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🤔 Nvidia has maintained that game developers have “artistic control” over how its new DLSS 5 upscaler can make character models look
😡 Criticism has been levelled at Nvidia for the AI-powered filter that seeks to make games more “photorealistic” by its reckoning
🧐 The screenshots and trailer provided seem to beautify and smooth over the characters’ faces, giving them an unnatural look
📆 Nvidia has said DLSS 5 will be out in “fall 2026” and be supported in games such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Resident Evil Requiem from release
Nvidia has maintained that game developers have “artistic control” over DLSS 5 as the company seeks to address the criticism of the upscaler’s new model.
The comment comes in response to the backlash Nvidia has seemingly received after the new DLSS 5 model, announced at GTC 2026, as many believe the model merely adds an AI-generated photorealistic filter over faces and game elements to ‘enhance’ graphics.
One of the criticisms that has been levelled at Team Green is that the photorealism filter fundamentally alters the faces of characters, be it Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem or Virgil Van Dijk in EA Sports FC 26, in a way that doesn’t fit the aesthetic of the games.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has said that the generative AI that Nvidia is using is “controlled perfectly” by the structured data that’s provided by the 3D renderer, while Nvidia’s Jacob Freeman has said that game developers have “artistic control over DLSS 5’s effects to ensure they maintain their game’s aesthetic.”
To back this up, Bethesda has said on in a post on X that the implementation of DLSS 5 in Starfield and Oblivion Remastered, that’ll arrive when the model launches, is “all under our artists’ control, and totally optional for players.”
With this in mind, the blog post from Nvidia, plus the supporting screenshots and trailer, still seems to beautify and oversmooth characters’ faces in a way that doesn’t seem natural.
For instance, Grace from Resident Evil Requiem seems to have been given fuller lips and sharper cheekbones than in the original image, substantially altering the intended look for the character.
Virgil Van Dijk in EA Sports FC 26 also has a funny-looking sheen over his face that just looks wrong – it’s hard to explain without delving into too much detail, but there’s something strange about it.
DLSS 5 has been controversial since Nvidia’s announcement, with the term “AI slop filter” being seen across the internet, and it seems Team Green is trying to carry out some damage limitation, given the frosty reception.
Game developers can choose not to support DLSS 5 if they wish, in the same way that players can choose not to use it, although the fact that Nvidia is pushing forwards with this model is an indication of where the games industry may be heading.
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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.
