DLSS 5 gets toned down for its Hogwarts Legacy debut next month
Nvidia's DLSS 5 technology is set to debut in Hogwarts Legacy with a more subtle implementation than originally demonstrated. Following criticism regarding unnatural facial transformations, the updated neural rendering system aims for more realistic visuals while improving performance on RTX 50-series GPUs.
Why it matters
The adjustment highlights the tension between aggressive AI-driven graphical enhancements and the need for visual fidelity in high-end gaming.
When Nvidia originally showed off DLSS 5 earlier this year, the technology immediately got branded as gen AI for video games. To gamers, Nvidia had lost the plot. I personally couldn’t get over how faces were transformed using DLSS 5. The 15-year-old student from Hogwarts Legacy suddenly looked much older, and Grace from Resident Evil Requiem looked yassified.
Now more than six months later, DLSS 5 is about to debut properly in Hogwarts Legacy, and it looks like it has been seriously toned down. Nvidia published new comparison screenshots today, where the changes to faces are as subtle as they are in NBA 2K27. Teenagers no longer look like middle-aged men, and even the environmental changes look more subtle.
[Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/nvidia-dlss-5-geforce-rtx-hogwarts-legacy-comparison-001-off.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all]
[Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/nvidia-dlss-5-geforce-rtx-hogwarts-legacy-comparison-001-on.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all]
Nvidia’s DLSS 5 in Hogwarts Legacy in March.
[Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/hogwarts-legacy-nvidia-dlss-5-3d-guided-neural-rendering-geforce-rtx-50-series-comparison-002-off.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]
[Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/hogwarts-legacy-nvidia-dlss-5-3d-guided-neural-rendering-geforce-rtx-50-series-comparison-002-on.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]
Nvidia’s new Hogwarts Legacy DLSS 5 comparisons.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in