8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller
Hall-effect sticks and L4/R4 bumpers with low-latency 2.4G dongle for 60 FPS Sync Attacks and Legion positioning.
DLSS, XeSS, FSR 3, Ultrawide & HDR10 Guide
On Nintendo Switch, Astral Chain topped out at dynamic 900p/30 FPS with basic post-process SMAA, zero ambient occlusion, and SDR output. Astral Chain Recomp adds reconstructed motion vectors for NVIDIA DLSS, Intel XeSS, and AMD FSR 3, native 4K internal budgets, 16:10 to 48:9 ultrawide camera projection, HDR10 paper-white controls, and screen-space radiance cascade bounce lighting.
Native 2D HUDTemporal upscalers reconstruct 3D scene only
310 -> 1100 MiBAutomatic 4K render-target & heap scaling
ao = gi (1.18.0)SSGTAO + radiance cascade bounce lighting
DLSS, Intel XeSS & AMD FSR 3 setup compared
Because PlatinumGames' original engine did not export temporal motion vectors, @capibawa and captainj-sparrow engineered motion-vector extraction across releases 1.10.0 and 1.11.0.
| Upscaler | OS & GPU Support | Required Files | Technical Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
NVIDIA DLSS / DLAA (upscaling = dlss) | Windows 10/11 + NVIDIA RTX GPU | Place nvngx_dlss.dll from NVIDIA's DLSS SDK next to astralchain.exe before boot | Loaded via NGX at startup; native mode runs full-resolution DLAA. Hotfix 1.10.1 resolved NVIDIA DLAA initialization edge cases. |
Intel XeSS (upscaling = xess) | Windows 10/11 + modern Intel, AMD, or NVIDIA GPU | libxess.dll (already placed next to astralchain.exe by setup) + Microsoft VC++ x64 runtime | Costs ~5-6 ms per frame at 2560x1440 in native (Native AA) mode on Intel Arc 140T; eliminates sub-pixel grate and neon shimmer. |
AMD FSR 3 (upscaling = fsr3) | Windows & Linux x86_64 + any Vulkan 1.3 GPU | Built directly into the executable (no external DLL required) | Recommended universal choice on Linux, SteamOS, and AMD Radeon cards; also acts as automatic fallback when upscaling = auto runs without RTX. |
AMD FSR 1 Window Scale (upscaler = fsr) | All platforms when window_size > output_res | Built in (vk_fsr.c EASU + RCAS, sharpness = 80) | Spatial pass used when displaying e.g. a 1440p render on a 4K monitor in SDR; sharpens the 3D scene prior to HUD composition. |
Quality ratios & automatic 4K output
upscaling_quality offers five internal 3D scene scales: native (100% DLAA / Native AA), quality (~67%), balanced (~58%), performance (~50%), and ultra_performance (~33%, clamped to at least 640x360). When output_res = auto and an upscaler starts at boot, the port automatically raises output_res to 2560x1440 or 3840x2160 to match your monitor (capping at 1440p on GPUs with <=4.5 GB VRAM).
Render-target & GRAPHIC BUFFER heap growth
Vanilla Astral Chain carved a fixed 310 MiB render-target budget and 143 MiB GRAPHIC BUFFER heap, which crashed the allocator during 4K combat (fixed in 1.14.2). The runtime now expands render-target memory to 545 MiB at 1440p and 1100 MiB at 4K, while growing GRAPHIC BUFFER by 8 bytes/pixel above 1080p.
Ultrawide (16:10 to 48:9), bounce-light GI & HDR10
Three post-release graphics systems sharpen Ark's neon streets without breaking PlatinumGames' art direction or UI framing.
aspect = wide (1.12.0+)
True Hor+ Ultrawide & 16:10
With aspect = wide (enabled by default), any window wider than 16:9 (21:9, 32:9, up to 48:9) widens the 3D camera lens and visibility cone while keeping internal render targets on a safe 16:9 grid. Gameplay HUD blocks in hud2 (health, Legion gauge, minimap, items) slide cleanly to screen corners, pause menus hold 16:9 proportions in the center, and pre-rendered 16:9 movies automatically pillarbox.
ao = gi (1.15.0 - 1.18.0)
Emissive SSGTAO & Bounce Light
Computed at half resolution from the depth buffer before transparents and bloom, ao = low and high run emissive-aware SSGTAO that respects neon signage and distance fog (1.15.0/1.17.0). New in 1.18.0, ao = gi adds screen-space radiance cascades: sunlit concrete or glowing Astral Plane floors bounce colored light onto nearby characters (~0.9 ms extra over high on Arc 140T).
hdr = 1
HDR10 Separate Game & HUD Nits
Enable Use HDR in Windows 11 (or run a color-managed Wayland session on Linux) and set hdr = 1. Set hdr_peak_nits to your OLED or Mini-LED peak brightness (e.g. 800 or 1000), keep hdr_game_nits = 203 for reference paper white, lower hdr_ui_nits (e.g. 160-203) to protect OLED pixels from static HUD elements, and tune hdr_hue = 80 for natural highlight desaturation.
