(Credit: Discord RenoDX, user Gigant)
Nvidia's controversial DLSS 5, which will bring AI-powered photorealism to PC games, is expected to launch this fall. But it looks like the feature leaked early, paving the way for the modding community to experiment and add it to various games.
The leak occurred via an early access version of NBA2K27, which contained a 158MB file called DLSSNR, a reference to neural rendering, the AI model Nvidia uses to power the feature.
The file is also a dynamic link library (DLL), a software library that can be used by multiple programs. The community behind the RenoDX graphics mod toolkit began tinkering with the file and realized it could be used in the PC game Control to turn DLSS 5 on or off, according to VideoCardz.
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The community has created DLSS 5 mods for a growing crop of games, including The Last of Us Part II and Elden Ring, resulting in images and videos of the unreleased Nvidia feature flooding social media.
The modders in the RenoDX Discord chat server say that the experimental DLSS 5 can only be used on RTX 5000-series GPUs, although some are figuring out how to use it on older RX 4000 GPUs. Another downside is that DLSS 5 can cause a game's frame rates to drop by 40-60%, depending on the title and GPU. The chat server has been circulating the required files to get the feature working and sharing mods for various games.
So far, Nvidia hasn’t responded to a request for comment. But ironically, the DLSS 5 leak might change some gamers’ opinions about it, as some point to the impressive realism. But others say the feature still operates like a heavy photo filter and goes too far in altering the look of a character. "That's a different person, man," wrote one user on Reddit.
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Nvidia initially announced DLSS 5 in March, but it immediately faced a wave of backlash with many gamers complaining the feature threatened to add an “AI slop” filter to their games. In July, Nvidia re-pitched the technology, showcasing how DLSS 5 could add photorealism while preserving the game developer’s artistic intent.
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