An enthusiast has applied DLSS 5 effects to the original Duke Nukem and Pong, turning two classic 2D games into an unusual graphics experiment. Tom’s Hardware reports that Valery Kryzhanovsky ran the games through DOSBox and used ReShade to inject the effect. The results can add an embossed sense of depth to some scenes, but stronger settings can distort the image. This was an unofficial experiment, not an official DLSS 5 integration or a controlled image-quality test.
How DLSS 5 was applied to the classic games
In its October 6, 2026 report, Tom’s Hardware describes Kryzhanovsky’s broader experiments with games ranging from 2D platformers and role-playing games to contemporary titles. For the 2D setup, the report names DOSBox, ReShade and RenoDX. ReShade was used to add the effect to games that do not have an official DLSS 5 implementation.
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The report’s Duke Nukem footage shows some platforming elements taking on an embossed appearance, as if flat rectangles had acquired depth. It also describes the effect recognizing the player character, enemies and bullets. Those are observations from the report, not measured improvements or benchmark results.
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Why the result changes with the settings
Forced injection is not a single fixed treatment. Tom’s Hardware says the chosen injection point can be the render stage, after upscaling, or the final output. Filter strength, color preset and number of passes also affect the result.
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- Injection point: determines which version of the image receives the effect.
- Filter strength: stronger application may make depth-like features more apparent, but can also make the image highly distorted.
- Color preset and passes: additional variables in the described setup; the report does not provide a controlled comparison of their individual effects.
In a separate 3D example, the report says applying the effect at the render stage changed face geometry. Kryzhanovsky’s view, as reported by Tom’s Hardware, is that forced injection works best on still images: the setup analyzes the current frame and lacks a temporal element. That limitation matters for moving games, where changes between frames can contribute to unstable or unwanted results.
What this does—and does not—say about DLSS 5
NVIDIA announced DLSS 5 on March 16, 2026, describing it as a real-time neural-rendering model that adds photorealistic lighting and materials to pixels. NVIDIA said it was expected in fall 2026 and associated the announcement with GeForce RTX 50 Series hardware. Those are NVIDIA’s product description and announced timing, not independent findings about Kryzhanovsky’s experiment.
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NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang called DLSS 5 “the GPT moment for graphics” in the company’s announcement. That is NVIDIA’s characterization of the technology, not an independent assessment of this experiment’s results.
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How to interpret the demonstration
The footage is best understood as a visual experiment in applying a modern neural-rendering effect to games designed around 2D graphics. It demonstrates that the apparent result can depend on the injection point and filter settings; it does not establish that the games look better overall, run faster, or achieve a particular image-quality score. Tom’s Hardware reports no controlled scores or quantified comparison.
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- Step into the ego filled shoes of Duke Nukem, the steroidal one-man army who never fails and always gets the babes
- Enjoy Duke's constant stream of hilarious one-liners throughout the game will have gamers rolling
- Spend as much time as you want shooting hoops, lifting weights, playing pinball, pool, air hockey, and slots
- Packed with explosive FPS action, outlandish settings, vehicle driving, and puzzle solving -- gamers will never tire of the endless fun
- Enjoy multiplayer option like no other as Duke re-envisions classic modes of play in his own hilarious and humiliating way
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