DLSS closed the gap to native resolution so well that native gamers became the outliers

Native resolution gaming is no longer the gold standard it once was. DLSS and FSR upscaling technologies have matured to the point where over 40% of participants in a blind test preferred DLSS 4.5 over native renders. With 80% of RTX GPU users reportedly using DLSS, upscaling has shifted from an optional toggle to a design assumption baked into modern game development. Meanwhile, GPU generational gains are consistently offset by rising visual demands like ray tracing and path tracing, keeping true native 4K gaming perpetually out of reach. The author argues that native resolution gamers are now the outliers, clinging to a standard the industry has effectively abandoned.