Nvidia’s DLSS 5, an image-enhancement technology the company says uses generative AI to improve video-game performance and visuals, has become fodder for memes and online backlash since Nvidia previewed sample results ahead of the technology’s fall arrival. The criticism and joking posts have largely centered on what players say they see in the “before and after” comparisons Nvidia has shown—especially changes that viewers describe as affecting how characters look rather than just sharpening textures.
Nvidia announced at a conference on Monday that DLSS 5 will let developers deliver “photoreal computer graphics previously only achieved in Hollywood visual effects,” Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang said in a release. Nvidia also said the company’s DLSS technology has been integrated in more than 750 games, describing the system as evolving from an upscaling tool first released in 2018 into one that can generate entirely new frames.
In the sample clips Nvidia presented earlier this week, some gamers said the results looked “yassified,” like the images had been edited for an alternate, more polished appearance. A brief clip featuring Grace Ashcroft from Resident Evil Requiem showed the character with DLSS 5 off and on, and the AP report described a noticeable difference in facial appearance, including changes such as plumper lips and lighter-looking dark under-eye bags, along with enhanced background details and textures.
As the preview moved through other examples, the samples drew similar reactions as more characters from games including Hogwarts Legacy, Starfield and EA Sports FC appeared with what critics described as comparable face-and-fidelity changes. In online discussion, some commenters also argued that the uncanny feel of AI-generated imagery showed up in the DLSS 5-on clips.
The memes have leaned into that reaction by making side-by-side images that exaggerate the perceived changes. In one example described by AP, a user paired the Great Depression-era photograph “Migrant Mother” with a heavily edited version where the woman appears to be smiling and has heavy makeup, with the caption “Nvidia presents DLSS 5.” Other posts shared templates such as “DLSS 5 off vs. DLSS 5 on,” including pairings that place actor Kevin James next to an edited version in which his face looks different.
Nvidia responded to the criticism publicly, including in a pinned comment on 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 addressed the backlash during a press Q&A on Tuesday, telling reporters in response to criticism that opponents were “completely wrong,” and explaining that DLSS 5 “fuses controllability of the geometry and textures and everything about the game with generative AI.” He said developers can still “fine-tune the generative AI” so it matches their style and that DLSS 5 “doesn’t change the artistic control.”
Even as gamers shared criticism and jokes online, Nvidia has continued to position DLSS 5 as a meaningful upgrade in graphics technology and as part of the company’s broader push to combine generative AI with real-time rendering. Nvidia said DLSS 5 will arrive in the fall and named games that it expects to include Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Delta Force, Justice, Phantom Blade Zero, Sea of Remnants and several other titles when the technology launches.