Ray Tracing and 4K are the most talked about capabilities of Nvidia’s GeForce RTX graphics cards. The DLSS feature these GPUs can use doesn’t get as much of a buzz, but is just as impressive – especially considering the magic it can work at frame rates for those playing on low and mid-range hardware.
Here’s a quick look at what DLSS is, how it works, and which games support it.
What is DLSS?
DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling, is a machine learning-based feature that leverages the AI Tensor Cores in NVIDIA’s RTX 20 and 30 series graphics cards. When DLSS is enabled, your GPU renders in-game graphics at a lower resolution, then uses AI to artificially upscale and enhance the images to a higher resolution without a performance heat. To accomplish this, Nvidia has “trained” its DLSS algorithm with a supercomputer built specifically for graphics display.
For example, instead of rendering a game in 4K, DLSS will display the game at 1440p and the machine learning algorithms will go to work. The result is an image that looks almost identical to the native 4K resolution, but renders at 1440p, which can increase the in-game frame rate and leave enough system resources for ray tracing and other advanced graphics settings.
DLSS is a game changer; it runs even NVIDIA’s weakest RTX cards, such as the RTX 2060, at a convincing (and playable) 4K resolution, even though the hardware is normally incapable of such output. It’s a shame the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X don’t support DLSS; Sure, they may be capable of 4K and ray tracing, but enabling these settings often results in a hit to your frame rate, allowing players to choose between graphics fidelity or consistent performance. PC players with a DLSS compatible system do not have to choose.
G / O Media can receive a commission
DLSS isn’t perfect, however; the feature is known to cause blurry textures and some loss of detail. While the most recent iteration, DLSS 2.0, solves many of these problems and increase the resolution boost to 4x (1080p to 4K), you could still experience some artifacts and blurring, especially in the finer details. But since the DLSS 2.0 algorithm is constantly being updated, the feature will only get better as time goes on.
Which games support DLSS?
The other limitation of DLSS is availability; it’s only in select number games, at least for now. Originally, Nvidia was supposed to train DLSS per game, but the DLSS 2.0 algorithm can apply its enhancements to any game that supports the feature and makes it easier for developers to implement. Here’s the list of DLSS-supported games, plus a list of titles that are confirmed to have DLSS support in the future:
DLSS Supported Games:
- Hymn
- Battlefield V.
- Clear memory
- Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Check
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Death Stranding
- Deliver us the moon
- F1 2020
- Final Fantasy XV
- Fortnite
- Ghostrunner
- Iron conflict
- Justice
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Mechwarrior V: Mercenaries
- Metro Exodus
- Minecraft
- Monster Hunter: World
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- View Dogs Legion
- Wolfenstein Youngblood
Upcoming games with DLSS support:
- In the midst of evil
- Atomic heart
- Border
- Call Of Duty: Warzone
- Edge of Eternity
- FIST: Forged in Shadow Torch
- Five nights at Freddy’s security breach
- JX3
- Mortal Shell
- Mount & Blade II Bannerlord
- Outriders
- Ready Or Not (early access launch)
- Scavengers
- The medium
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
- Xuan-Yuan Sword VII