Build an HDR10, Ultrawide, or DLSS INI profile
Pre-loaded below with the HDR10 (1000 nits / 203 UI) + GI preset on RTX 1440p; switch to Ultrawide 21:9 or 32:9 to generate your exact configuration.
Generated astralchain.ini
# astralchain.ini - place next to astralchain.exe (or astralchain on Linux)
[frame rate]
fps = 60
realtime = 1
cloth_realtime = 1
highfps_fix = 1
[performance]
async_preempt = 1
free_cores = 0
timer_1ms = 1
astc_bc = auto
tex_mip_skip = 0
gpl = 1
vk_recorder = 1
vk_dyn_a2c = 1
[display]
device_profile = desktop
fullscreen = 1
window_size = 2560x1440
output_res = 2560x1440
aspect = wide
upscaling = dlss
upscaling_quality = quality
anti_aliasing = smaa
ao = gi
aniso = auto
shadow_scale = 2
draw_distance = 150
hdr = 0
[language]
operation_mode = docked
menu_lang = en
[input]
pad_layout = auto
prompts = auto
motion = 1
rumble = 1
rumble_strength = 130
rumble_triggers = 0
stick_deadzone = 8
AC_* overrides & shader warm
# Place NVIDIA DLSS SDK nvngx_dlss.dll next to astralchain.exe:
copy nvngx_dlss.dll "Astral Chain
vngx_dlss.dll"
# Optional AC_* environment overrides (override astralchain.ini for one run):
AC_FPS=60 AC_UPSCALING=dlss AC_AO=gi ./astralchain
# Rebuild driver shader cache after a GPU driver update:
astralchain.exe --warm-shaders
# In-game shortcuts:
# F1: Settings menu | F10 (or L+R then -/+): Perf overlay | F11: Fullscreen | F12: No-HUDKeep output_res on a 16:9 32n x 18n grid (1280x720, 1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160); aspect = wide expands the camera to 16:10, 21:9, or 32:9 without losing the Vulkan device.
Controllers for dual-stick Legion combat
Astral Chain Recomp uses SDL3 for low-latency gamepad input, rumble curves, gyro aiming, back paddles, and automatic Xbox or PlayStation prompt detection.
View on Amazon
GameSir Super Nova Hall-Effect Gamepad
Drift-free Hall sticks, physically swappable ABXY faceplates (pad_layout = xbox or nintendo), and motion gyro via SDL3.
8BitDo Pro 2 Bluetooth Gamepad
Symmetrical dual-stick layout with Switch/X-Input modes, motion aiming for Bow Legion, and rear paddles (`lpaddle1`/`rpaddle1`).
GuliKit KK3 Max Wireless Controller
TMR electromagnetic sticks and 1000 Hz polling for tight 360-spin and Perfect Dodge input windows on Windows and Linux.
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Upscaling, ultrawide & HDR10 questions
Details on nvngx_dlss.dll placement, Linux FSR 3, and HDR calibration.
Why doesn't DLSS appear or activate when I switch to it mid-game?
The runtime loads NVIDIA NGX (nvngx_dlss.dll) and Intel XeSS (libxess.dll) only at process startup when upscaling = dlss, auto, or xess is set. Place nvngx_dlss.dll next to astralchain.exe, select DLSS, and restart the game once.
Can I use DLSS or Intel XeSS on Linux or Steam Deck?
Currently dlss and xess are Windows-only in Astral Chain Recomp. On Linux and SteamOS, select upscaling = fsr3, which is compiled directly into the native Linux binary and delivers sharp temporal reconstruction across RADV and NVIDIA drivers.
Does color_preset (vivid / clarity) affect HDR10 output?
No. The SDR color adjustments (color_preset, color_brightness, color_contrast, color_saturation, color_gamma) bypass execution when hdr = 1 is active; use hdr_peak_nits, hdr_game_nits, hdr_ui_nits, and hdr_hue instead.
How much GPU performance does ao = gi cost compared to ao = high?
In upstream profiling at 1472x828 internal scene resolution on an Intel Arc 140T iGPU, ao = gi adds roughly 0.9 ms per frame over ao = high. Desktop RTX and RX 6000/7000 GPUs handle gi easily at 60 FPS; handhelds and entry GPUs should stick to low or high.