GoKawiilNVIDIA faces backlash over DLSS 5 'yassifying' game character faces
NVIDIA showcased DLSS 5 at GTC using footage from Resident Evil Requiem and Starfield, but viewers noticed the upscaling gave characters smoothed, glossy skin resembling a beauty filter rather than photorealism. Artists including Karla Ortiz criticized the technology for overriding developers' intentional art direction, while Capcom reportedly didn't know its game was used in the demo. CEO Jensen Huang dismissed the criticism as 'completely wrong' during a GTC Q&A, further fueling online anger.
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The controversy highlights growing tension between AI-driven rendering tools and creative control in game development, as studios worry a single trained model could homogenize the visual identity of hundreds of different titles. It also shows how quickly AI features marketed as advancements can be perceived as degrading rather than enhancing content, damaging trust in NVIDIA's messaging around artistic partnership with developers.
- DLSS 5 demos gave characters an unnatural 'yassified' look criticized as resembling AI-generated beauty filters.
- Developers like Capcom reportedly weren't consulted before their games appeared in NVIDIA's promotional demos.
- Jensen Huang's dismissive response to criticism at GTC intensified public backlash rather than calming it.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Graphics Card — If you want to judge DLSS and NVIDIA's upscaling tech with your own eyes rather than through compressed YouTube demos, an RTX 50-series card is the ticket. The RTX 5080 handles modern ray-traced titles like Resident Evil and Starfield at high settings, and you can toggle the AI features on and off to decide where you land in the debate.
See NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Graphics Card on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: engadget.com — Luke James, 2026-09-12
Published there as: “Why is the internet so upset about NVIDIA's DLSS 5?”
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