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Nvidia's DLSS 5

Gaming · Heat 1.0 / 10 · 2 shows · 12m airtime

Nvidia announced DLSS 5 on September 22, 2026, an upscaler that adds scene elements and colors not present in the original render. The discussion has moved from the demo to the trade-offs: the 60-frames-per-second requirement limits how much the AI can invent, and the performance hit is reported as catastrophic even on an RTX 5090. A Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 creative director defended the results as matching the intended look, while others find it pleasing on background NPCs in Cyberpunk. Whether the results justify the cost remains contested.

How 2 podcasts covered it

  1. The Vergecast, 2026-09-22 (3:49 to 6:36)
    Explains how DLSS 5 differs from earlier versions
    Linus Sebastian explains how DLSS 5 differs from earlier versions: it adds scene elements and colors that were not rendered, part of Nvidia's stated bet on neural rendering over Moore's law. David Gauthier's hands-on time falls short of the demo.
    New angle: DLSS 5 adds scene elements and colors that were not in the original render.
  2. The Vergecast, 2026-09-22 (6:52 to 8:43)
    Tests DLSS 5 on games Nvidia did not authorize
    Hands-on testing on games Nvidia did not authorize: the 60-frames-per-second floor caps how much the AI can invent, and the output still needs a good input - crude drawings don't become photoreal.
    New angle: DLSS 5 must render at least 60 times per second, limiting the AI's creativity.
  3. The Vergecast, 2026-09-22 (10:04 to 11:25)
    Reports the developer split over DLSS 5's look
    Reports a developer split over DLSS 5's look: the creative director of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 defended it on X, saying it matched the game's intended look, while others call it an AI slop filter. Argues it only works for photorealism.
  4. The Vergecast, 2026-09-22 (12:14 to 13:09)
    Puts a number on DLSS 5's performance cost
    Linus Sebastian puts a number on the performance cost: DLSS 5 is catastrophic even on an RTX 5090, and he predicts roughly five years before mainstream use, arguing it won't be mainstream until a last-generation 60-series card can run it.
    New angle: DLSS 5's performance hit is catastrophic even on an RTX 5090, per Linus Sebastian.
  5. The Vergecast, 2026-09-22 (13:09 to 15:55)
    Pushes back on the barrel demo's lipstick effect
    Linus and Gauthier push back on the barrel demo: DLSS 5 applies lipstick rather than integrating objects, though Gauthier found it pleasing on Cyberpunk's background NPCs. The hardware to run it isn't here yet.
  6. TBPN, 2026-10-15 (1:59:48 to 2:02:05)
    Debates the DLSS 5 upscaling demo
    Two minutes on a modded Assetto Corsa clip that DLSS 5 makes look like real video, framed as an upscaling Turing test. Reaction and a gaming-quality debate, with no new figure or development beyond the demo already on the record.
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