Gearbox Executive Advises ‘4K Stubborn’ Gamers to Opt for 1440P or DLSS in Borderlands 4 Instead of Native Rendering

Borderlands 4 Breaks Player Records Amidst Performance Concerns

Gearbox Software is undoubtedly celebrating the success of Borderlands 4, which not only set new records for concurrent players on the Steam platform but also achieved impressive player numbers over the weekend, surpassing 304, 000 gamers just sixteen hours ago. However, the hype is tempered by significant performance feedback from the PC gaming community, with over 16, 500 reviews on Steam reflecting a ‘Mixed’ rating at just 67%.

Performance Issues Addressed by Randy Pitchford

Randy Pitchford, the co-founder and president of Gearbox, sought to provide clarity regarding the performance issues through a detailed thread on X (formerly Twitter).He highlighted that some players with aspirations of running the game in 4K resolution might be facing challenges due to inadequate hardware or an unwillingness to utilize upscaling technologies such as NVIDIA’s DLSS.

I know a lot of you are dead set on playing at 4K with ultra max settings and using 2-3 year old hardware. You do you, but Borderlands 4 and UE5 are doing a lot, and for me, that trade-off for frames isn’t worth it. I play at 1440p with settings super high and am super happy with that trade-off – the game looks amazing at 1440p.

Pitchford encourages gamers to consider 1440p resolution as a viable alternative for a smoother gaming experience when hardware is limited. He asserts that for players equipped with high-performance graphics cards, 4K gaming may be feasible; however, those with mid-tier or older systems would benefit from adjusting their settings for better frame rates.

Emphasizing Upscaling Technologies

For those attempting to play at resolutions higher than 1080p, Pitchford strongly recommends leveraging DLSS or similar technologies. He argues that given the single-player nature of the game, competitors should prioritize visual fluidity over minute input latency differences, which are often undetectable without specialized equipment.

If you have a DLSS option, use it! This is a campaign game – you’re not competing in high-stakes esports here.

A prevalent sentiment on forums like Steam and Reddit is from players advocating for native rendering, despite the industry trend toward optimized performance through upscaling techniques. Both NVIDIA’s latest DLSS model and AMD’s FSR 4 are designed to enhance visual quality significantly while boosting performance, effectively rendering the debate around native resolution somewhat outdated.

Industry Responses to Performance Critiques

In response to criticism about the appearance of Borderlands 4 without AI upscaling, Pitchford did not shy away from confronting detractors:

Code your own engine and show us how it’s done, please. We will be your customer when you pull it off. The people doing it now are clearly dumb and don’t know what they’re doing…

While there are valid arguments regarding the game’s graphical fidelity in relation to hardware demands, it seems that Gearbox has a clear focus on improving performance via future updates and patches. Rejecting AI upscaling in an era where it is widely utilized appears counterproductive.

Additional Updates from Gearbox

In related news, Gearbox has confirmed that Borderlands 4 does not contain any spyware, addressing community concerns effectively. Additionally, the first PC mods have started appearing on Nexus, alongside recommendations for some noteworthy enhancements.

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