The generic, homogenized ‘AI look’ has invaded video games, and it doesn’t look good. Yesterday, Nvidia unveiled its latest image-upgrading technology called DLSS 5, which it described as “the company’s most significant breakthrough in computer graphics since the advent of real-time ray tracing in 2018.” It sounds good, until you see it in action. According to Nvidia, the technology “enriches pixels with photorealistic lighting and materials,” but the only thing everyone seemed to notice was that it turned recognizable faces into something resembling AI mush.
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Resident Evil Requiem 's protagonist , Grace , underwent a makeover that would make her look comfortable in a Tilly Norwood video .
The kids in Hogwarts Legacy looked like they had been through an Instagram filter. Even Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, a very real and famous person, was distorted into just another guy with DLSS 5. This “major breakthrough” imbues everything with a special look that has become synonymous with AI-generated art.
It is somewhat like motion smoothing, if motion smoothing went one step further and changed people's faces — and makes everything look the same. It is important to note that the next time you play Requiem on a computer, Grace will not suddenly appear as if it had come from a Grok Imagine demo. DLSS 5 will not be released until autumn, it will require powerful hardware to run and is an optional feature.
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But it is a technology promoted by one of the most valuable companies in the world, which has support from major video game developers.
And everyone seems happy to tie their games to a very specific aesthetic. In a statement on Nvidia's announcement blog, Bethesda head Todd Howardsaid that "with DLSS 5, art style and detail shine without being constrained by the traditional boundaries of real-time rendering," while noting that the feature will be available in Starfield.
Jun Takeuchi, executive producer on many of Capcom's biggest blockbusters, including Requiem, said that "DLSS 5 represents another major step forward in advancing visual fidelity, helping players immerse themselves even more in the world of Resident Evil."
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It's a bit strange to hear that some of the most influential names in gaming have decided that it's good for Nvidia to replace their carefully designed characters with generic versions supported by AI.
