Is it too late? Intel gives us reasons to be enthusiastic about XeSS frame rate enhancer.

 Intel has updated an in-depth look at XeSS, its frame rate-boosting technique that competes with Nvidia DLSS (and AMD FSR).

The explainer(opens in new tab), created by Ryan Shrout, Intel's graphics marketing guru (and spotted by VideoCardz(opens in new tab)), covers a wide range of topics, including games that will be supported, anticipated performance boosts, and compatibility issues with GPUs other than Intel Arc graphics cards.

Several benchmarks are presented utilising an Arc A770 graphics card, over a variety of games running at 1440p resolution in performance mode. Intel XeSS is set for a number of high-profile games, including being present in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II at launch (the setting for the fastest frame rates with XeSS).

Some significant improvements can be seen in games like Ghostwire Tokyo, which records a much healthier 53 frames per second (fps) while using XeSS in performance mode as opposed to a fairly choppy 25 fps when using maximum settings and ray tracing (just over twice as fast, in other words). Similar frame rate increases are seen in Hitman 3, which goes from 34 fps without XeSS to 68 fps with the feature active.

As you may anticipate, some increases are less significant. Shadow of the Tomb Raider, for instance, sees a healthy increase from 62 frames per second to 87 frames per second (all of these are with maximum details and ray tracing on, by the way).

Additionally, Intel XeSS provides quality and ultra-quality settings that prioritise upscaled image quality rather than increasing frame rates like performance does. There is also a balanced setting that strikes a balance between quality and performance. Shadow of the Tomb Raider improves from 62 frames per second to 79 with the balanced option, which is still a significant improvement but significantly less than the performance at 87 frames per second.

Outside of its own Arc graphics cards, devices from Nvidia and AMD will be able to benefit from XeSS, according to Intel's discussion of GPU compatibility. It's fantastic to hear that older graphics cards like Nvidia's 900 series (from now eight years ago) graphics cards may still be used to accelerate games with XeSS. These cards support HLSL Shader Model 6. For those who have older Team Green cards and can't use DLSS, it will be a clear benefit.

As for the games that utilise XeSS, as we already said, Modern Warfare II is scheduled to use the technology right now. The entire list of games that are currently planned to support Intel's frame rate boosting technology is as follows:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
• Arcadegeddon
• Ghostwire Tokyo
• Vampire Bloodhunt
• Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed
• Naraka Bladepoint
• Super People
• Gotham Knights
• DioField Chronicle
• Dolmen
• Chivalry II
• Redout II
• The Settlers
• Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
• The Rift Breaker
• Hitman III
• Chorus
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Anvil Vault Breakers

Analysis: Is there any magic Alchemist still has under its sleeve?

On the surface, these are very amazing results, but as always, we must exercise caution when using internal benchmarks, not just for Intel but for any corporation, as these tests will be selectively used to make products appear their best in marketing.

Though dreams are occasionally shattered, or at least not entirely realised, XeSS is a temporal upscaling technology similar to Nvidia DLSS, and AI is also in the mix, so we'd hope for something as effective as Team Green's approach to frame rate boosting.

"We're delighted for gamers and developers throughout the world to experience XeSS," says Intel, referring to the forthcoming release of the A700 series discrete GPUs.

The catch is when exactly will A700 desktop graphics cards be made accessible. The Arc A380 GPU, after all, has only recently became available in the US (although officially, this low-cost GPU is currently out of stock at Newegg, and we assume it isn't due to abnormally strong demand).

If XeSS is actually going to be in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II when the game launches, then both the technology and the A770 should be available in less than two months, preferably by the end of October. Even while that is conceivable, the way Intel's Arc Alchemist launch has gone so far makes us doubt its likelihood. Of course, it's still possible, but it's hard to be upbeat in light of the numerous setbacks and slow Arc desktop GPU implementation to date.

In some ways, the publicity campaign for XeSS feels like some damage management, given that the debate around Intel Arc graphics cards has largely focused on how much money the GPUs have cost Team Blue. Indeed, analysts are debating whether it would be better for the business to stop losing money now and scrap the entire endeavour (which must hurt Intel to hear, to say the least).

It's difficult to imagine a brighter conclusion to all of this given the way that language like that has dampened expectations for Arc discrete GPUs all around. Even so, we can't make any judgments just yet, and with XeSS in particular, we have to commend Intel for its willingness to support competing GPUs (much like AMD did with FSR, but Nvidia most obviously didn't with DLSS, which requires an RTX graphics card).

Time will tell, but at least Intel's ambition to beat AMD and Nvidia is indicated by the Arc A380's US cost. Let's face it, Intel needs to do everything it can to revive interest in Arc Alchemist at this point, so perhaps we'll see the more expensive GPUs do the same, but in a more dramatic price reduction (something the rumour mill has already hinted at). All we can do is hope.

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