The latest preview version of Windows 11 contains an image scaling feature called Automatic Super Resolution, which promises to improve graphics quality and performance in compatible video games.
Published only a few days ago, the preview of build 26052 of Windows 11 is being explored from top to bottom by users registered on the Dev and Canary channels of the Windows Insider program, who are gradually discovering new features under development and not yet officially announced. Among them, a scaling function (upscaling) image by artificial intelligence, which promises to improve performance and visual quality in video games and applications, based on what graphics circuit manufacturers have been offering for several years. But unlike proprietary technologies like Nvidia’s DLSS), AMD’s FSR or Intel’s XeSS, Microsoft’s solution will be integrated directly into the operating system, which will facilitate its use while contributing to its adoption.
Windows Automatic Super Resolution: an in-system scaling feature
This new feature hidden in the latest preview version of Windows 11 was unearthed by PhantomOcean3 and Albacore, two members of the Insider program, including the discovery was reported by the Neowin site. Build 26052 indeed contains an option named Automatic Super Resolution : and it is not activated by default, the two curious tinkerers used the tool ViveTool to activate it manually.
As seen in the video and screenshots shared by PhantomOcean3 and Albacore on X (ex-Twitter), an option titled Automatic Super Resolution then appears in the Windows 11 settings, under the menu System > Screen > Graphicsand his description leaves no room for doubt: “Use AI to make compatible games smoother with improved details“. We are therefore faced with a scaling function by artificial intelligence, a technique which makes it possible to improve the performance in the rendering of video games, by asking the processor and the graphics card to generate the images in a definition lower than that of the screen, before increasing it through algorithmic processing to bring it back to the native definition of the monitor.
The technologies ofupscaling by AI have become in recent years the sinews of war between the different graphics card manufacturers, who all offer their solution in this area: Nvidia with DLSS, AMD with FSR and Intel with its XeSS. Given the importance of video games in the Windows ecosystem and the emphasis placed on artificial intelligence by Microsoft, it is therefore logical to see the Redmond firm invest in the development of its own updating solution. At scale.
Furthermore, this new function ofupscaling from Microsoft does not seem to be aimed exclusively at video games. On one of the screenshots shared on X (ex-Twitter) by PhantomOcean3, we see that the option Automatic Super Resolution seems to be activated on the Camera application, which takes care of managing the webcam. We therefore imagine that the function will also improve the image quality in videoconferencing and applications using a video capture device, and it is not impossible that Microsoft will further extend the scope of its enhancement technology. scale to other places in its operating system.
For now however, even after “forced” activation, the function Automatic Super Resolution doesn’t seem to increase frame rate in games. As with most existing similar technologies, it is likely that processingupscaling from Microsoft requires specific hardware resources to operate, including Neural Processing Unit (NPU) which are starting to appear in the latest Core Ultra processors from Intel and in the future Ryzen 8040 from AMD. Out of curiosity and for fun, you can activate the brand new Automatic Super Resolution of the latest preview version of Windows 11 and try to find use cases in which it works, but you will probably have to wait for its official announcement and the publication of its operation by Microsoft to really benefit from it.