upscaling Archives

AppWizard

June 21, 2025

Stellar Blade is a prime example of how PC ports should be done – ultrawide compatibility and stable performance are a must

The gaming community has expressed frustration over poorly optimized PC ports, with recent titles like Rise of the Ronin, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Monster Hunter Wilds suffering from stuttering issues and heavy reliance on upscaling technologies. Many contemporary games lack ultrawide compatibility, which is increasingly expected as ultrawide displays become more popular. Stellar Blade is noted for its exceptional performance and optimization, including support for ultrawide screens up to a 32:9 aspect ratio. It achieves over 60 frames per second (fps) at 1080p on medium settings on an Asus ROG Ally, with frame rates reaching 112fps using AMD Frame Generation. The Steam Deck also performs well, reaching 60fps on lower settings. On desktop systems with high-end hardware like the RTX 4080 Super and AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D, Stellar Blade consistently exceeds 100fps at maximum settings without needing Nvidia's Frame Generation. Despite some titles showing good optimization, many triple-A releases still suffer from poor PC adaptations, disappointing gamers with high-end hardware. Handheld gaming PCs are becoming more popular, and successful ports like Stellar Blade provide hope for future game releases.

AppWizard

June 3, 2025

Nvidia GPUs are broken in one of the most demanding new PC games, says developer

Nvidia users with RTX 40-series and 50-series GPUs may experience crashes when launching the Hell is Us demo, prompting Rogue Factor to recommend lowering graphics settings and disabling upscaling and frame generation options before starting the game. The developer is working on a patch ahead of the game's official release on September 4. Previous titles have also faced similar issues, with suggestions for Nvidia users to roll back driver installations due to ongoing driver stability challenges. The crashing issue is tentatively linked to Nvidia's DLSS technology, which has been implicated in crashes across various games. The system requirements for Hell is Us indicate that an RTX 4090 is necessary for 4K gameplay at 30 fps, while an RTX 2080 Ti is recommended for 60 fps at 1080p.

AppWizard

May 19, 2025

The Sinking City Remastered PC Performance Analysis

Frogwares has released a remastered edition of The Sinking City for free to existing owners, utilizing Unreal Engine 5 and Lumen technology. The remaster retains original settings while adding options for Upscaling and Ray Tracing, supporting NVIDIA DLSS 3 and AMD FSR 3.0. However, the DLSS Frame Generation feature is currently non-functional, and FSR Frame Gen is limited to AMD FSR Upscaling. Performance testing indicates that the game is GPU-bound, requiring at least an NVIDIA RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon RX 9070XT for over 60FPS at 1080p with maximum settings and no Ray Tracing. The AMD Radeon RX 6900XT underperformed compared to the NVIDIA RTX 3080, while the RX 9070XT matched the RX 7900XTX. At 1440p with maximum settings and no Ray Tracing, only the NVIDIA RTX 4090 and RTX 5090 achieved consistent framerates above 60FPS. No GPU provides a smooth experience at native 4K resolution with maximum settings and no Ray Tracing, with the RTX 5090 occasionally dipping below 55FPS. Adjusting in-game settings can significantly enhance performance, with High settings yielding over 83FPS on the RTX 5090. The remaster features higher-quality textures and improved lighting, although traversal stutters from the original version persist.

AppWizard

May 13, 2025

Stellar Blade for PC launches June 11 alongside Complete Edition

The PC version of Stellar Blade will be released on Steam on June 11, as announced by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer SHIFT UP. A "Complete Edition" will also be launched on the same date, which includes the base game and additional downloadable content for PlayStation 5 and PC users. The game was originally released for PlayStation 5 on April 26, 2024. The PC version will feature enhancements such as AI upscaling, an unlocked frame rate, support for Japanese and Chinese voice-overs, ultrawide display compatibility, DualSense controller integration, a new boss battle, 25 additional costumes, and higher resolution environment textures. The Complete Edition will include the base game, pre-order bonuses (Classic Round Glasses, Ear Armor Earrings, Planet Diving Suit), Complete Edition bonuses (Fluffy Bear Pack drone cosmetics, Planet Diving Suit), and downloadable content (Twin Expansion Pack). Additionally, a CD-key for an outfit in the mobile game Goddess of Victory: Nikke will be included.

