Microsoft Auto SR Exits Preview With Handheld Mode and 120 FPS

Microsoft Auto SR, the AI upscaling feature built into Windows, is officially out of preview on the ROG Xbox Ally X and ROG Xbox Ally X20. Microsoft announced on November 10, 2026 that it now works in handheld mode on battery, supports games running at 1080p and is expanding to select Copilot+ PCs powered by AMD Ryzen.

A new Performance Mode also lifts the frame rate ceiling to up to 120 FPS, almost double the previous limit of around 60 to 75 FPS. That part, along with Auto HDR support, arrives through upcoming Windows updates, so it may not show up on your device right away.

What Is Microsoft Auto SR?

Auto SR, short for Automatic Super Resolution, lets a game render at a lower resolution and then rebuilds the image so it looks sharper at a higher one. That trick is called upscaling. Instead of the graphics chip, the work runs on the NPU (neural processing unit), the part of the processor designed for AI tasks.

The big difference from Nvidia's DLSS, which The Verge calls its closest rival, is that developers do not have to add anything. Microsoft's support page says Auto SR works on a player's existing game library at the system level.

What Changed Since the Preview?

The Xbox Insider preview started in April on the Xbox Ally X and only worked while docked to a TV or monitor. Now Auto SR runs on the built-in screen too, even unplugged. Microsoft says it made the change "by popular demand."

The preview also refused to kick in at 1080p, the default resolution of most handheld games, so you had to lower the resolution first. Microsoft admits that was easy to miss and a common reason the feature never turned on. Now 1080p games work, and when docked to a higher resolution screen, Auto SR can upscale them up to 1440p. Still, Microsoft warns that 1080p on the internal screen "may not be as optimal as other configurations," although older games should look better.

Auto HDR, the Windows feature that adds brighter highlights and richer colors to games without native HDR, also stops being an either-or choice. Once the update lands, both features can run at the same time.

How Much Faster Is Performance Mode?

Microsoft's own example is Rocket League on the ROG Xbox Ally X at 720p with high settings. Quality Mode averaged 70 FPS, while Performance Mode averaged 115 FPS. In other words, Quality keeps the sharper image with a cap of about 75 FPS, and Performance trades some detail for smoothness in fast games like racers and shooters. You can switch between them while playing.

How Do You Turn On Auto SR?

1. Update Game Bar and install the latest Windows 11 updates.
2. Download or update the Auto Super Resolution Package from the Microsoft Store.
3. Press the Xbox button, or Win + G on a keyboard, to open Game Bar.
4. Go to Widgets, then Display, then Graphics, and turn on Auto SR for your game.
5. Pick Quality or Performance, and run the game in fullscreen or exclusive fullscreen.

Which PCs and Games Does It Support?

You need a Copilot+ PC running Windows 11 version 24H2 or later and a display of at least 1080p. That covers AMD Ryzen AI machines, including both Xbox Ally handhelds, Intel Core Ultra Series 3 or Arc G3 systems such as the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, and Snapdragon X or X2 devices like the Surface Laptop 7. Qualcomm owners should also keep their GPU drivers current, as our look at the Snapdragon X2 Elite driver shows.

Games must use DirectX 10 or later and run as x64, x64 emulation or Arm64. Older 32-bit x86 games and titles built on DirectX 9, Vulkan or OpenGL are not supported, which rules out a fair number of classics and some Linux-friendly ports.

Is Auto SR Worth Turning On?

In our view, this is the release that makes Auto SR useful. A handheld upscaler that only worked on a TV and needed a manual resolution change was a demo, not a feature. The relative test is simple: if a demanding game stutters on your Ally at native 1080p, try Auto SR in Quality first, then Performance, and keep whichever looks better to you. If your game uses Vulkan, it will not help at all.

It also sharpens the competition with Valve, which just started showing Steam Deck FPS averages on store pages. Microsoft is betting on NPU hardware that the Steam Deck lacks.

Its Xbox PC app redesign shows how hard it is pushing Windows as a console-like platform.

Microsoft is collecting feedback at autosr@microsoft.com and through Feedback Hub under Game Performance.

Microsoft Auto SR at a Glance