XDA wrote about using Lossless Scaling on retro emulators this week and the takeaway landed hard: the one thing emulation could never fully solve was frame pacing on 60 fps titles that need to hit 60 or feel wrong. A frame-generation layer on top of the emulator turned an uneven 45 fps into a stable 60. That trick is not specific to one app. We tested 7 tools that either upscale, sharpen, or frame-generate emulator output, from a 3 dollar Steam utility to open-source shader stacks.
What to look for in an emulator upscaling app
Retro emulation on modern hardware runs into two problems: the source resolution is low, and the source frame rate is fixed. A good upscaler solves the first, a good frame-generation layer solves the second. A few criteria matter.
- Works on any windowed or borderless-fullscreen program, not just a specific emulator
- Ships common upscalers (FSR, XeSS, LS1, LS2) so we do not need a specific GPU brand
- Adds frame generation without introducing awful input latency
- Does not require modifying the emulator itself
- Runs on integrated GPUs for laptops that cannot afford dedicated hardware
- Free or a one-time price, not a subscription
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free | Cost | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lossless Scaling | Frame generation on any emulator | Windows | Trial via Steam refund | ~7 one-time | Very Positive (Steam) |
| Magpie | Free open-source upscaler | Windows | Yes | Free | 4.8 (GitHub) |
| RetroArch | Emulator with built-in shader stack | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Yes | Free | 4.6 |
| Duckstation | PS1 emulator with modern rendering | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Yes | Free | 4.7 |
| Reshade | Post-processing for any DirectX game | Windows | Yes | Free | 4.6 |
| AMD FSR | Vendor-agnostic FSR SDK builds | Windows | Yes | Free | 4.5 |
| NVIDIA Freestyle | Overlay filters for NVIDIA users | Windows | Yes | Free | 4.4 |
1. Lossless Scaling, best for frame generation
Lossless Scaling is a small Steam utility that upscales and, more importantly, frame-generates the output of any windowed program. Point it at an emulator running at native resolution, pick the LS1 scaler and LSFG frame generation, and the emulator output arrives on the monitor at 60 or 120 fps with the scaler doing the extra frames. Real emulator perf stays where it was, the display sees more frames.
Where it falls short: LSFG adds a frame or two of latency, which is fine for adventure games and bad for fighting games. Also, it is Windows only.
Pricing:
- Free: not free, but often on sale
- Paid: about 7 one-time on Steam
Platforms: Windows
Download: Steam
Bottom line: the reason the XDA story exists. Buy it once, use it for years.
2. Magpie, best free open-source upscaler
Magpie is the open-source alternative to Lossless Scaling. It supports FSR, XeSS, Bicubic, and Anime4K, works on any windowed application, and has no frame generation (yet). Development is active and the config UI is more transparent than Lossless Scaling’s.
Where it falls short: no frame generation, and integrated GPU users report micro-stutter under load.
Pricing:
- Free: MIT license
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows
Bottom line: the free choice. Same idea as Lossless Scaling for upscaling, without the frame generation.
3. RetroArch, best for a built-in shader stack
RetroArch ships hundreds of shaders that stack on top of the emulator output: CRT scanlines, xBR, xBRZ, Anti-Aliased-Nearest, RCA composite. For consoles up to the N64 era, these often look better than any external upscaler because the shader knows it is upscaling a specific era’s output.
Where it falls short: not every core benefits equally, and picking the right shader stack takes an afternoon of tinkering.
Pricing:
- Free: open source, GPL
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS (sideload), various consoles
Download: RetroArch
Bottom line: the tool to reach for first for anything pre-2000. External upscalers matter more for later consoles.
4. Duckstation, best for PS1 rendering
Duckstation is a PS1 emulator with a modern renderer that internally upscales the 240p PS1 output to 1080p, 4K, or higher. It also has PGXP, which fixes the warping polygons that made PS1 output feel unstable. Pair it with Lossless Scaling for the frame-rate side, and Ocarina-of-Time-era jitter disappears entirely.
