Intel’s XeSS AI upscaling won’t be available until sometime in ‘early summer’ – The Verge

Intels first Arc GPUs are launching today, but one of the biggest features for the new discrete graphics cards will be absent when the first Arc-powered laptops arrive: the companys XeSS AI-powered upscaling technology, which Intel says wont be available until sometime in early summer.

XeSS is meant to compete with other AI-based upscaling techniques, like Nvidias own Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), and promises to offer players better framerates without compromising on quality. (AMDs FidelityFX Super Resolution aims to offer similar results, too, but doesnt use the same super sampling methods as Intel and Nvidia.)

The goal of XeSS is similar to other upscaling techniques, offering players 4K-quality visuals without having to deal with the far more demanding hardware and power requirements for running actual 4K gameplay in real time (something that only the most powerful and pricey graphics cards like the RTX 3090 or the RX 6800 can really achieve right now).

Like Nvidias DLSS, games have to be specifically optimized to work with XeSS, with Intel touting a list of titles that includes Death Stranding: Directors Cut, Legend of the Tomb Raider, Ghostwire Tokyo, Chorus, Hitman 3, and more. And while all those games are already out, the fact that XeSS wont arrive until the summer means that you wont get Intels upscaling benefits on them even if you do pick up an Arc-powered laptop now.

The silver lining is that the bulk of Intels Arc products including its more powerful laptop GPUs and its long-awaited desktop cards also wont be arriving until later on in the year. Intels launch today is just for the companys least powerful Arc 3 discrete graphics for laptops. But hopefully, by the time XeSS does arrive in early summer, Intel will have some more powerful GPUs waiting for it.

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Intel's XeSS AI upscaling won't be available until sometime in 'early summer' - The Verge