The ROG Xbox Ally X just got a new feature that finally gives it an advantage over the Steam Deck OLED

If you’ve got an Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, you can be among the first to check out Microsoft’s new Auto SR feature. Auto SR, or Auto Super Resolution, is a new upscaling technology that is now available exclusively to Xbox Insiders, offering higher framerates in demanding games such as God of War Ragnarok and Red Dead Redemption 2. Simply put, it’s here to take handheld gaming to the next level, and at the time of writing, the Steam Deck OLED doesn’t offer any software or hardware equivalent that works across the whole system rather than just in individual games.

The best example we’ve seen of Auto SR’s capabilities on the ROG Xbox Ally X so far comes from tech YouTuber ETA Prime, who’s put the feature through its paces. In Black Myth: Wukong, Auto SR enables 1080p gameplay at an average of 66fps, which is 15fps higher than running natively at 720p, while in God of War Ragnarok, the fresh tech boosts the frames per second from 40 to 57 while upscaling from 720p to 1080p. You can check out the full clip further down the page for more results from Auto SR testing.

We were already big fans of the Asus handheld, as Sam Comrie makes clear in our ROG Xbox Ally X review, but this Auto SR feature could help it place higher in our guide to the best handheld consoles. Its Windows 11 operating system is still a bit of a sticking point, but the frame rate numbers we’ve seen from those testing Auto SR so far make it a far more tempting proposition for those looking for a handheld that can deliver console-level visuals.

There are a couple of caveats to Auto SR, though. At the time of writing, it only works in docked mode, which feels a bit counterintuitive to me, as the best thing about the Ally X is its handheld form factor. According to Microsoft, though, frame rate dips are more noticeable when playing on a monitor, so it’s at least a positive sign that the company wants to master the technology before a wider rollout and compatibility with handheld play.

It also doesn’t boost performance in every single game, with ETA Prime noting that Auto SR slightly reduced performance in Cyberpunk 2077, but the image quality upscaled to 1080p still beats out native 720p. Finally, DX9, Vulkan, and OpenGL games currently aren’t supported. You should be fine with most modern games, but it’s worth checking those you’re hoping to upscale before signing up for Xbox Insiders or activating Auto SR.

As for when that Auto SR rollout might come, we still don’t have much of an indication, but the fact that Xbox is now publicly testing it can only be a good sign. Now we’re just hoping that the ROG Xbox Ally X doesn’t skyrocket in price, as we’ve seen recently with other Steam Deck alternatives such as the Lenovo Legion Go 2. If Auto SR is really as powerful as it seems, we could finally see another brand take on Valve’s dominance in the handheld space.