Microsoft To Reveal DirectSR at GDC 2024

Microsoft appears to be preparing an alternative to DLSS, FSR and XeSS named DirectSR and they are expected to reveal this technology at GDC 2024.

Microsoft DirectSR

DirectSR, or in its long form, Direct Super Resolution, is a new technology from Microsoft which will be presented at GDC 2024 in San Francisco. The schedule at the GDC website has Microsoft slated to present the DirectX State of the Union alongside engineers from AMD and NVIDIA on March 21st where Microsoft will “provide a preview into DirectSR. The claim is that DirectSR will make it “easier than ever for game devs to scale super-resolution support across windows devices.”

DirectX

So, how well will DirectSR compete with DLSS, FSR and XeSS, will it use AI, probably, Will it use frame generation, probably not for its first launch? It’s also worth wondering how different this will be from the AutoSR that we saw in a Windows 11 preview build earlier this month. AutoSR doesn’t appear to require developer integration and would work similarly to RTX HDR, but DirectSR likely will and should offer a better experience, at least on paper.

What is DirectSR?

1. Super Resolution Technology:
   • At its core, DirectSR is a super-resolution technology designed to enhance graphics quality.
   • It aims to elevate the visual experience by upscaling lower-resolution content to higher resolutions, resulting in sharper images and improved details.
2. Standardized Solution:
   • Unlike vendor-specific solutions (think NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR and INTEL XESS), DirectSR seeks to establish a standardized approach.
   • It operates at a software level, making it compatible with a wide range of graphics cards and architectures.
   • The goal is to simplify implementation for game developers, ensuring that DirectSR works seamlessly across different GPUs.
3. Compatibility and Cores:
   • While specifics about the GPU cores remain undisclosed, DirectSR is likely to leverage GPU-accelerated cores.
   • It aims to be compatible with modern GPU architectures, including those already supporting Intel XeSS, AMD FSR, and NVIDIA DLSS.
   • By providing a unified solution, Microsoft aims to streamline the development process for game studios.

Presentation at GDC 2024

• Date: Scheduled for March 21, the presentation will feature engineers from Microsoft, AMD, and NVIDIA.
• Insights: Attendees can expect deep dives into how DirectSR works, its benefits, and practical use cases.
• Technical Details: Expect discussions on integration, performance, and the underlying algorithms.

Source: indiekings

DirectX State of the Union Ft. Work Graphs and Introducing DirectSR (Presented by Microsoft)

• Shawn Hargreaves  (Dev Manager, Direct3D, Microsoft)
• Austin Kinross  (PIX Developer Lead, Microsoft)
• Wessam Bahnassi  (Principle Engineer, Developer Technology, Nvidia)
• Rob Martin  (Fellow Software Engineer, AMD)
• Location: Room 2009, West Hall
• Date: Thursday, March 21
• Time: 12:45 am – 1:45 pm
• Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass, Summits Pass, Expo Pass, Audio Pass, Indie Games Summit Pass – Get your pass now!

“The DirectX team will showcase the latest updates, demos, and best practices for game development with key partners from AMD and NVIDIA. Work graphs are the newest way to take full advantage of GPU hardware and parallelize workloads. Microsoft will provide a preview into DirectSR, making it easier than ever for game devs to scale super resolution support across Windows devices. Finally, dive into the latest tooling updates for PIX.” – gdconf.com