Microsoft’s own upscaler and alternative to FSR just landed on Xbox Ally X handhelds - actually uses an NPU for something useful

A few months ago, Microsoft opened up Auto SR support for the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, allowing it to use the AI-aided upscaling tech to improve frame rates in games. But that was only for people using a Preview version of Windows, and you could only enable it when the handheld was in docked mode. Now, Auto SR has officially launched in the main Windows OS for the Xbox Ally X and X20; plus, you can now run it when undocked.

The first question you might have is, 'Why would I use Auto SR instead of FSR?' The answer is: 'You wouldn't.'

You'll primarily use Auto SR for games that don't have FSR baked in by the devs, or when the FSR implementation doesn't work well for some reason. It should, in theory, actually give you better performance than FSR, assuming you have an NPU on board (like the Xbox Ally X and X20 do). That's because it uses the NPU rather than the GPU for its upscaling shenanigans, which frees up the GPU for other work.

FSR, however, is still preferred when possible, as it will look closer to what the game should look like.

When Auto SR originally came to the Xbox Ally X earlier in the year, you could only enable it in docked mode, presumably in part because that allows for more power draw for the APU (including the NPU that does the upscaling work). Microsoft explains the official reason, however, as being "because that’s where Auto SR makes the biggest difference: 1440p-like detail alongside smooth framerates on larger screens where every frame matters."

Now, you can enable it when running on battery.

You can also use it with games running at 1080p and at a higher frame rate. Before, you could only run Auto SR up to 60 or 75 fps, but in a new 'Performance Mode', you can get up to 120 fps. Oh, and Auto HDR is supported if you're playing games that can benefit from it.

The ROG Xbox Ally X is actually the best handheld on the market right now, by our estimation. That's in large part because its $1,000 price tag is actually very reasonable in the current, memory shortage-induced, price-inflated market. It helps that it's a decent handheld in its own right, especially thanks to its comfy grips and the new handheld Windows experience.

The ROG Xbox Ally X20 is almost the same, except it has some nice additions such as an OLED screen and TMR sticks, plus better thermals. The regular version is a fair bit cheaper, though, and would be getting my vote for that reason.

At any rate, it's great to see our fave handheld getting the option for this kind of performance boost in those games that need it. Oh, and Microsoft says Auto SR will be available for "select Windows Copilot+ PCs", too, though I'm not entirely sure what the selection criteria is.