DLSS 5 is a controversial technology for all sorts of reasons—you might have heard about this little thing called AI slop—but perhaps the most infamous is its uncanny look. Real concerns have been raised about the potential for something so aesthetically transformative to preserve a game developer's artistic intent, with Nvidia trying to run interference on this very point.

Director of both Kingdom Come: Deliverance games, Daniel Vávra, has re-entered this battle on the side of DLSS 5. Last Sunday, he took to X to say that some critics of the tech have "literally gone crazy," providing a before-and-after comparison with KCD 2 to say that it indeed helped realize the team's vision.

"On the left is a head messed up by the game engine’s very limited lighting system, which can’t properly render shadows, skin texture, and the detail of normal maps," he wrote, saying the DLSS 5'd version had improved details. "Having no shadows from helmets on faces and fucked up normal map rendering WAS NOT OUR ORIGINAL ARTISTIC VISION."

It's worth noting concerns about AI revising art aren't necessarily about whether it can technically touch up blemishes for a cleaner end product—I'm sure AI would cut Paul McCartney hitting a wrong chord and mumbling "fucking hell" out of Hey Jude if it could, but surely we can agree that little mistake makes the song better. The occasional flub signals the art's humanity. Still, some folks on X were quick to argue against Vávra's point that it was an improvement at all.

"It doesn't look that terrible here, and I can understand where Dan is coming from," said Goosewasinuse in a quote-repost. "My point is that it oils up characters to the nth degree for muh realism, just looks so bizarre." Another from Knight(Fate)1029384756 reads, "It's not my fault you couldn't put the effort into making it better. Instead you use the machine that can't think to make an artistic choice."

Warhorse Studios's relationship with AI continues to prove contentious. Earlier this year, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 English language editor Max Hejtmánek said publicly the studio fired him so he could be "replaced with AI."

Every new Rockstar game is more simulation-heavy than the last, and Grand Theft Auto 6 aims to bring players closer to real-life in a variety of ways. One of these is the addition of vehicle refuelling, which will require players to stop off at gas stations (or petrol stations if you're a Brit like me) and watch your disposable income vanish in a stream of fossilised plant matter.

This mechanical tweak has proved somewhat controversial among Grand Theft Auto players, with some believing that refuelling cars will be inconvenient and interrupt the flow of driving and shooting the series is built upon. Yet while Rockstar is sticking to its guns on the matter of refuelling co-studio head Rob Nelson recently stated that filling up your car won't be a massive drag on your adventure across Vice City.

Nelson's comments come via YouTuber TGG (via GamesRadar+) who recently saw an extended preview of Rockstar's hotly anticipated crime sim, which included refuelling in action. TGG says that gas stations allow players to both repair and refuel cars, and facilitate recharging for electric vehicles alongside refuelling for cars powered by internal combustion engines. Selecting the refuel/recharge option triggers a refuelling cutscene that TGG says lasts around 10 seconds.

The preview was apparently overseen by Nelson, who commented on the refuelling during play. "Hey, that's pretty fast for a fill up," Nelson observed when getting gas. "You can't complain about that." It also appears there is some trepidation within Rockstar about the refuelling, as when discussing the system with TGG, Nelson stated. "We'll see what people say," before asking "Do you think people are going to like it?"

For his part, TGG reckons that "Fuel isn't really going to be an issue unless you're not thinking about what you're doing". And I think this is probably going to be the case for most people unless Rockstar makes the need to refuel too frequent. When Red Dead Redemption 2 arrived in 2018, some players complained about the simulation-heavy elements of that, like how Arthur Morgan moved and having to fiddle around with your saddlebags for inventory management.