Nvidia’s controversial new DLSS 5 filter, which caused a bit of a hullabaloo earlier this year, has leaked online – and instantly been implemented into pretty much every major PS5 game on the market.
While previous iterations of Nvidia’s upscaling technology have broadly been praised – using reconstruction techniques to reduce computational load without impacting image quality – this version appears to use generative AI to alter artistic intent.
This was best observed with an example of Resident Evil Requiem’s Grace Ashcroft earlier in the year, with fans complaining the scaredy-cat heroine had been “yassified”.
And now a version of the technology’s files have been pulled from the PC version of NBA 2K27, which has prompted fans to inject it into a variety of different titles – including many of Sony’s biggest franchises, via their Steam ports.
Side by side comparison of the New DLSS 5 in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 pic.twitter.com/BBS5KTVW1I— dvesf (@dvesf_yt) August 28, 2026
For example, MJ from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 looks transformed, with bright red lips and darker coloured eyes.
While she’s still recognisable, it strips away the artistic intent of the original model – regardless of whether you like Insomniac’s take on the character or not.
I personally don’t think this Ellie example is the worst I’ve seen, although she looks years and years older than she’s supposed to and the lighting doesn’t properly match the scene:
The Last of Us Part 2 comparison
Before & After DLSS 5 pic.twitter.com/wT85CRNcW2— dvesf (@dvesf_yt) August 28, 2026
And then we have this now infamous example of Cloud from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which borders on parody really:
I AM SCREAMING LMAOOOOOO https://t.co/N1KYcRemdi pic.twitter.com/1l5NSHaO2J— Jordan Starkweather 🔜 PAX West (@jackal27) August 28, 2026
Nvidia, for the record, says critics are wrong about DLSS 5.
CEO Jensen Huang defended the technology, saying it “doesn’t change the artistic control”.
He said: “This is very different than generative AI; it’s content-control generative AI. That’s why we call it neural rendering.”
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As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.
