No, I’m using pixel-perfect upscaling on 2D titles like FTL, because it simply looks better that way.
Here’s a comparison between the built-in scaler and using integer scaling with Lossless Scaling (but any other tool that supports integer scaling would have the same result):
As you can see, it’s the difference between blurry, mushed-up pixels and dull colors (since they get blended between pixels) vs. crisp, bright and much more pleasant to look at pixel art. It doesn’t work this way with every game, of course: For my 1440p screen (2560x1440), a game needs to be 720p (1280x720 - exactly half as many pixels on each axis) for pixel-perfect scaling.
It should also be noted that in my opinion at least, this method only makes sense for modern 2D games that are designed for flat screen displays. With old games intended for CRTs, it makes more sense to use a good CRT shader instead. More info on this here.
By the way, this was very annoying to capture. Steam only took 720p screenshots of the integer-scaled image, as did two other screenshot tools I tried. I had to manually upscale the second screenshot using nearest-neighbor scaling (same thing as integer scaling) to simulate what it looks like.
No, I’m using pixel-perfect upscaling on 2D titles like FTL, because it simply looks better that way.
Here’s a comparison between the built-in scaler and using integer scaling with Lossless Scaling (but any other tool that supports integer scaling would have the same result):
Built-in upscaling from 720p to 1440p.
Integer scaling (one pixel gets turned into four without any blending).
A tool that allows you to see the difference even on a small screen, with various options, including a slider:
https://twinlens.app/compare?share=2c26f762ee78
As you can see, it’s the difference between blurry, mushed-up pixels and dull colors (since they get blended between pixels) vs. crisp, bright and much more pleasant to look at pixel art. It doesn’t work this way with every game, of course: For my 1440p screen (2560x1440), a game needs to be 720p (1280x720 - exactly half as many pixels on each axis) for pixel-perfect scaling.
It should also be noted that in my opinion at least, this method only makes sense for modern 2D games that are designed for flat screen displays. With old games intended for CRTs, it makes more sense to use a good CRT shader instead. More info on this here.
By the way, this was very annoying to capture. Steam only took 720p screenshots of the integer-scaled image, as did two other screenshot tools I tried. I had to manually upscale the second screenshot using nearest-neighbor scaling (same thing as integer scaling) to simulate what it looks like.