March 20, 2026, 2:42 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Following the introduction of DLSS 5, Nvidia is facing increasing criticism. Developers, in particular, express concerns that the new AI technology could affect the presentation and design of their games.
Criticism of AI Technology Grows
Nvidia continues to advance the development of artificial intelligence. With DLSS 5, the company introduces a new version of its upscaling technology that heavily relies on AI. However, this focus is causing discontent. While previous DLSS versions primarily aimed to enhance image quality from the hardware, generative AI is now taking center stage.
Developers are particularly critical of the impact on the visual appearance of games. According to a report from Notebookcheck, they fear that AI alters original designs. Initial examples show changes in facial features, among other things. Overdrawn depictions, especially of female characters, are noticeable, aligning with Western beauty ideals. In a conversation with YouTuber Moore’s Law is Dead, developer Bryan Heemskerk warns that games could increasingly look the same due to such technologies. Additionally, Nvidia is criticized for using low-resolution screenshots in demonstrations to present the effect as dramatically as possible.
Speaking to Tom’s Hardware, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang personally addressed the gaming community, accusing them of being “completely wrong” about DLSS 5. The technology does not change game design itself but gives developers full artistic control over the generative AI. DLSS 5 alters the image not in post-processing but directly at the geometric level—before it even comes into existence. Developers can thus decide for themselves what look they want to give characters and environments.
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High Costs for New Technology
The costs are also a topic of discussion. To use DLSS 5, the performance of two GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards is currently required. The price is currently around 3,500 euros per GPU, resulting in a total cost of about 7,000 euros just for the hardware needed to achieve the maximum effect in 8K resolution.
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However, it is expected that DLSS 5 will also run on other cards in the 50 series by its planned release in fall 2026. As with previous DLSS versions, the extent of the upscaling effect depends on the strength of the hardware. While weaker models like RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 are likely to make less use of DLSS 5’s capabilities, it is expected that the more expensive models will support generative AI at higher resolutions such as 1440p and 4K.
Doubts About AI Focus Increase
As major tech companies increasingly focus on artificial intelligence, the demand for computing power and energy is growing enormously. New server farms are being built everywhere, requiring as much electricity as a small town—and generating corresponding waste heat, breaking all climate goals.
Additionally, vast amounts of RAM and SSD storage are needed for the servers. The resulting shortage has caused prices to multiply. Consumers now pay four times as much for RAM as they did six months ago. Prices are also rising for manufacturers, so smartphones, laptops, PCs—practically everything with RAM and SSD—will be more expensive this year.