Nvidia’s DLSS 5 is the (glossy) subject of memes and backlash from gamers

Upgraded graphics in video games sound like they would be popular amongst players and enthusiasts, but Nvidia is finding that the opposite appears to be true with its latest tech.

The company announced at a conference Monday that the new version of its artificial intelligence technology designed to boost performance will enable game developers to deliver “photoreal computer graphics previously only achieved in Hollywood visual effects.”

DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is Nvidia’s image enhancement technology. First released in 2018, the technology was initially used to upscale resolution, but now it can generate entirely new frames. It has been integrated in over 750 games, according to the company.

DLSS 5 will arrive this fall, but Nvidia presented a sample of what games will look like with the new technology earlier this week.

So why and how are gamers mad about what the company calls its “most significant breakthrough in computer graphics” in recent years?

Because the examples it used in a presentation look —as those on the internet would say — “yassified,” or heavily edited in an attempt to look more attractive, often to the point of comedy.

A brief clip of the character Grace Ashcroft from Resident Evil Requiem shows a before and after shot of her with DLSS 5 both off and on, and the difference is significant. While some aspects of the image vastly improve its appearance, like enhanced details and texture in the background, the character’s face looks significantly different. With DLSS 5, she has more plump lips, the bags under her eyes don’t appear as dark and it looks like she’s wearing makeup.

As the sample clips continue, more characters from Hogwarts Legacy, Starfield and EA Sports FC get similar treatment.

“DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics — blending handcrafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression,” Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said in a release Monday.

Many gamers responded with criticism, with one commenter on YouTube writing, “The obsession with fidelity over art direction is reaching terminal levels.” Some felt the technology undermines artistic intent from the game designers, changing lighting choices and facial features instead of simply enhancing the image. Some also said the clips with DLSS 5 on had a general uncanny feeling, featuring hallmarks of AI-generated imagery.

Others responded with memes.

One person posted side-by-side images on X of the famous Great Depression-era photograph “Migrant Mother” with a heavily edited version where the once despondent woman is flashing a bright smile and sporting heavy makeup. The text reads “Nvidia presents DLSS 5.”

DLSS 5 has prompted a new meme template, which other posts have followed a similar format. Two similar images appear, with one clearly edited, and often have accompanying text like “DLSS 5 off vs. DLSS 5 on.” One post uses the popular and often-memed image of actor Kevin James and juxtaposes it next to a version of the photo in which his face looks entirely different.

Others take images that were clearly designed to be in an animated, cartoon-like style and put them next to an unsettlingly realistic version of that image.

In a comment pinned to its YouTube video showcasing what the technology can do, Nvidia said “game developers have full, detailed artistic control over DLSS 5’s effects to ensure they maintain their game’s unique aesthetic.”

Huang also responded to the criticism during a press Q&A on Tuesday, saying that critics are “completely wrong.”

“The reason for that is because, as I have explained very carefully, DLSS 5 fuses controllability of the geometry and textures and everything about the game with generative AI,” he said in response to a question about the criticism from Tom’s Hardware. Developers can still “fine-tune the generative AI” to make it match their style, he said, adding that DLSS 5 “doesn’t change the artistic control.” Nvidia said DLSS 5 will come to games including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Delta Force, Justice, Phantom Blade Zero, Sea of Remnants and several other titles when it arrives in the fall.