Nvidia’s controversial DLSS 5 arrives September 3rd and requires serious GPU horsepower
Nvidia is launching its controversial DLSS 5 AI upscaling technology alongside the release of NBA 2K27. The tech has faced criticism for its potential to distort character appearances, and Nvidia has yet to confirm which other games will support the feature.
Why it matters
As a major advancement in GPU-accelerated graphics, DLSS 5 represents a shift toward generative AI in real-time gaming, raising questions about visual fidelity and hardware requirements.
Nvidia is officially launching DLSS 5 this week, following a divisive announcement in March where we likened the AI upscaling tech to a “real-time generative AI filter for video games” and “motion smoothing for video games, but worse.” DLSS 5 will officially be available on RTX 50-series desktop and laptop GPUs and through GeForce Now cloud gaming, though the only game with the tech so far is NBA 2K27 — which is launching September 3rd at 9PM PT on PC.
When it was announced, Nvidia lauded DLSS 5 as “the company’s most significant breakthrough in computer graphics since the debut of real-time ray tracing in 2018,” and highlighted how the tech uses AI to make games look more realistic by enhancing a game based on its source content. Nvidia also stressed that DLSS 5 gave developers controls that let them decide how changes from DLSS 5 appeared in their games.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in