Virtual Desktop Adds Resolution Upscaling On Snapdragon XR2 Headsets

Virtual Desktop now supports resolution upscaling on Snapdragon XR2 headsets like Quest 2 and Pico 4, reducing PC VR streaming requirements.

Detailed in a blog post by Qualcomm’s Principal Engineer, Jonathan Wicks, this new update integrates Snapdragon Game Super Resolution (SGSR) into Virtual Desktop. App creator Guy Godin confirms SGSR will assist VR gamers limited to lower resolution settings. The option is available in the streaming tab of Virtual Desktop and can be toggled without need to restart the game or SteamVR.

“You can run things at a slightly lower VR Graphics Quality to reduce the load on your PC and upscale the image with SGSR,” explains Godin, saying it works on all XR2-powered headsets including Quest 2, Quest Pro, Pico Neo 3, and Pico 4. “Once the app releases on Focus 3 and XR Elite, the option will be there.”

You can watch SGSR in action with the comparison video below:

Godin explains to UploadVR this “can be applied to any game since it just needs the color buffer”. The technique requires a single GPU pass, Qualcomm explains, allowing it to be combined with other operations like Synchronous Space Warp, a framerate extrapolation technique that Qualcomm states reduces performance demands from a VR-ready PC.

The Qualcomm blog hints there’s more to come with the feature and teases VR gamers to stay tuned because “we’ll have plenty more to share about Snapdragon Game Super Resolution for XR soon.”