Nvidia could offer a better-looking DLSS setting in a coming update

Lego puzzle
(Image credit: Light Brick Studio)

Nvidia may have plans to release an Ultra Quality mode for its popular upscaling tech, DLSS, which could make for even better picture quality out of the already impressive gaming tool.

DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling, currently offers four different presets, each one delivering a different blend of picture quality and performance:

  • Ultra Performance
  • Performance
  • Balanced
  • Quality

Possible new preset:

  • Ultra Quality

The new Ultra Quality preset, which has appeared in Unreal Engine 5 DLSS documentation, and was spotted by u/Reinhardovich on Reddit (via Videocardz), may offer a more fidelity-focused option for hawk-eyed gamers.

Since DLSS uses different resolutions to net a frame rate increase over native resolution, we can assume that Ultra Quality will use a resolution closer to native than any of the existing DLSS presets.

Your next upgrade

(Image credit: Future)

Best CPU for gaming: the top chips from Intel and AMD
Best graphics card: your perfect pixel-pusher awaits
Best SSD for gaming: get into the game ahead of the rest

DLSS is already pretty performant today, and you needn't sacrifice too much picture clarity for much improved performance. However, an Ultra Quality preset would offer a little more granularity when needed, for when you only need a little extra help in terms of performance. So I'm hoping it makes an appearance with a coming version of the tech.

Which version of DLSS is available depends on both Nvidia's development and the game in question. Most DLSS games have made the switch to the much improved DLSS 2.0 version, and some are now on version 2.1 or even version 2.2.6, such as Rainbow Six Siege or Lego Builder's Journey.

DLSS Ultra Quality could reportedly appear in version 2.2.9, which is currently found within the DLSS Unreal Engine 5 plugin. That engine remains in early access, however, so it's likely another game will offer version 2.2.9 before we see anything out of Epic's engine.

If you haven't tried DLSS out already, and you own an RTX branded graphics card, I really think you should. Here's why DLSS 2.0 is worth turning on most of the time.

TOPICS
Jacob Ridley
Managing Editor, Hardware

Jacob earned his first byline writing for his own tech blog. From there, he graduated to professionally breaking things as hardware writer at PCGamesN, and would go on to run the team as hardware editor. He joined PC Gamer's top staff as senior hardware editor before becoming managing editor of the hardware team, and you'll now find him reporting on the latest developments in the technology and gaming industries and testing the newest PC components.

Read more
A still from a video at Nvidia's CES 2025 keynote, showing a character running through some archways in a game with DLSS 4 enabled and ful RT on, achieving 146 fps.
Nvidia announces DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, says it can help multiply frame rates by 'up to 8X over traditional brute-force rendering'
Collage of images to represent Nvidia's RTX AI PCs
I'll say it: The best thing I saw from Nvidia at CES wasn't its sweet new GPUs, but some tasty AI every RTX gamer can enjoy
Nvidia App
Hmmm, upgrades: Nvidia App gets an optional AI assistant and custom DLSS resolution scaling
Adler on a motorcycle
AMD's FSR 4 will use machine learning but requires an RDNA 4 GPU, promises 'a dramatic improvement in terms of performance and quality'
Nvidia RTX 3090 Founders Edition graphics card on its box, with a pink light in the background
Now Nvidia's hardware blocks have been AI'd out of existence all it will take for Frame Generation support on RTX 20- and 30-series GPUs is 'further optimization and testing'
A slide from an AMD presentation showing Space Marine 2 running at 3.5x the frame rate at 4K with FSR 4 and frame generation enabled
'Infused with AMD DNA': FSR 4 has been announced with a healthy dose of machine learning and support for 30+ games at launch
Latest in Graphics Cards
Nvidia App
Hmmm, upgrades: Nvidia App gets an optional AI assistant and custom DLSS resolution scaling
A close-up photo of an Nvidia RTX 4070, with its heatsink removed, showing the AD104 GPU die and the surrounding Micron GDDR6X VRAM chips
With Nvidia Ace taking up 1 GB of VRAM in Inzoi, Team Green will need to up its memory game if AI NPCs take off in PC gaming
A collage of Radeon RX 9000 series graphics cards, as shown in AMD's promotional video for the launch of RDNA 4 at CES 2025
AMD's CEO claims 9070 XT sales are 10x higher than all previous Radeon generations but that's just for the first week of availability
Colorful iGame RTX 5070 Ti Vulcan OC graphics card from various angles
The RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti are rumoured to be mere weeks away, with board partners reportedly required to ensure at least one MSRP model at launch
Nvidia headquarters
Nvidia CEO sets sights on making 'several hundred billion' dollars worth of electronics in the USA over the next four years, increasing the chance of your next GPU being made in America
The Asus ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 Dhahab Edition, a gold-plated graphics card on a sand dune background
A Jensen Huang-signed version of this golden Asus RTX 5090 will be auctioned off to support relief efforts for the California wildfires
Latest in News
An Enshrouded player in a recreation of Erebor from The Lord of the Rings
Kings under the Mountain! 33 Enshrouded players spent 10,000 hours to recreate this iconic location from The Lord of the Rings
A mech awakens.
Mecha Break developer is considering unlocking all mechs following open beta feedback
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'
A long bendy arm stealing money from people in a subway car
'You're a very long arm. You steal things. It's a comedy game,' explains developer of comedy game where you steal things with a very long arm
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened