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Nvidia’s DLSS 5 is like motion smoothing for video games, but worse

The Verge / 3/18/2026

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Key Points

  • Nvidia unveiled DLSS 5, branding it as the company's most significant graphics breakthrough since real-time ray tracing, hinting at a potential shift in game upscaling.
  • Nvidia says the tech "infuses pixels with photoreal lighting and materials," but early demonstrations show noticeable issues with character faces and textures.
  • Critics point out that the promised realism often fails in practice, citing examples like Grace from Resident Evil Requiem and characters in Hogwarts Legacy that look over-processed.
  • The mismatch between hype and results could influence how developers, designers, engineers, marketers, and product managers approach adoption of AI-powered upscaling in games, signaling a broader industry trend.
A screenshot of Starfield with DLSS 5 on.

Yesterday Nvidia revealed its latest upscaling tech, called DLSS 5, which it described as "the company's most significant breakthrough in computer graphics since the debut of real-time ray tracing in 2018." Sounds good, until you actually see it. According to Nvidia, the tech "infuses pixels with photoreal lighting and materials," but all anyone seemed to notice was that it turned recognizable faces into something resembling AI slop. Resident Evil Requiem protagonist Grace got a makeover that would make her look at home in a Tilly Norwood video. The Hogwarts Legacy kids looked like they'd been wrung through an Instagram filter. Even Liverpoo …

Read the full story at The Verge.