Will Starfield offer a full range of upscaling tech options at launch? Fans have rightfully been skeptical, as Bethesda has partnered with AMD on the game, but they also haven’t outright said they are only going to support FSR 2. Perhaps this is only a marketing partnership and Bethesda is going to sneakily add NVIDIA DLSS and Intel XeSS as well?
Well, it’s likely time to put those hopes away. Starfield pre-loads began yesterday for Xbox and Windows PC and, of course, folks immediately began poking around in the code. According to Twitter user Sebastian Castellanos, there seems to be no evidence of DLSS or XeSS being implemented in the game.
So after combing through Starfield preload files on PC, I don’t see any sign of it supporting DLSS/XeSS. If true I think this would generate a lot of backlash for Bethesda & AMD (due to their refusal to confirm whether they block rival GPU vendor techs in their sponsored games). pic.twitter.com/U67On3x6Kt
— Sebastian Castellanos (@Sebasti66855537) August 18, 2023
There is a chance Bethesda patches in DLSS or XeSS support at the last moment before launch, but it seems unlikely. This isn’t the first time an AMD partner game has cast aside DLSS/XeSS – other games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor have also been FSR-only. It seems it’s a requirement for signing that AMD partnership deal. Of course, just because Bethesda doesn’t officially support NVIDIA and Intel’s tech at launch, doesn’t mean it’s never going to show up. They could add it down the line, and as we’ve reported, modders already have plans to add DLSS 3 to the game post-launch.
In other Starfield pre-load related news, we also now know the game’s launch file size on PC and Xbox Series X, and this is gonna be a whopper, kids. On PC, the game will take up 139.8 GB of disc space, while the Xbox Series X version is slightly slimmer at 126.1 GB. Pretty hefty, but hey, think about it this way – with over 1000 planets in the game, that’s only 139 MB per world. That’s not that bad, right?
Haven’t been keeping up with Starfield? Here’s everything you need to know about the sci-fi RPG as well as some extra details Bethesda revealed in a recent Q&A.
Starfield launches on PC and Xbox Series X/S on September 6, although those who buy the Premium Edition of the game can play 5 days early on September 1.
