Nvidia's DLSS 5 Leaks: Generative AI Pushes Game Visuals to Unsettling Limits

Nvidia's DLSS 5 technology has leaked through an early access version of NBA 2K26, allowing modders to experiment with its capabilities. The leaked software is an unfinished version of DLSS 5, which uses generative AI to alter game visuals.

The results are mixed, with some games looking more detailed and visually convincing while others produce strange and unsettling effects. In Control, for example, the technology enhances environmental detail but also gives characters an uncanny appearance. Cloud's face in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth becomes barely recognizable under experimental processing.

However, the leaked build is extremely resource-intensive, with one user experiencing a 50% performance loss. Nvidia has pitched DLSS 5 as a major evolution of its graphics technology, promising photorealistic lighting and improved performance through techniques like upscaling.