Nvidia’s controversial, face-changing, gen-AI DLSS 5 tech releases tomorrow for one game, and seems to tank frame-rates
Nvidia’s DLSS 5 technology, featuring controversial generative AI neural rendering capabilities, is launching this week exclusively in NBA 2K25. The driver update arrives Thursday night (9pm PDT) in the US and Friday morning (5am BST) in the UK, available only for GeForce 50-series graphics cards, compatible laptops, and GeForce Now cloud gaming.
The new “neural rendering” feature represents a significant shift in DLSS technology, moving beyond performance optimization to actively transform visual fidelity through AI-driven graphical filters. Nvidia positions this as “the beginning of a transformative era” in gaming graphics.
However, the limited launch scope and reported frame-rate performance issues raise questions about the technology’s current maturity. The restriction to only NBA 2K25 for the initial rollout suggests potential optimization challenges, while performance reports indicate the technology may not deliver the expected frame-rate improvements—a central promise of previous DLSS implementations.
The controversial nature of the technology stems from its use of generative AI to modify game visuals in ways beyond traditional upscaling, sparking debate within the gaming community about the future direction of GPU-accelerated graphics.