- Hi-Fi Rush director John Johanas has openly slammed DLSS 5's implementation in the game on X.
- Johanas gave a blunt reply to Chai's DLSS 5-altered image, saying Tango Gameworks' art direction is now "fully realized."
- The director later added that he got a "wild laugh out of how it looks" in the context of Hi-Fi Rush's DLSS 5 integration.
NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 has been the centre of multiple controversies since its reveal in March 2026, and gamers haven’t held back with their criticisms, calling the upscaling technology “AI slop.” The latest to join the debate is Hi-Fi Rush director John Johanas, who criticized how DLSS 5 transforms the game’s gorgeous cel-shaded visuals into something grotesque.
John Johanas slammed the technology in an official X post, quoting images of protagonist Chai transformed using NVIDIA’s DLSS 5. The Hi-Fi Rush director shared an extremely sarcastic reply, saying, “Finally, our [Tango Gameworks] art direction fully realized. Everything we [have] done was a step to achieving this brilliance. Perfect, no notes.”
Chai’s appearance with DLSS 5 indeed edges into uncanny valley territory, reinforcing criticism from many gamers who see the technology as nothing more than an “AI filter” that doesn’t meaningfully enhance a dev’s original artistic vision.
The user, Cakewalking Forward, who originally posted the Hi-Fi Rush DLSS images mocking it, later apologized to the director for playfully sharing the images, to which he replied, “Hah! It’s not your fault! Just getting a wild laugh out of how it looks! But thanks for the support!”
This isn’t the first, second, or third time that DLSS 5 has received massive backlash from players and developers alike. During Nvidia’s DLSS 5 showcase at the SIGGRAPH 2026 keynote in July, the tech was ridiculed for looking like an “AI filter.”
However, that doesn’t mean everyone opposes the upscaling AI model. Recently, the creative director of Kingdom Come Deliverance defended DLSS 5, saying it restores Warhorse Studio’s original vision for the game. With DLSS 5 launching on September 3, 2026, players can see for themselves what the technology truly is.
Hi-Fi Rush remains one of the best Xbox games, even in 2026, so the director was right to call out DLSS 5 for botching the game’s beautifully animated art style. What do you think? Tell us in the comments section below.
