Intel's XeSS 2 AI-Powered Graphics Technology Expands to More Games, Boosting Performance and Reducing Latency

XeSS 2 Available in 10 More Games, 4x Boost in FPS

XeSS 2 brings AI-powered upscaling, frame interpolation, and low-latency tricks to Intel's gaming GPUs, making titles run smoother and look sharper. You've probably seen XeSS SR in action since 2022 on Arc GPUs; it uses neural networks to crank up resolution without killing performance. Now, with XeSS FG adding extra frames via AI and XeLL shaving off nearly half your input lag, it's a multi-pronged push to make every title more responsive and visually detailed. Latency's a big deal when you're strafing in a shooter or lining up a snipe -- XeLL tackles that head-on by reworking how frames get processed. In tests on the Arc B580 card, we saw about a 45% cut in latency across fast-paced multiplayer games, so what you do with your mouse and keyboard hits the screen almost instantly. You can turn XeLL on by itself or mix it with the upscaling and frame-gen features depending on your rig and the experience you're after. When it comes to pure FPS gains, XeSS 2 really shines. Diablo IV benchmarks showed a fourfold boost in average frames per second versus native output at matching settings. Assassin's Creed Shadows saw a 2.4× jump. And on the go? The Intel Core Ultra 9 285H with Arc 140T iGPU managed over 40 FPS at high presets in all tested games, and many ran north of 60 FPS once XeSS 2 was enabled. Marvel Rivals was the standout, leaping from 23 FPS without any super-sampling to 66 FPS with the full XeSS 2 suite active -- a 187% uplift. For game developers, the new XeSS 2 SDK makes integration straightforward. It offers separate modules for super-resolution, frame generation, and latency reduction so studios can pick and choose what fits their pipeline. That flexibility has already led to nineteen titles shipping with the complete XeSS 2 package, and more are on deck as devs update their engines. Whether you're on a desktop with an Arc B580 card or a slim laptop powered by Core Ultra, enabling these AI enhancements is just a matter of adding a few lines of code and flipping a switch in the graphics settings. At its core, XeSS SR uses convolutional neural nets to reconstruct higher-resolution frames from lower-resolution rendering -- basically, it guesses extra detail where pixels are missing. Frame generation takes that a step further by predicting intermediate frames, upping your FPS count without demanding extra GPU throughput. Meanwhile, XeLL trims rendering overhead and pre-empts input events to cut down the time between your actions and what you see. Put together, you get smoother visuals, steadier frame rates, and snappier controls. Source: Intel

Intel XeSS is now available in over 200 games, and XeSS 2 adoption is ramping up

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you. Since its introduction in 2022 alongside the first Intel Arc GPUs, Intel's XeSS, the company's answer to NVIDIA DLSS, has reached a significant milestone. It's now available in over 200 games. The list includes several recent releases and popular titles like Civilization VII, F1 24, Marvel Rivals, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and more. Intel XeSS 2 adds Frame Generation Low Latency technology, image credit: Intel. Like NVIDIA's DLSS and AMD's new FSR 4, Intel XeSS uses an AI approach for its XeSS Super Resolution solution. With its new Battlemage architecture for mobile and desktop GPUs that debuted late last year, Intel XeSS 2 has introduced XeSS Frame Generation and Xe Low Latency to boost performance further. Adoption of XeSS 2 is still limited, but Intel notes that "adoption is picking up," with 19 titles now supporting XeSS 2. With XeSS Super Resolution, XeSS Frame Generation, and Xe Low Latency to reduce latency, Intel notes that on the Intel Arc B580 GPU, Diablo 4 sees a 4X increase in performance, and Assassin's Creed: Shadows sees a 2.4X increase. In addition to supporting discrete Arc graphics cards, XeSS 2 is available on select Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), which include integrated Arc graphics and dedicated AI hardware. Gaming on a processor with integrated graphics is now viable thanks to chips like the Intel Core Ultra 9 285H with built-in Intel Arc 140T GPU. Per the performance chart above, games go from being unplayable at 20-30 FPS at 1080p to running at a smooth 60+ FPS in a wide range of titles, including Hogwarts Legacy and Marvel Rivals. This is cool as it opens the door to gaming on more laptops and portable gaming handhelds. With Xe Low Latency, which reduces latency by 45% on average, games will run faster and be more responsive to control. Hopefully, we will see more titles add XeSS 2 support in the coming months, as DLSS's widespread support makes it a key selling point for picking up a GeForce RTX GPU. The odds are that this will be the case, as Intel recently released the XeSS 2 SDK to "enable quick and easy integration by developers."