The best PC gaming feature of 2024 didn’t come from Nvidia, AMD or Intel

One of many nice advantages of pc video games is the flexibility to take issues into your individual fingers. Not sufficient video games that assist your favourite characteristic? Dissatisfied with the body price your pc is producing? There are every kind of functions that may permit you to regulate and optimize your PC gaming expertise.

A lot of them are fairly particular, however there may be one which I might suggest to nearly each PC gamer set up. It is referred to as Lossless Scaling, and if you have not already heard of it, I am about to make your day.

How lossless scaling elevated

Six years in the past, a easy scaling app referred to as Lossless Scaling appeared on Steam. For many of its existence, it solely had a each day person base of lower than 100 folks. You may run a sport at a decrease decision and Lossless Scaling would apply an enhancement algorithm to spice up your efficiency. Suppose AMD Radeon Tremendous Decision (RSR) or Nvidia Picture Scaling (NIS). The improve did not look nice, however it did give a bit of enhance to older units.

Now, as we shut out 2024, you will discover 3,000 to 4,000 folks with lossless scaling loaded at any given time. That is a 560% improve. What occurred? Effectively, on January tenth of this yr, Lossless Scaling launched a characteristic referred to as LSFG 1.0. It’s a body era algorithm constructed by machine studying that may add body era for each sport. Now that is tempting.

Nvidia has DLSS 3 and AMD has FSR 3, each of which provide superior framerate era, however Lossless Scaling was now bringing the characteristic to each sport and with each graphics card.

That is once I jumped on the bandwagon, getting Lossless Scaling to assist out throughout my second playthrough of The Elden ring in preparation for Shadow of Erdtree DLC. I used to be amazed at how effectively it labored.

And certainly, LSFG 1.0 was just the start for lossless scaling this yr. The app has been lifeless for the reason that introduction of the primary mannequin. In June, it added 3X body era, offering a efficiency enhance even past what DLSS 3 and FSR 3 can supply. In August, it moved to 4X body era. And simply final month, Lossless Scaling acquired decision scaling for generated frames, including a characteristic that FSR and DLSS utterly lack.

Lossless Scaling has gone from a devoted Steam app to a instrument that each PC gamer ought to have put in on their PC. It has been so impactful that AMD principally ditched the app’s options wholesale for its spectacular AFMF 2 replace, which provides framerate era for each sport, however solely with AMD GPUs. Even when Lossless Scaling by no means will get one other replace—and I critically doubt it—it is already had a big effect.

The body is duplicated in all places

All this development for the break-even price by 2024 was no accident. The app is truthfully helpful and helpful for nearly each PC gamer. I’ve had it open on a second monitor for almost each minute I’ve spent gaming on my PC this yr, and there are just a few foremost the explanation why.

For me, Lossless Scaling helps fill within the gaps. I play on a PC that packs an RTX 4090 and fortuitously, I normally do not wrestle within the efficiency division. And but, I’ve discovered a ton of makes use of for lossless scaling all year long. One of many largest incentives that has been supplied has been in video games like The Elden ring that are normally restricted to 60 frames per second (fps). Lossless Scaling can provide me 120 fps, 180 fps, and even 240 fps with simply the press of a button.

There are nonetheless loads of video games with out framerate era, too. For instance, I performed lots Path of Exile 2 just lately, and though the sport helps DLSS and FSR upscaling, it would not include framerate era. With lossless scaling, I restrict my body price to 60 fps, allow body era, and get a steady, locked 120 fps.

That is simply my favourite method to make use of Lossless Scaling. Even with a ton of pc energy, video games like Path of Exile 2 present giant drops in efficiency, particularly as you progress in direction of the tip of the sport. Upscaling helps, however it nonetheless would not overcome some disagreeable framerate drops when the display flashes to elemental vomit. Video games with a big efficiency window like Path of Exile 2 OR Destiny 2 actually profit from Lossless Scaling.

In one in every of these video games, you possibly can hover round 100 fps, however you will see dips in direction of 60 fps when there’s lots happening. This discrepancy is clear. It would not matter if 60 fps feels “clean”. Should you’re tossing between a excessive body price and a low one, you will discover the distinction. Lossless Scaling lets you drop to basically the bottom level of your efficiency window and use body era to spice up your buffer, offering a constant expertise with little to no body drops.

Not very apparent makes use of

These are two apparent use circumstances. Add body era to video games that do not have it and bypass fps caps in video games with out messing with mods or worrying about interfering with anti-cheat software program – as is the case with The Elden ring. However Lossless Scaling truly goes additional. Bear in mind, it really works with any sport and any graphics card.

Should you’re emulating a sport, for instance, Lossless Scaling is truthful sport. Particularly when emulating older consoles, there are various video games restricted to 30 fps, and Lossless Scaling can clean them out. As somebody who continually makes use of EmuDeck to emulate video games on my PC and Steam Deck, I’ve used Lossless Scaling for emulated video games too many instances to depend.

The truth is, you do not even must be operating a sport in your PC for Lossless Scaling to work. You probably have a seize card and a preview window, you possibly can apply lossless scaling to the sport preview. I would not suggest this setup – the delay between body era and playback outdoors the viewport provides up rapidly – however it works.

On the graphics card entrance, Lossless Scaling would not require any particular {hardware}. You should utilize it on a Home windows-based handheld just like the Lenovo Legion Go or the Asus ROG Ally – although, sadly, not on the Linux-based Steam Deck. Or, you should use it on older built-in graphics out there on a desktop or laptop computer.

All this yr, I truly used Lossless Scaling to play Lords of the Fallen AND System crash on an Asus ZenBook S 16 through built-in graphics. Regardless of the highly effective CPU on this laptop computer, the iGPU could not hope to run a sport like Lords of the Fallen with a playable body price. However Lossless Scaling, in these circumstances, actually makes the unimaginable attainable.

Important for each PC gamer

There is no such thing as a different app I can consider on PC that I might suggest to nearly any PC gamer. Even extraordinarily helpful utilities like Particular Okay should not appropriate for each PC gamer. Lossless scaling is one thing I might suggest – and have really useful ANY Nevertheless, PC participant. It actually would not matter if you happen to’re taking part in outdated video games on crappy {hardware} or have the very best of the very best for probably the most demanding video games popping out right now. There is a good probability you will discover a use for the app.

On the time of launch, Lossless Scaling is a part of the Steam Winter Sale, so you may get it for 20% off. Even after the sale is over, the app is barely $7 and has acquired a ton of free updates this yr alone. We hope this stage of assist continues into 2025.