Like it or hate it, however body technology is the one main graphics expertise that actually wants enhancing in 2026

Relating to GPUs and graphics expertise, I do know what I would prefer to see in 2026. Tremendous-modern processors which can be a considerable leap ahead by way of efficiency, capabilities, and affordability. We cannot get that, after all, as a result of we did not get that this yr. Or final yr. However there’s something GPU-related that may be so much higher, and that is body technology.

Ever since GPU upscaling and body technology first appeared (DLSS 1.0 in 2019, DLSS 3.0 in 2022), I’ve all the time held the opinion that in case you could not inform they have been working, different than simply from the efficiency raise, everybody could be fortunately utilizing them by default. With the primary iteration of each applied sciences and their corresponding alternate options from AMD and Intel, you might very a lot inform they have been getting used, and that is solely served to tarnish their reputations.

Nonetheless, in terms of upscaling as of late, it is about as near perfection as you will get. Assuming it has been correctly applied right into a sport, after all. When it is all working as meant, High quality or Balanced upscaling at most resolutions does an unbelievable job, and I all the time allow it in each sport that helps the latest variations.

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Alas, I can not say the identical about body technology. Do not get me unsuitable: Nvidia’s Multi-Body Era in DLSS 4 is extraordinarily good, however even in video games which can be the poster little one for DLSS (e.g. Doom: The Darkish Ages, Cyberpunk 2077), enabling body gen requires a acutely aware resolution to disregard its flaws and limitations.

You need to settle for that it calls for a base body charge of, ideally, 60 fps earlier than you allow it, to make sure that the added enter latency inherent to border technology is at an agreeable stage. And when you’re unlikely to note on-screen gobbledegook if you’re gaming at over 120 fps, the neural networks utilized in DLSS 4 MFG, FSR 4 Body Era, and XeSS-MFG will get issues unsuitable at occasions.

DLSS High quality upscaling + 3X body generationRyzen 7 9800X3D, GeForce RTX 5090, 4K, Extremely preset

There is no method across the latency subject with body interpolation, until you begin delving into the world of predicting enter adjustments (which is an entire totally different tech), however I can dwell with it in sure video games. What I can not dwell with is when body gen turns my completely rendered and upscaling graphics right into a wonky, blurry mess.

If Nvidia, et al can correctly kind out the visible high quality of body technology in 2026, then I will be glad to make use of it as meant: a easy swap to significantly enhance efficiency in video games that comfortably hit 60 fps. My fear is that we cannot as a result of GPU corporations cannot normally promote extra of their newest graphics playing cards this manner. As a substitute, they have a tendency to make use of tech like ray tracing or efficiency metrics akin to FP32 TFLOPS to advertise new GPUs.

FSR 4 Body Era being tied to RDNA 4 GPUs is the exception for AMD, not the norm, although Nvidia ties just about each new DLSS function to a sure GeForce sequence. A minimum of Intel’s AI-powered interpolator works on each Arc card.

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Nonetheless, we’re virtually definitely not going to see any new GPU structure in 2026, even when Nvidia Tremendous updates miraculously seem or Intel truly launches its large Battlemage G31-based card, they will don’t have any precise bodily adjustments contained in the chips.

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Nvidia’s RTX 60-series is at the very least 14 months away, as RTX Blackwell solely launched in January of this yr. AMD’s RDNA 4 structure adopted a couple of months later, and whereas Intel received the leap on each of them, releasing its Battlemage chips in December 2024, there is not any signal of any plans for a successor to make an look subsequent yr.

This leaves the door open for everybody to remain in GPU information headlines by critically updating their body technology tech. Upscaling is about pretty much as good because it’s ever going to get—refinements to the neural networks are all that is left to do—so body interpolation is completely positioned to get a pleasant overhaul.

FSR Efficiency upscaling + 2X body generationRyzen 9 9900X, Radeon RX 9070 XT, 4K, RT Extremely preset

Whereas I genuinely hope we do, I concern that we’re solely prone to be fed extra AI stuff that has restricted enchantment or functions. For instance, AMD has solely simply launched its FSR 4 Body Era, so it should be concentrating on finalising FSR Radiance Cache for builders. Nvidia will most likely push neural rendering much more in 2026, and Intel… nicely, who is aware of with Intel.

Proper now, I am not excited by any of that. Truly, I’m, however that is simply because I am a graphics nerd, and have been for my whole computing life. However as a PC gamer, I simply need fully-functional, works-as-intended efficiency boosters. I’ve already received stable upscalers like DLSS and FSR 4, and I’ve completely low-latency switches like Reflex. Now, I simply need the identical stage of high quality from body technology.

It isn’t like I am asking for reasonable RAM or something like that.

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