What is Lossless Scaling?
Lossless Scaling is a standalone app that grants upscaling and frame generation with just about any graphics card in just about any PC game. You don’t need the latest Nvidia or AMD cards to use it.
It’s been in development for a number of years and was originally used to increase resolution in older pixel graphics games via integer scaling. In the years since, however, its capabilities have grown and it’s now used to make games look and play better in more ways than that—just like what DLSS and FSR do for Nvidia and AMD card owners, respectively.
Lossless Scaling has several built-in upscalers that are able to leverage different algorithms like FSR, LS1, Integer, and more. These are mostly for use in games that don’t support more advanced versions of FSR or DLSS, but they’re nice to have as fallback options.
But the real game changer is the introduction of Frame Generation support. With the latest LSFG algorithm, you can boost frame rates by 2x, 3x, 4x, or any combination you want. (2x works best for me, but if you can make gaming hay with more, then enjoy the extra frames!!
Lossless Scaling
It also has the same downsides as AMD and Nvidia’s frame generation techniques, though. Latency is slightly worse when using Frame Generation, and some of those frames aren’t “real,” so it isn’t advisable to use Frame Generation in competitive multiplayer games. But in single player? It’s a game changer.
I’m a big space nerd and I love Kerbal Space Program. But even with a 7950X3D CPU and RX 7900 XTX GPU, the game really slows down once you’ve got 100+ mods installed. (The dynamic clouds really are worth paying for, but I digress.) With Lossless Scaling, though, my Space Center goes from around 90 FPS to a rock-solid 140 FPS. Huge spaceships with hundreds of parts go from low 50s to high 90s. The game looks and feels so much more responsive when rotating the camera.
Lossless Scaling has also been really useful when playing console ports with capped frame rates. In Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered, the frame rate is hard-restricted to 60 FPS. That’s better than the 30 FPS of many other console racing ports, but with Lossless Scaling, I can turn on 2x Frame Generation and enjoy a buttery-smooth 120 FPS. It’s not as good as native, and I still have to deal with some input lag, but it looks much smoother with those generated frames.
Jon Martindale / Foundry
Again, it’s not perfect. Frame Generation does some funny things when KSP first loads and only has a couple of FPS to work with. The VAB looks like a Dalí painting for a split second before going back to normal. The scaling options can be overwhelming, and it’s annoying having to tab in and out of games to make adjustments.
But if you take the time to learn how to use Lossless Scaling properly, it can make a real difference in your PC gaming experience.
