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What Is NVIDIA DLSS 5 and why is it a big deal? List of games which will support it
NVIDIA’s new DLSS 5 uses AI to make video game graphics look more realistic, almost like Hollywood movies.
NVIDIA has unveiled its most ambitious graphics technology yet, the DLSS 5 and the company is calling it the biggest leap in computer graphics since real-time ray tracing arrived in 2018.
The announcement was made by Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA who described the new system as a major step forward for computer graphics.
The problem DLSS 5 is trying to solve
Hollywood movies can spend minutes or even hours rendering a single frame to achieve truly photorealistic visuals. A video game on the other hand has just 16 milliseconds to render each frame in real time. That enormous gap between what movies can achieve and what games can deliver has been one of the biggest challenges in gaming graphics for decades.
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So what exactly is DLSS 5?
DLSS 5 is a real-time neural rendering model that uses artificial intelligence to infuse game visuals with photoreal lighting and materials.
It works by taking a game's color and motion data for each frame as input then using an AI model to enhance the scene with realistic lighting and materials that stay consistent from frame to frame. It runs in real time at up to 4K resolution, meaning gameplay stays smooth and interactive while looking dramatically better.
“Twenty-five years after NVIDIA invented the programmable shader, we are reinventing computer graphics once again,” Huang said.
"DLSS 5 is the GPT moment for graphics — blending hand-crafted rendering with generative AI to deliver a dramatic leap in visual realism while preserving the control artists need for creative expression," he added.
What makes it smarter than previous versions
DLSS started in 2018 to boost gaming performance using AI, first by upscaling resolution and later by generating extra frames. It’s now used in over 750 games. While NVIDIA has introduced several major graphics innovations, including programmable shaders with GeForce 3 in 2001, CUDA with GeForce 8800 GTX in 2006, and real-time ray tracing with GeForce RTX 2080 Ti in 2018 and still can’t match Hollywood-level rendering.
DLSS 5 uses AI to bring games closer to that level of visual realism.
Additionally, DLSS 5 lets game developers control intensity, color and masking to match each game’s look. And it fits perfectly into existing workflows using the same framework as earlier DLSS versions.
Which games will support it
Some of the biggest names in gaming are already on board. Publishers and developers including Bethesda, CAPCOM, Ubisoft, Tencent, Warner Bros. Games and others have confirmed support for DLSS 5.
Games confirmed to support DLSS 5 include Assassin's Creed Shadows, Hogwarts Legacy, Starfield, Resident Evil Requiem, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Phantom Blade Zero and several others.