Where it falls short: PS1 only. Every other console needs a different emulator.
Pricing:
- Free: MIT and BSD, no ads
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
Download: Duckstation | GitHub
Bottom line: the best example of what a modern retro emulator can do to source pixels before external upscalers even see them.
5. Reshade, best for post-processing on any DirectX game
Reshade injects a shader chain into any DirectX 9/10/11/12 or OpenGL application. That covers every emulator with a DirectX or OpenGL backend. Filters range from sharpening to color grading to sensible CRT overlays. Custom shaders written by the community are freely shared.
Where it falls short: takes some fiddling to get the shader load order right, and some emulators refuse to load with Reshade attached, requiring an override.
Pricing:
- Free: source available, mostly BSD-licensed
- Paid: none, though donations are welcome
Platforms: Windows
Download: Reshade
Bottom line: for anyone who wants to color-grade an emulator like a movie, this is the tool.
6. AMD FSR, best for a vendor-agnostic upscaler
AMD FSR is an open-source upscaling SDK that works on any GPU brand. Many emulators (Dolphin, PPSSPP, Yuzu) ship FSR as a display filter. Where they do not, a wrapper build injects it. Quality on 2D and low-poly output is very good and it is the reference open implementation that Magpie and Lossless Scaling reference.
Where it falls short: strictly upscaling, no frame generation in the free open version.
Pricing:
- Free: MIT
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows, Linux, and integrated into some macOS games via wrappers
Bottom line: the algorithm behind most upscalers. Reach for it directly when configuring an emulator that supports it natively.
7. NVIDIA Freestyle, best for NVIDIA users who want overlay filters
NVIDIA Freestyle is part of GeForce Experience. It adds sharpening, color adjustments, HDR-like toning, and a couple of upscaler filters as an overlay. It works on any DirectX or Vulkan emulator, on NVIDIA GPUs only.
Where it falls short: requires GeForce Experience and an NVIDIA account. Filter list is small compared to Reshade.
Pricing:
- Free: bundled with GeForce Experience
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows, NVIDIA GPUs only
Download: GeForce Experience
Bottom line: fine if we already run GeForce Experience. For anything more, use Reshade.
How to pick the right one
- For frame generation on any emulator: Lossless Scaling.
- For a free upscaler that does most of the same job: Magpie.
- For 8- and 16-bit consoles, before adding any external tool: RetroArch shaders.
- For PS1 specifically: Duckstation, with FSR turned on.
- For color grading and creative filters: Reshade.
- For AMD or Intel GPU owners with no vendor overlay: AMD FSR directly in the emulator.
- For NVIDIA users who want a quick tweak: NVIDIA Freestyle.
The tool you buy first depends on which side of the problem hurts more. If jaggies are the pain, Magpie is free and covers it. If a wobbly 60 fps is the pain, Lossless Scaling is the fix.
FAQ
Does Lossless Scaling work on any emulator?
Yes, as long as the emulator runs in a window or borderless window. Point Lossless Scaling at the window and set the scaler. Fullscreen exclusive mode is the one case where it does not apply.
Will frame generation break input timing on fighting games?
Yes, in the sense that any frame generation adds latency. For beat-em-ups and adventure games, the trade is fine. For competitive fighters, disable frame generation and use pure upscaling.
Do I need a fancy GPU for these tools?
No. Most of them run on integrated GPUs. Frame generation on very old iGPUs is uneven, upscaling on the same iGPUs is usually fine.
Is RetroArch better than a dedicated emulator?
For pre-2000 systems, often yes, thanks to the shader stack. For later systems (PS2, GameCube, PS3, Switch), dedicated emulators with their own internal upscaling still win.
Can I use Reshade with RetroArch?
Yes, but pick either RetroArch shaders or Reshade, not both. Stacking two shader chains multiplies GPU load without a proportional visual gain.
