Poor graphics performance in video games is a major issue for gamers. To help offset this, the artificial intelligence company NVIDIA developed DLSS, a powerful AI-based technology that can significantly improve gaming performance while providing a sharper and clearer image.
Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) is an NVIDIA technology that boosts performance of RTX-enabled graphics cards. It uses a AI algorithms to downscale the game’s video quality before using a deep learning network to upscale it again, leading to higher frame rates with no loss of visual quality.
Once again, technology has come to the rescue! But how exactly does DLSS work, and what benefits does it offer? Let’s explore these questions in more detail and look at why you might want to consider DLSS for your next gaming session.
What Is DLSS?
DLSS is a fairly new technology by NVIDIA that uses AI to improve gaming performance while maintaining the highest quality visuals.
It works by using deep learning neural networks to enhance a game’s visuals while reducing the reliance on traditional graphics processing units. This technology is available for a selection of games and can be enabled within the NVIDIA control panel for those titles which support it.
DLSS 1.0 was released in February 2019. Since then, the tech has seen a number of updates, with Nvidia releasing versions DLSS 2.0 and DLSS 3.0, which have further improved the performance and visuals.
How Does DLSS Work?
These things can get quite complicated and technical, so we’ll try to put it as simply as possible.
Through AI-driven super-resolution techniques, DLSS can render the game at higher resolutions than traditional methods while still maintaining high performance.
The AI will analyze the entire frame and determine which parts to render fully, while other parts will be rendered at a lower resolution. This reduces the graphical workload that the GPU must take on while still providing impressive visuals.
Typically, a 1440p frame is rendered as a 1080p frame and then upscaled to 4k.
Your low-end game will still look great, but you won’t have to sacrifice the performance of your higher-powered hardware in order to get it.
What Are the Benefits of DLSS?
DLSS offers several advantages with the aim of improving your gaming performance. If you can’t hit 60 FPS in a game, DLSS could be an excellent solution.
Here’s what to expect:
Increased frame rates
DLSS can significantly reduce the load on your GPU, allowing it to generate more frames per second. The result is a smoother and more responsive gaming experience. With DLSS, FPS will be improved by up to 60%.
FPS is the frequency at which a frame is displayed on your screen. The higher FPS, the smoother the gaming experience will be.
Better visuals
DLSS can also result in better visual quality. Since the technology uses AI to upscale lower-resolution images, the image quality is improved compared to the original resolution.
You can enjoy a sharper and clearer image while maintaining the same level of detail.
Lower power consumption
Lastly, by utilizing DLSS technology, your GPU can run more efficiently and with less power. This helps to reduce heat output, extend battery life, and reduce noise pollution from your PC.
Will DLSS Affect Your Game’s Resolution?
If we’re talking about “affecting” in a positive way, then yes, DLSS will affect the resolution of your game. Leveraging AI-driven super-resolution techniques will enable your GPU to render the game at higher resolutions than traditional methods, without losing visual quality.
Admittedly, DLSS 1.0 offers somewhat limited improvements compared to later versions, but it can still increase the frame rate and reduce the reliance on lower resolution settings.
It won’t work with every scene and game, but when it does, it can significantly impact the performance.
Which Games Are Compatible With DLSS?
There’s a catch to DLSS. While it’s an amazing new technology, not all games are compatible with it just yet. Currently, only a handful of titles support DLSS 3.0. Nonetheless, more titles are added to the list as time passes.
If you’re wondering which games support DLSS 3.0, you can check out the latest list on NVIDIA’s website. It includes popular titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, Death Stranding, and many more.
Here’s a list of the current titles compatible with DLSS 1.0 and 2.0. It’s not the most extensive list, but it should give you an idea of which games are currently supported:
- Alan Wake Remastered
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Apocalypse: 2.0 Edition
- Beyond Enemy Lines 2
- Bright Memory: Infinite
- Bodies of Water VR
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- CRSED: FOAD. (Formerly Cuisine Royale)
- ChronoTecture: The Eprologue
- Crossout: Supercharged
- Crysis Remastered Trilogy
- Deliver Us the Moon
- Death Stranding
- Doom Eternal
- Edge of Eternity
- Everspace 2
- Final Fantasy XV
- Five Nights At Freddy’s Security Breach
- FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch
- F1 2020
- Gu Jian Qi Tan Online
- Iron Conflict
- Into the Radius VR
- Monster Hunter: World
- Minecraft With RTX For Windows 10
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
- Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition
- Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis
- PGA Tour 2K23
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Rainbow Six Extraction
- Qu Gian Qi Tan Online
- Redout: Space Assault
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- The Fabled Woods
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood
- Watch Dogs: Legion
- Xuan-Yuan Sword VII
How to Enable DLSS in Video Games
Enabling DLSS in your favorite game is easy. All you need to do is to tweak a few settings, and you’re good to go. Here’s how to go about it:
- First, update your NVIDIA graphics driver to the latest version. This ensures that your GPU has the latest version of DLSS.
- Next, open up your game’s settings. In some games, you can simply press the Esc button.
- Look for the display settings and then look for DLSS.
- Finally, set DLSS to “On,” and you’re all set.
What Is the Cost of DLSS?
DLSS is a free technology that comes as a plugin in Nvidia’s Unreal Engine marketplace.
You don’t need to purchase any additional hardware or software to use it. All you need is a compatible graphics card with the latest version of the NVIDIA drivers.
That said, you’ll need to ensure that your PC meets the minimum requirements for using DLSS, as listed below.
- OS: Windows 10, 64-bit, with October 2018 Update (version 1809)
- Memory: 1.8 GHz dual-core CPU with SSSE3 support
- Graphics: DirectX 12 with DirectX Raytracing and DLSS
- Video memory: 6 GB
- Storage: 0.8 GB
Only RTX GPUs from the Turing series and above are compatible with DLSS. If you don’t have one, then you won’t be able to use DLSS.
Most RTX cards don’t come cheap, though. Depending on the model, you could be looking at anywhere from $400 to $2,000 or more. If you’re on a tight budget, the GeForce RTX 3050 (on Amazon) could come in handy. It’s the cheapest available RTX card.
DLSS 3.0 Is the Real Deal
DLSS 3.0, the latest incarnation of NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Super Sampling technology, is a major step forward. Nvidia is serious about gaming, and they keep showing it every day.
Launched in September 2022, DLSS 3.0 offers a host of great features and benefits, improving significantly upon the previous versions.
One notable improvement is the addition of an optical multi-frame generator, which enables the DLSS to render high-quality visuals at a much higher frame rate without compromising image quality or performance.
While only 35 games and the 40 series RTX cards currently support DLSS 3.0 so far, you can expect more titles to follow suit in the coming months. What a year for gamers!