So, two things,

which you can call AI if you want

This is from their official blog post, emphasis mine:

DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics — blending hand-crafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression

So, Nvidia themselves are the ones calling it AI

Second thing,

DLSS 5 is NOT replacing or altering the original graphical assets in the game with generated ones

I think they low key shot themselves in the foot with this particular comparison. The AI screenshot is actually from a frame (or however many frames) later in the scene. If you look closely you can see her mouth has actually opened slightly, and she appears to be in the process of rotating her head.

The end result is her lips are unquestionably larger in the AI image. Like if you bring the comparison slider directly to the middle, the bottom of her lip is lower while the top is higher. It has a pretty profound effect on the overall image.

Combine that with the hair highlights and makeup being so much more pronounced and the whole comparison is waaaay too similar to the “anti-feminism” filter thing that went viral in recent memory

Could have a little incinerator as well for your deposits

Honestly a lot of the “sense of superiority” and “these games will beat you senseless” types of sentiments regarding Souls actually stem from some really early marketing decisions that the developers didn’t originally intend

Fromsoft is actually self published in Japan, and Bandai helped them distribute the game to western audiences. There’s a whole essay worth of information we could talk about regarding what was popular in the west at that time, but basically when marketing the game they focussed on the intensity and the violence and how hardcore and badass you’d be for making it through.

It worked like a charm, and the games succeed financially and developed that frankly kinda rancid reputation (fans bragging about finishing a boss, coining “just get good”). It was enough to deter me from getting involved with it for literally a decade, until Sekiro came out

I go crazy for katanas and any samurai type stuff so I jumped in. Had a great experience, still one of my favorite games, and it was enough to get me to go back and try out the older souls games.

And the truth is the games are nothing like what the marketing or the rabid fans would have you believe. The art and presentation is that intense, but the actual game is borderline…cozy? In a weird way?

The thing that trips people up is the game has animation commitment, so once you hit attack you have to wait for the whole move to finish before you can act again. But the enemies are also like that, and furthermore, Fromsoft has the best animation telegraphing in the business. So you can just watch the boss, learn what they’re gonna do, wait to see how long they’re vulnerable after a given attack, and then subsequent times you see that attack you have a good idea of how much time you have to land your own attacks.

So once you “tune in” to this style of combat, it becomes a really meditative experience, one that rewards patience and observation. What makes it work so beautifully is that the presentation and music is so intense, to the point where you can actually become wrapped up in that and lose focus.

So in essence, I would say Souls games more than anything are about cultivating a mentality of remaining calm and peaceful during a storm, and then witnessing how your peaceful nature will allow you to endure any hardship.

We didn’t really get that sentiment much in games in the west at that time. So everything about the perception of the games stems from that. People feel so strongly about finishing the games because doing so genuinely taught them an important lesson. But the early marketing colored the public perception of the experience in a way that really misled many people who I think would ultimately adore the games

Well, my assumption is that someday soon, all the people of the world will take a step back and realize that the endless cycle of war is ultimately meaningless; that the cruelty and suffering can end, and we can finally step forward into an era of compassion for one another

Hiii so basically they fired everyone in the administration who said “Iran will curb stomp the US for many reasons, so like, don’t start a war with them” and then decided to start a war with them

One of the many reasons is that Iran preeeeety much has unilateral control over this extremely interesting geographic feature called “The Straight of Hormuz” which has been one of the most important strategic chokepoints in the world for literally thousands of years. Right at the moment the big thing it’s choking is some crazy number like 20% of the entire oil and natural gas supply for the entire planet earth.

So naturally the first thing that is already happening is gas prices skyrocketing. Of note: the way they’re controlling the straight is with missiles. So we’re also seeing extreme amounts of environmental destruction from the tankers that have exploded

What’s gonna happen long term is anyone’s guess

Well, that depends, are they also charging you a ludicrous sum of money each month? It would make me feel a lot more confident sharing my intimate details if they also required my credit card. The only thing that could set my mind more at ease would be extensive biometrics

A maze ing!

If you have to verify it each time then it is a waste of time as you could have just skipped to the verification.

It blows my mind how many people gloss over this obvious truth.

The second truth is that despite how advocates qualify it with “well of course you need to check” (which, as we are in agreement, then causes it to be waste of time since you could have just….checked….to begin with), the vast majority of people just take it at face value.

It’s even more dangerous than prior misinformation vectors in this regard since many people incorrectly believe the slop-bots are some pinnacle of technological achievement and are therefore trustworthy

Are there any ASMR puppy play birds?

They’ve been “cracking down on adblockers” for over a decade

Oh wow, yeah that sounds like some crazy mod abuse. Nothing beats volunteer contributors when it comes to drama haha

Oh interesting, may I ask how specialized those sources were? The first scenario that comes to mind is that perhaps they were known to be less than reputable, which could lead to a ban

In that situation it would be a kindness for you to take the specialized sources you’ve found and add them to articles, to save the next person a little trouble

Idk why we’ve reached the point where anyone saying they’re anything but an atheist has to specify that they aren’t a bigot

The main issue is that the cohort of people with megaphones broadcasting their spirituality is virtually entirely comprised of profiteers.

Like all such parasites they follow the pattern of establishing out groups for you to despise, simply because it drives engagement better. Same reason all major social media now attempts to shape you into a being of hatred and impulse. It keeps you stressed and activated so you jump at the opportunity when they offer to let you spend money to blow off some of the steam.

Bigotry as a phenomenon has many origins, but wherever it springs from it ultimately doubles as an inherently appealing strategy for those who wish wring dry their community.

At any rate, as we all sit here dying around the same poisoned watering hole, we see these profiteers dressing just like us while actively dumping the poison in. Ashamed, we feel compelled to proclaim, “I am not them! They only wear my clothes!”

Spirituality is an incredibly comfortable and practical “clothing” for many people. You’re absolutely correct in drawing attention to how bad it sucks that the people who embrace that comfort now feel pained to differentiate themselves from the abusers who pervert their fashion

Wow a whole year of being cuddled and fed spaghetti??

Thank you for fuck!

Thank you for creating a convenient way for corporations to access my identifying information!

Tried it in a structured way a few times, honestly it got pretty uncomfortable. Probably would get better with practice. Lately I like to light an incense and just sit peacefully for a few minutes before reading, it’s nice just to create those few moments where I feel no pressure to be doing anything in particular

Explains a lot

Haven’t had a microwave in about ten years now. There’s never been a situation where I’ve missed it