Graphics revolution or "AI slop"? Nvidia's DLSS 5 divides opinion

Domagoj Belancic

17/3/2026

Translation: machine translated

Nvidia presents the next development stage of its upscaling technology. DLSS 5 is intended to provide photorealistic graphics. The result is the subject of controversial debate.

Nvidia wants to revolutionise the gaming world with DLSS 5. The latest version of real-time upscaling technology is «the company's most significant breakthrough in computer graphics since the introduction of real-time ray tracing». It is expected to be released for selected Nvidia graphics cards by the end of 2026.

In a press release, the company writes: «DLSS 5 introduces a real-time neural rendering model that augments pixels with photorealistic lighting and materials.» The new model is intended to close the gap between reality and rendering and enable developer studios to achieve Hollywood-level visual effects. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says: «25 years after Nvidia invented the programmable shader, we are reinventing computer graphics. DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics.»

The new AI model is trained to understand complex scene semantics such as figures, hair, fabrics, translucent skin and lighting conditions. With this understanding, DLSS 5 is expected to correctly render complex effects - such as volume scattering in skin, the subtle sheen of fabrics and other materials or the dynamic interactions between light and hair.

Nvidia wants to give developers full control over the intensity, colour correction and masking of the effects. This allows studios to precisely determine where and how the AI enhancements are used to preserve the individual look of their game.

Some of the biggest publishers and studios will support DLSS 5 as soon as it is released. Among them: Capcom, Hotta Studio, NetEase, NCSoft, S-Game, Tencent, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Games. Todd Howard from Bethesda is also enthusiastic: «DLSS 5 brings artistic style and detail to life without the traditional limitations of real-time rendering. We look forward to working with this new technology and bringing DLSS 5 to Starfield and future Bethesda titles.»

The colleagues from Digital Foundry are also impressed by the first demonstrations they saw at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco:

«DLSS 5 off» vs. «DLSS 5 on» - the differences in detail

In the course of the announcement, Nvidia published a series of comparison images for various games. You can use these to see the differences for yourself

At the top is the version without DLSS 5, at the bottom the version with DLSS 5.

«Resident Evil: Requiem»

Assessment: Even if it seems like it at first: DLSS 5 doesn't change anything about the character models. Grace's and Leon's models are identical in both versions. Only the presentation of textures, materials, skin and lighting has been drastically adapted. For me, the maths doesn't add up here. Grace's screenshots in particular remind me of AI-generated content and not a hyper-realistic depiction of the scene. Grace also no longer looks like Grace. DLSS 5 goes one step too far and completely destroys the look of the original.

«EA Sports FC 26»

Evaluation: DLSS 5 works much better here. The lighting looks more realistic, more natural. Details in the faces of the football players come into their own much better. The first screenshot comparison in particular looks impressive - almost as if it were two different generations of hardware. I can imagine that DLSS 5 will work well for games without artistic vision and with a claim to hyperrealism.

«Starfield»

Evaluation: Some changes are convincing, others feel wrong. The character models suddenly look damn detailed. As a result, «Starfield» is partly in the «Uncanny Valley» on the screenshots - but I'm also completely convinced by the new faces in some cases. It's unbelievable that these are not new models. I find the second screenshot comparison quite horrible - the two characters look as if they have been inserted, sharpened and lightened with Photoshop. However, I do like the revised presentation of the materials.

«Hogwarts Legacy»

Evaluation: The characters look terrible. Why does the character glow in the first comparison? Why are the wrinkles so exaggerated in the third comparison? The ambient lighting in the second pair of screenshots looks... different. Whether better or worse, I don't know. Just different.

«Zorah»

Assessment: Nvidia also shows its pathtracing demo «Zorah» in the new DLSS 5 gloss. It seems to me that the upscaler is used a bit more conservatively here. I particularly like the lighting in some of the screenshots. However, other comparisons appear to be just a little brighter than without DLSS 5.

Predominantly negative reactions online

Mostly negative reactions to Nvidia's latest AI upscaler can be found in comparison videos and on social media. Users complain that games with DLSS 5 look like AI-generated videos. Instead of a graphics revolution, Nvidia is producing soulless «AI slop» that destroys the original artistic intention of the games.

The appearance of the characters is particularly criticised. Grace's face from «Resident Evil: Requeim» is reminiscent of a bad «sexy fan mod», in which female game characters «are made more attractive». DLSS 5 is a real-life version of the «Hire Fans» meme, in which game characters are replaced with exaggeratedly made-up models. A glorified AI beauty filter.

Speaking of memes - at least there's something to laugh about amidst all the controversy:

What do you mean? Is DLSS 5 the graphics revolution touted by Nvidia or the AI demise of the gaming industry? Or maybe the truth lies somewhere in between?

Domagoj Belancic

Senior Editor

Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.ch

My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.

---

News + Trends

From the latest iPhone to the return of 80s fashion. The editorial team will help you make sense of it all.

Show all