Windows Auto SR Leaves Preview, Now Works on ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds

What changes for handheld players

During the preview, Auto SR on the ROG Xbox Ally X only worked when the device was docked. That limit is gone: the feature now runs on the built-in screen, including on battery power. Players also no longer have to lower the game's resolution manually, a step Microsoft admits was a common reason the feature never started. The system now supports games running at 1080p, and when the handheld is connected to a TV or monitor, Auto SR can scale the image up to 1440p.

Frame rates improve too. Previously Auto SR topped out at roughly 60-75 fps; a new performance mode raises the ceiling to 120 fps. Players can switch between Quality and Performance modes during a game via the Game Bar. Auto SR can also now run alongside Auto HDR, which previously forced users to pick one.

Microsoft shared two benchmarks. On an Intel Arc B390 GPU, Assassin's Creed Valhalla averaged 45 fps at native 1600p on High settings. Rendering at 1050p, upscaling to 1600p and raising settings to Ultra High gave an average of 52 fps, about 15% more. Borderlands 3 ran at 24 fps natively at 1440p and at 40 fps when rendered at 720p and reconstructed by Auto SR.

Hardware and game requirements

There is a catch: an NPU is required. Microsoft's documentation lists Copilot+ PCs with AMD Ryzen NPUs, Intel Core Ultra Series 3 or Arc G3 chips with AI Boost NPU, and Snapdragon X and X2 platforms with Hexagon NPU. Windows 11 24H2 or later, current drivers and the latest Auto Super Resolution package are also needed. Owners of ordinary Windows 11 PCs will not get a free DLSS alternative through Windows Update, at least for now.

Games must use DirectX 10 or newer, running as native x64, emulated x64 or Arm64. DirectX 9, Vulkan and OpenGL are listed as unsupported. Microsoft is developing DirectSR separately to help studios integrate DLSS, FSR and XeSS, whereas Auto SR aims to deliver system-wide scaling with no extra work from developers.