out different upscaling tech too.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider, DX12, fullscreen, highest preset, no RT, no AA
| 1080p native | 46 FPS common |
| 720p native | 68 FPS common |
| Auto SR 720p | 58 FPS common |
| XeSS 720p (high quality) | 46 FPS common |
In Tomb Raider Microsoft’s Auto SR outperformed Intel’s XeSS (which can be used on AMD and Nvidia GPUs), and hit someplace between non-enhanced 720p and 1080p efficiency. However once more, the muddy graphics drag down the expertise. “For my cash, 720p native regarded approach higher than Auto SR, which was tremendous swimmy,” Adam says.
Cyberpunk 2077, fullscreen, Steam Deck preset
| 1080p native | 41 FPS common |
| 720p native | 63 FPS common |
| Auto SR 720p | 54 FPS common |
| FSR 2.1 720p (high quality) | 50 FPS common |
| FSR 3 720p (high quality) | 53 FPS common |
| XeSS 2 720p (high quality) | recreation crashed |
Cyberpunk might be essentially the most related take a look at right here, because it’s a extra recent-ish recreation with tons of visible aptitude, and lets us take a look at Microsoft, AMD, and Intel upscaling tech. It’s additionally a recreation you’d wish to play on a handheld, regardless of the compromises vital. Once more, Auto SR falls in between 720p native and 1080p native when it comes to efficiency, but it surely’s working neck and neck with AMD’s FSR tech. And once more, a minimum of to Adam’s eyes on a docked show, the native graphics look a lot cleaner even when they’re working at decrease efficient resolutions.
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
Home windows 11’s Auto SR brings alongside some complications, too. Disconnecting from the dock made Steam scale incorrectly, requiring a reboot…which triggered Home windows to scale incorrectly. Between the extremely particular circumstances required to truly use it, the poor visible high quality of the tech itself, and the headache of switching again to handheld mode, it looks like it simply isn’t definitely worth the hassle for the time being.
To be honest, that is very clearly labelled as a “Preview” by each Microsoft and Home windows itself. However it’s clear that Auto SR has a protracted option to go to compete with upscaling methods which have been round for some time.
