Lossless Scaling is diving into madness. It’s one in every of my favorite Steam apps, and one thing I’ve come to advocate to each PC gamer I do know over the previous few months. Now, the developer is pushing issues additional as soon as once more with a setting that may quadruple your body fee. As if body technology with any recreation wasn’t sufficient, and if tripling your frame rate didn’t promote you, now you will get a 4X enhance in efficiency.
Not less than in concept. The developer introduced the 4X replace for Lossless Scaling final week, and it rolled out over the weekend. I downloaded it and performed round in just a few video games. It really works, and shockingly nicely contemplating how few rendered frames you’re truly seeing. But it surely undoubtedly will get into absurd territory relating to picture high quality.
A refresher on Lossless Scaling
For those who haven’t heard of Lossless Scaling, right here’s a fast primer. It’s a $7 app on Steam that was initially constructed so as to add upscaling to any recreation. It existed for just a few years with out a lot recognition, however this yr, the app acquired an replace so as to add body technology to any recreation. And, not like body technology mods you’ll discover for DLSS 3 and FSR 3, Lossless Scaling works with any recreation, together with these with anti-cheat software program.
Since body technology launched, the Lossless Scaling developer has been on a tear. The algorithm has seen a number of main updates, a 3X mode was added, and now we’ve 4X body technology and even preliminary help for G-Sync displays. It sounds too good to be true, however I’d take Lossless Scaling over AMD’s Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) any day of the week — although AFMF 2 undoubtedly offers Lossless Scaling a run for its cash.
It’s been a implausible device to have round. I don’t use it in each recreation, and there are many titles the place I’d slightly use DLSS 3 or FSR 3 in the event that they’re obtainable. But it surely’s been an enormous assist in some video games. When Shadow of the Erdtree came out, I used to be in a position to have a a lot smoother expertise with out sacrificing on-line performance. And in Future 2, which has a large efficiency window relying on what you’re doing, I’m in a position to cap my body fee and get a persistently easy expertise whereas taking part in. For $7, you couldn’t ask for way more, and that’s ignoring the upscaling that Lossless Scaling has to supply.
Diving into the absurd
I nonetheless wholeheartedly advocate Lossless Scaling. I don’t, nevertheless, advocate the brand new 4X body technology mode. You possibly can see why within the video under. I used to be solely in a position to document at 720p to seize the entire frames, so apologies for the standard. Even with the low decision, although, the issues are clear as day. It’s artifacts galore with the 4X body technology mode, a lot in order that video games seem like some early AI-generated video in case you’re not strolling in a straight line.
To Lossless Scaling’s credit score, 4X body technology is insane. Like different fram- technology strategies, Lossless Scaling is utilizing body interpolation. Your graphics card renders two frames, after which the body technology algorithm steps in to see what modified between them. It then makes up the frames that may go in between.
With common 2X body technology, that is fairly easy. Not solely is there much less of a distinction between the 2 frames the algorithm is evaluating, you’re additionally solely seeing the generated body for just a few milliseconds. With 4X body technology, the algorithm has to make up three totally new frames in between the 2 that have been rendered, and the overwhelming majority of what you see are generated frames. For those who activate 4X body technology, 75% of the frames you see will probably be generated, not rendered.
Spectacular in concept, not in follow
The truth that Lossless Scaling is even in a position to do 4X body technology is outstanding when you think about what’s occurring beneath the hood. It’s spectacular extra in concept than in follow, nevertheless. The fleeting artifacts that present up with 2X body technology are actually strung out for thrice the size they usually could be. There are numerous tiny artifacts when utilizing Lossless Scaling that you just’ll by no means discover within the warmth of the second whereas taking part in with 2X body technology. With 4X body technology, they grow to be unattainable to disregard.
Nonetheless, I can commend the developer for not solely reaching 4X body technology, however doing so easily. One of many hallmark facets of Lossless Scaling is its consistency, which is on full show with the 4X body technology. As ordinary, the developer recommends you could have a body fee cap at 60 frames per second (fps), and so long as you possibly can persistently hit that mark, Lossless Scaling is remarkably easy.
Though 4X body technology is the headline function of Lossless Scaling’s newest replace, it comes with just a few additional goodies as nicely. As talked about, there’s now help for G-Sync displays so you should utilize variable refresh fee, and the algorithm has been tweaked. The developer says the 3X body technology mode handles darkish scenes higher with fewer artifacts, and there’s been some adjustment to the Efficiency mode obtainable for body technology to cut back artifacts. For those who personal Lossless Scaling, you possibly can obtain the replace without cost on Steam now.
