Nvidia is set to release its latest graphics technology, DLSS 5, on September 3. The company has confirmed that the first game to feature the new AI-driven rendering will be NBA 2K27, which also launches on the same day. DLSS 5, which Nvidia describes as "3D-Guided Neural Rendering," aims to enhance visual fidelity by infusing rendered pixels with photorealistic lighting and materials.
The technology is exclusive to Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50 Series desktop and laptop GPUs, as well as its GeForce NOW cloud gaming service. This requirement means that users with older graphics cards, including the popular RTX 40 Series, will not be able to utilize DLSS 5 without using cloud streaming. The company has stated that DLSS 5 is its most significant graphics breakthrough since the introduction of real-time ray tracing in 2018.
When DLSS 5 was first announced in March, it faced significant criticism from some segments of the gaming community. Concerns were raised that the AI-driven approach could lead to a homogenization of game visuals, potentially overriding the artistic intent of game developers. Critics also likened the technology to "motion smoothing for video games, but worse," and expressed worries about its impact on performance and the potential for visual artifacts. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has previously pushed back against this criticism, stating that gamers were "completely wrong" about the technology.
Nvidia states that DLSS 5 operates by taking a game's color and motion vectors for each frame as input. An AI model then uses this data to add photorealistic lighting and materials that are tied to the game's 3D content and consistent across frames. The company claims that this process allows for a new level of photorealism previously only achievable in Hollywood visual effects, while still providing developers with granular control over how the enhancements are applied to maintain their game's unique aesthetic.
NBA 2K27, developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K, is scheduled for a worldwide release on September 4, 2026, with early access available from August 26 for owners of the Deluxe and Ultra Editions. The inclusion of DLSS 5 in this title marks the first instance of the technology being implemented in a commercial game. Nvidia has shared initial benchmarks suggesting that DLSS 5 can impact GPU performance, with official implementations expected to cause a performance hit of approximately 50-60%. The company has also noted that DLSS 5 has seen a five-fold performance improvement in the six months since its initial announcement.
The controversy surrounding DLSS 5 stems partly from its deep integration with game engines and assets, which some fear could lead to unintended visual changes or a departure from the original artistic vision. However, Nvidia maintains that DLSS 5 is designed to work in concert with developers' creative control, aiming to bring real-time graphics closer to Hollywood-grade photorealism. The company has also stated that existing DLSS technologies, such as Super Resolution, Frame Generation, and Ray Reconstruction, will continue to be supported and improved.