Starfield preload data suggests it won’t support DLSS/XeSS at launch

Starfield, set to be released on September 6th, is just a few days away from being available to the general public. Preload has already started, and enthusiastic users are already taking advantage by combing through the game files, trying to find all the details they can ahead of launch.

PC gamers have started to preload the 140GB Starfield download, leading several inquisitive players to check into the files, particularly to validate a technical support component of Starfield. This component centres on Bethesda and AMD, with AMD being the ‘exclusive' PC partner for the game's launch. AMD has announced that FSR2 will be supported at launch, but no word has been provided as to whether competing upscaling solutions – such as DLSS and XeSS – would be included.

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

According to Sebastian Castellanos (via PCGamesN), there are no signposts for FSR2 or any other FSR iteration in the game files, which is most likely because FSR is open-source, allowing developers to integrate it into the executable files. In contrast to AMD's approach, Intel's XeSS and Nvidia's DLSS are proprietary technologies that need a precompiled .dll file to work.

As such, the absence of these files suggests neither of the two will be supported. This omission, however, isn't conclusive confirmation of the game's lack of these technologies, since significant day-one updates sometimes bring features that weren't there at launch. Given the underlying support for temporal upscaling through motion vectors, implementing DLSS and XeSS into Starfield should be a straightforward task if Bethesda wants to add support after the fact, while modders like PureDark are already aiming to have a DLSS mod available on day 1.

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KitGuru says: There's still hope that Starfield will support DLSS and XeSS at launch. However, even if it doesn't, modders should be able to easily implement it by piggybacking on the FSR implementation that will most likely be present.

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