What is DLSS and Why Does it Matter for Gaming?
Nvidia’s DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling, is among the most controversial topics in PC gaming today: some love it, some hate it, and others are just confused. The battle often boils down to old-fashioned flame wars between fans of AMD and Nvidia, which can make the truth about DLSS even harder to understand.
Yet the reality of DLSS is simple once the hype and nonsense is tossed. DLSS is an excellent feature that can substantially improve performance, though it’s only useful if the PC games you enjoy support it.
Nvidia DLSS is an acronym for Deep Learning Super Sampling. The acronym is out of date, however, because DLSS now includes features well beyond super sampling. DLSS has evolved into a suite of neural rendering techniques that use deep learning to improve image quality and performance.
The most basic implementation of DLSS, often referred to today as DLSS 2, examines frames and estimates what they should look like at a higher resolution (which is why Nvidia originally called the technique “supersampling”). It improves game performance by rendering games at a resolution below a display’s native resolution, then using AI to upscale the result.
Cyberpunk 2077 is an ideal example. If you select 4K resolution and choose DLSS Quality mode, the game will render at 1440p resolution. DLSS upscales the result to 4K. 1440p resolution requires less GPU grunt to render, so the game’s framerate improves.
However, it’s important to understand that DLSS uses neural rendering to upscale the image. This is a major change from older techniques, like checkerboard rendering. Because of this, DLSS can add detail that’s not visible when the game is rendered at native resolution with DLSS turned off, and it preserves details lost with
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