All articles tagged with #graphics
Ken Levine argues that flashy visuals have reached diminishing returns, pointing to Nintendo Switch 2, the Steam Deck, and the upcoming Steam Machine as evidence that current hardware can already handle ambitious visuals, with realism aging differently from stylistic approaches and next-gen consoles potentially delayed by component shortages.
Pokémon Champions faced a rocky debut on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, with fans criticizing animation, bugs, and missing content. In an Eurogamer interview, producer Masaaki Hoshino said the team “truly tried to do our best” in both graphics and gameplay, stressing a strong focus on a fair, robust battle system. He highlighted new visuals like per-Pokémon shadows for depth and rebuilt battle effects, while noting development is ongoing and he plans to return to help, signaling the game remains a work in progress despite the launch backlash.
Pokémon Champions launched on Switch with a mobile version planned, but fans criticized its small roster, bugs, and missing Pokémon seen in trailers. Game director Masaaki Hoshino defended the title, saying the team did its best and noting limited on-screen Pokemon compared to Pokkén Tournament. The game is planned to receive periodic updates and new seasons that add more Pokémon, items, and rules, with The Pokémon Company positioning Champions as the official platform for competitive play—so improvements are expected over time.
Ahead of the Linux 7.1-rc1 release, the kernel tree is closing in on 40 million lines of code. Linux 7.1 currently stands at about 39,880,636 total lines (5,015,790 blank, 4,775,889 comments, 30,088,957 code) with removals like ISDN/PCMCIA and Baikal CPU support, yet overall code growth continues. The AMD graphics stack (AMDGPU/AMDKFD) has risen from 6,049,235 lines in 7.0 to 6,162,946 in 7.1, contributing to the surge.
In a Eurogamer Germany interview, Pokemon Champions producer Masaaki Hoshino explains that the team has focused on both visuals and gameplay, with features like per-Pokemon shadows and newly developed battle effects, while prioritizing a fair, polished battle system; the game is out on Nintendo Switch with a mobile version planned.
Blizzard released an official Switch 2 vs Switch graphics comparison for Overwatch, highlighting up to 60 FPS and higher-resolution visuals on Switch 2 with added effects like fire and enhanced water, compared to Switch 1. The Switch 2 version launched after a frame-rate bug was patched, and Overwatch is now available on the Nintendo eShop.
A former Rockstar environmental artist says GTA 6 trailers are highly polished, camera-focused previews, meaning the in-game visuals at release will likely differ and may not match the trailer’s look; fans should temper expectations as many shown elements can change before launch.
New Blood Interactive CEO Dave Oshry and Dusk creator David Szymanski call for a consumer boycott of Nvidia's upcoming DLSS 5, arguing its AI-driven upscaling is misusing the DLSS name, relies on questionable data, and could alter art and realism; they urge developers to sever ties and pressure Nvidia to drop AI-based features, while noting DLSS 5’s release later this year and the broader debate about AI-assisted graphics.
Official WrestleMania 42 lineups have not been announced, but circulating promo graphics hint at Night One and Night Two matchups, with marquee pairings such as Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk and Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton, plus potential undercard bouts like Becky Lynch vs. AJ Lee and Jade Cargill vs. Rhea Ripley; WrestleVotes notes marketing graphics have shifted as Mania's direction remained unclear, and the piece suggests these headliners are likely the nights' closers, though nothing is confirmed.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang defended DLSS 5 in a Lex Fridman podcast, saying its generative AI enhancements are 3D-guided and artist-driven rather than post-processing. Artists train the model and can prompt for specific looks, with the system designed to enhance existing geometry rather than rewrite it. The feature is optional, and major publishers have partnered to push it in upcoming games, but gamers remain concerned about potential visual homogenization.
Crimson Desert drew a large Steam audience at launch, peaking around 239k players, but its reviews are mixed, with critics calling out disjointed graphics, repeated assets, slow pacing, and a clunky UI—though some players praise the cats—while developers pledge to tackle launch issues as patches roll out and the game hits notable one-day sales milestones.
NVIDIA unveiled DLSS 5, a neural-rendering AI that adds photoreal lighting to games, claiming it blends AI with handcrafted rendering while preserving artistic control; critics have labeled it an “AI slop filter” that alters original art styles, sparking backlash on X and YouTube. NVIDIA and publishers like Capcom and Bethesda insist the effect is developer-controlled and optional, with inputs for intensity, color grading, and masking to keep art direction; controversy continues amid memes and concerns about training data and copyright in AI models.
Nvidia's push of DLSS 5's real-time lighting is criticized for retconning familiar game faces and pushing an AI-driven look that could homogenize visuals, with Nvidia defending artist control and optional changes; the piece argues the tech should have been pitched as a future-gen graphics leap rather than retrofitting current games, noting ongoing backlash and industry skepticism.
During Nvidia's press Q&A, Jensen Huang dismissed critics of DLSS 5, arguing the AI-powered 'neural rendering' blends geometry, textures and generative AI under developer control, not post-processing, and can be fine-tuned to fit artistic vision; the feature has backing from studios such as Bethesda, Capcom, NetEase, NCSoft, Tencent, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros Games.
New console footage of Crimson Desert shows it running on a regular PS5 at 1080p/60fps in Performance with ray tracing on low, and upscaled 4K/30fps in Quality, contrasting with the breathtaking PC footage; PS5 Pro offers better options, but the base PS5 version appears more ordinary, suggesting hype around PC graphics may not translate to consoles.