Nikolai Zhivotenko builds DirectX 12 port of Doom with DLSS 5

Nikolai Zhivotenko built a sixty-four-bit Windows port of the 1993 shooter DOOM that runs on DirectX 12 and supports DLSS 5, PurePC reported. The project reroutes the game’s internal 320-by-200 pixel rendering into a 1280-by-800 window while attaching depth data, motion vectors, and surface normals to every frame.

From Linux Doom 1.10 to DirectX 12 Buffers

Zhivotenko based the custom build on Linux Doom 1.10 source code, completely replacing the display backend with a modern Windows and DirectX 12 pipeline. Standard Steam installations and DOOM 64 failed when subjected to similar DLSS Swapper methods, proving that a dedicated executable rewrite was necessary to generate the required motion vectors and depth buffers.

The modification provides multiple presentation paths for the output image. Players can choose between nearest-neighbor 4x scaling, DLSS Ray Reconstruction, DLSS 4, DLSS 4.5, Anime4K, and AMD FSR 2.2. Activating the DLSS 5 mode requires running the DLSS 4.5 pipeline first and then layering the neural rendering package through the DLSS Swapper tool.

Visual Outcomes of Neural Rendering on Retro Sprites

PurePC characterized the final look as somewhat peculiar, noting that combining neural rendering with heavily pixelated sprites creates an effect where everything appears simply smoothed over. The game engine still calculates the base graphics at the vintage 320-by-200 resolution. Forcing a primitive software renderer to interface with deep learning upscalers demonstrates technical ingenuity, even if the resulting aesthetic divides opinion among retro gaming enthusiasts.

VideoCardz documented the initial release of the modification. The complete source code and build instructions are publicly available on GitHub for developers wishing to inspect the custom DirectX 12 renderer implementation.