What is GPU Upscaling and How It Can Boost VR Performance?

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What is GPU Upscaling and How It Can Boost VR Performance?

In the latest Pimax Play update, a new GPU Upscaling feature has been introduced to help users strike the right balance between performance and image quality. This article will introduce what exactly GPU upscaling is, and how it works.

What is GPU Upscaling?

GPU upscaling is a rendering technique that lets your graphics card render a game or VR application at a lower resolution and then intelligently upscale it to your headset’s native resolution.

The benefit is simple:
  • Lower render resolution = higher frame rates.
  • Upscaling algorithms = sharper visuals.

This means VR users can enjoy smoother gameplay and reduced latency without heavily compromising on visual fidelity. With GPU upscaling enabled, Le Mans Ultimate performance on the Pimax Crystal Super can even jump from 60 FPS to 90 FPS.

More Pimax GPU upscaling test: 

Why GPU Upscaling Matters for VR

Unlike flat-screen gaming, VR has stricter performance requirements:
  • Frame rate drops cause motion sickness.
  • Higher resolutions demand more GPU power.
  • Wide FOV headsets (like Pimax Crystal Super) push more pixels than standard VR headsets.
GPU upscaling allows Pimax users to push their systems further. Instead of being locked to native resolution rendering, users can adjust the quality/balanced/performance/custom tradeoff depending on the game.

FSR vs. NIS: What’s the Difference?

In Pimax Play, GPU upscaling supports two major algorithms: AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and NVIDIA Image Scaling (NIS). While both serve the same purpose, they take slightly different approaches.

FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution)

  • Developed by AMD but works on most modern GPUs.
  • Uses spatial upscaling and advanced sharpening filters to reconstruct detail.
  • More flexible across hardware, meaning both AMD and NVIDIA users can benefit.
  • Generally provides higher quality results at lower render resolutions.

NIS (NVIDIA Image Scaling)

  • Lightweight upscaling developed by NVIDIA.
  • Focuses on speed and lower overhead.
  • Uses sharpening filters but is less advanced than FSR in terms of reconstruction.
  • Works well for users who prefer minimal performance cost.

How to Use GPU Upscaling on Pimax

With Pimax Play, you can easily enable GPU upscaling:
  1. Open Pimax Play.
  2. Go to Settings → Games → GPU Upscaling.
  1. Choose between FSR or NIS depending on your GPU and preference.

The Future of VR Performance

GPU upscaling is becoming one of the most important tools in VR optimization. Just as technologies like DLSS, FSR, and NIS transformed flat-screen gaming, they’re now opening new possibilities in VR.

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