Borderlands 4 Poor Optimization, DLSS as a Crutch, Can it Be Fixed?
Added 2025-09-19 04:16:12 +0000 UTCEpisode 82: A quick update on the YouTube views situation, then into a Borderlands 4 discussion. What is the state of the game currently? What do we make of Randy Pitchford's comments? Is DLSS being used as a crutch instead of proper optimization? Can it be fixed?
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
01:05 - Update on the YouTube views situation
17:17 - Initial thoughts on Borderlands 4
28:27 - The crutch of DLSS upscaling and frame generation
44:17 - Bizarre development choices
53:01 - Can Gearbox fix Borderlands 4?
1:07:14 - Updates from our boring lives
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Comments
The issue of 'optimisation' or bad performance on UE5 is this: The high base cost of UE5 features + the high cost of actual decent GPUs that can run contemporary features like RT, FG, and upscaling with the least latency (i.e. your 4090s/5090s). It's unfortunate but the truth. The last two years of 4090 ownership has been the best time gaming in my life. Because I do not have to worry about bad performance because the power and feature set has enabled enjoyment and engagement with said new games, because even if they are very heavy (think SW: Outlaws, UE5 games like Cronos or Borderlands 5) I can power through it with upscaling, settings adjustment and or frame gen. It just works! As Todd would say. But I don't think it just works if I had a 4060 or 5060 or even a 5070. I mean it does but it does so at higher latency which then makes the experience of the feature less than optimal. For disclaimer: I am very pro RT, upscaling and FG. But I get people's complaints. I think the RT in Outlaws, Cyberpunk, and Cronos: The New Dawn for random examples off top of my head, does make a difference to my experience and immersion, even with the FPS drop. I also think in general RT improves scene lighting composition even in titles with minimal RT like Dragon Age: Veilguard. Fortnite with all features on does look good too and that Hardware Lumen is just as expensive as it is in Cronos because guess what it's UE5 and that's just how it is. The solution really is just: Buy a 5090, or rather, you should have bought a 4090 when they were cheaper lol. Sorry gamers
Matthew Sasso
2025-09-19 05:42:53 +0000 UTC
