Gunfire Games, the developer behind Remnant 2, has revealed that the game was designed with a heavy reliance on upscaling technology. This decision has sparked mixed reactions among players.
Upscaling technologies like DLSS, XeSS, and FSR are commonly used to boost frame rates on hardware that may otherwise struggle to achieve higher performance. Typically, gamers view these technologies as optional tools to enhance frame rates beyond what their PCs can achieve natively. However, in the case of Remnant 2, upscaling is being utilized as an integral part of the overall performance, rather than as a supplementary feature.
The developer shared this insight on a Reddit thread, acknowledging concerns about the game’s performance and assuring players that post-launch updates will address these issues. They also stated that the game was intentionally designed with upscaling in mind, specifically DLSS, FSR, and XeSS. By leaving the upscaling settings at default, players should experience smoother gameplay.
Some players have expressed their dissatisfaction with this approach on various platforms such as Reddit, Twitter, and Steam reviews. They argue that a game should perform well without relying heavily on upscaling, and that upscaling should be an optional feature to enhance frame rates without sacrificing visual quality.
Testing conducted by CapFrameX demonstrated that even with high-end hardware, including an RTX 4090 and Ryzen 9 7950X3D, the game struggled to maintain an average of 60fps at maximum settings (3840 x 1600) without upscaling. Enabling DLSS in Ultra Performance mode significantly improved performance, reaching an average of 160fps.
While the game supports DLSS, XeSS, and FSR, it’s worth noting that the efficiency of these upscalers may vary depending on the age and power of the graphics card. Older or entry-level cards may not benefit as much from these technologies due to limited processing capabilities.
This reliance on upscaling in Remnant 2 has raised concerns about the future of PC gaming. If upscaling becomes a standard part of baseline performance rather than an optional boost, it may diminish its perceived value among players. Additionally, there are worries that upscaling could be used as a shortcut for optimization, potentially resulting in subpar game releases.
Although Remnant 2 is not the only game to utilize upscaling in this way, its developers have faced backlash due to their straightforward acknowledgment of the approach. While upscaling can bring significant benefits to gaming, it’s important to ensure that it doesn’t become the sole solution for performance improvements in the future.
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