AppWizard

May 12, 2025

6 PC gaming myths that sound right (but aren’t)

- Maxing out graphics settings to "Ultra" can lead to performance drops without significant visual improvements; "Very High" or "High" settings often provide a better balance of visuals and performance. - The effectiveness of ray tracing in games varies based on implementation; some games showcase its benefits while others do not. - Photorealism in graphics does not necessarily equate to immersion; true immersion relies on art style, narrative, gameplay, and performance. - Modern upscaling technologies like DLSS and FSR have improved to the point where the difference between upscaled and native resolution is often imperceptible to most gamers. - Frame generation can create visual artifacts and latency issues, particularly for budget GPUs, making it less effective at low framerates. - Recent advancements in GPUs have made high-quality gaming more accessible, challenging the belief that only high-end GPUs are needed for top-tier gaming experiences.

Winsage

May 7, 2025

Introducing all-new Surface Copilot+ PCs: The Surface Pro, 12-inch and Surface Laptop, 13-inch

Copilot+ PCs are a new category of personal computing devices designed to enhance AI experiences and productivity. Microsoft has introduced the Surface Laptop (13-inch) and Surface Pro (12-inch) as part of this lineup, both featuring Snapdragon X Plus processors with Neural Processing Units (NPU). The Surface Laptop, available from May 20, 2025, starts at 9, is the thinnest and lightest model yet, and offers up to 23 hours of video playback. It has a full HD touchscreen, AI-enhanced camera, and a keyboard with a fingerprint reader. The Surface Pro, also powered by the Snapdragon X Plus, weighs 1.5 pounds and features a detachable keyboard and adjustable kickstand. Both devices incorporate sustainable materials, with the Surface Laptop using 100% recycled cobalt in its battery and the Surface Pro made from 82.9% recycled content. They provide access to AI tools for productivity, including features like Recall and Click to Do. Pre-orders for both devices are available, with the Surface Pro starting at 9 and the Surface Laptop at ,199.

AppWizard

May 4, 2025

Nvidia’s DLSS is a game-changer for PC gaming – here’s how it works

Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) was introduced in 2018 with the GeForce RTX 20-series graphics cards and has evolved into its fourth iteration, becoming a standard expectation for modern PC games. DLSS enhances gameplay by upscaling lower-resolution images, improving frame rates, and enabling advanced graphical effects without sacrificing performance. The latest version, DLSS 4, debuted with the GeForce RTX 50-series in 2025 and features a new transformer model to enhance image quality. DLSS includes Frame Generation, which creates additional frames to improve gameplay fluidity, and Multi-Frame Generation, which can produce up to three additional frames per real frame. DLSS significantly reduces the performance impact of ray tracing, allowing gamers to enjoy high-quality graphics without compromising frame rates. Over 500 games and applications currently support DLSS technology.

AppWizard

April 27, 2025

Oblivion Remastered got an update on PC Game Pass that broke upscaling just before the weekend

Players of Oblivion Remastered on the Microsoft Store, especially those with a PC Game Pass subscription, are facing issues due to a recent 2GB update aimed at fixing a cross-play problem. This update removed key upscaling options like DLSS and frame generation from the options menu for users who downloaded the game from the Windows/Xbox Store. Bethesda stated that the hotfix was meant for backend adjustments and not to affect gameplay, but players reported that DLSS and FSR options were disabled and that their graphical settings dropped from Ultra to High unexpectedly. Bethesda's community manager acknowledged the situation and mentioned that the team is investigating and plans to release a further hotfix soon.

AppWizard

April 26, 2025

Oblivion Remastered PC: impressive modernisation blighted by dire performance problems

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered utilizes an Unreal Engine 5 wrapper to enhance the original game, but it carries over some of the original's issues and suffers from significant performance challenges, including frequent stuttering. Digital Foundry analyzed the remaster against the original 2006 version, highlighting advancements in graphics but also noting that the remaster struggles with limited polygon budgets and basic effects. The remaster's performance is inconsistent, especially on mid-range CPUs, leading to poor experiences even on high-end hardware. Disabling hardware RT-based Lumen global illumination can improve performance by about 35%, but at the cost of visual quality. Lowering settings yields only marginal performance improvements, and the game fails to deliver an attractive experience compared to the original. A recent patch did not resolve the stuttering issues, indicating that fundamental CPU-related problems remain unaddressed.

AppWizard

April 25, 2025

Oblivion Remastered loses the most helpful settings on PC thanks to a botched Game Pass update

A recent update for The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has caused dissatisfaction among PC Game Pass users, as it removed several key settings, including DLSS support, which enhances gaming performance on older hardware. Although a patch was released to address some issues, players remain frustrated with the lack of advanced graphical features. Additionally, there are limitations with cross-save functionality; while the Xbox Series X|S version supports Xbox Play Anywhere for save transfers, Steam users do not have this option, leading to further frustration in the gaming community.