Even though Starfield has yet to emerge from its early access phase, a mod within its community has already stirred up quite the debate. This mod, developed by PureDark, introduces support for Nvidia’s DLSS 3 upscaling technology, which Bethesda opted not to include in Starfield, favoring AMD’s competing FSR 2 technology instead. However, the modder’s decision to restrict DLSS 3’s advanced frame-generation features behind a Patreon subscription has drawn criticism from users. The free version of the mod only provides DLSS 2 support, which offers upscaling but lacks frame generation capabilities.
Charging users for mods has always been a contentious issue, as exemplified by the backlash faced by Bethesda and Valve in 2015 when they allowed modders to charge for Skyrim mods on Steam. The controversy led Valve to swiftly remove the feature, with Valve’s Alden Kroll admitting that they had made a significant misstep with the decision.
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PureDark’s move to incorporate DRM (Digital Rights Management) into the DLSS 3 Starfield mod to restrict access to non-Patreon subscribers has added to the controversy. However, reports from RockPaperShotgun suggest that this copy protection has already been circumvented. DLSS 3 is particularly notable for its frame-generation capabilities on newer 40-series Nvidia GPUs, creating additional frames in addition to upscaling the game to a higher resolution.
It’s worth noting that the unpaid DLSS 2 mod reportedly performs admirably. Benchmarks conducted by RockPaperShotgun indicate that it matches or slightly outperforms the game’s official AMD FSR 2 support, while delivering slightly better image quality. As of the latest data available, PureDark’s “Starfield Upscaler” DLSS mod is the most popular release on NexusMods for Starfield.
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PureDark has a track record of adding DLSS support to games that do not officially offer Nvidia’s upscaling technology, including previous Bethesda titles like Fallout 4 and Skyrim. The modder had previously introduced DRM to their DLSS 3 mod for Red Dead Redemption 2.
Although Starfield initially supports AMD’s FSR 2, AMD has indicated that there is no impediment to the game also supporting Nvidia’s DLSS. Despite AMD positioning itself as Starfield’s “exclusive PC partner,” its gaming chief, Frank Azor, has stated that if Bethesda decides to incorporate DLSS, they will receive AMD’s full support. Read Full Reviews, Guides and Tips & Tricks of the Latest Games Click here.
