Microsoft is working on its own DLSS-like upscaler for Windows 11

Microsoft is working on its own DLSS-like upscaler for Windows 11

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Microsoft appears to be readying its own DLSS-like AI upscaling feature for PC games. X user PhantomOcean3 discovered the feature inside the latest test versions of Windows 11 over the weekend, with Microsoft describing its automatic super resolution as a way to “use AI to make supported games play more smoothly with enhanced details.”

That sounds a lot like Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology, which uses AI to upscale games and improve frame rates and image quality. AMD and Intel also offer their own variants, with FSR and XeSS both growing in popularity in recent PC game releases.

Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge

A new AI super resolution feature has been discovered in Windows 11 test builds.

Microsoft has not yet officially announced this new super resolution feature, so it’s not clear exactly how it will work, nor if it will require any specific hardware. Nvidia’s DLSS leverages the tensor cores that ship on its RTX range of graphics cards, whereas AMD’s FSR and Intel’s XeSS are both powered by their respective GPU hardware.

Microsoft is also working on an improved color management feature for Windows 11, which will be particularly useful for the latest round of OLED monitors that make use of HDR. Windows has lacked a good OS-level color management system for years, leaving PC gamers having to add custom color profiles in a dialog box that looks like it shipped in Windows 95.

With today's Windows Insiders build for Canary and Dev (Build 26052), users will be able to see the new Color Management settings page located under Settings > System > Display > Color management. This new page allows users to add/remove color profiles, set defaults, and more! pic.twitter.com/T05KvasqfO

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With the upcoming changes, color management will be integrated into the main display settings area of Windows 11, allowing PC users to set color profiles for sRGB and DCI-P3. There’s also a new feature that will automatically control these various color profiles.

“Auto color management makes sure your apps and other content have accurate colors on this display,” says Microsoft about this color management feature. It’s not clear if this will let Windows 11 users easily change gamma curves, though. Hopefully this means Microsoft is investing more in HDR support on Windows, which can lead to a washed out desktop experience if enabled system wide.