Nvidia has officially launched DLSS 5, a neural rendering technology, debuting in the game NBA 2K27. The tech utilizes engine-level implementation to enhance lighting and shadows on top of 3D player models, allowing developers to adjust results based on creative intent.
Currently, DLSS 5 is exclusive to Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs. Performance data shows the RTX 5090 reaching 370 FPS at 4K resolution with the feature enabled, compared to 240 FPS natively. This result relies on 6x MFG, interpolating five frames for every real frame, with the base game running at approximately 61 FPS.
Nvidia confirmed plans to expand support for DLSS 5 to RTX 40-series GPUs in the future. The company is currently prioritizing performance optimization for the RTX 50-series, with model updates expected later this fall. Official support for older hardware will follow once the current series is fully tuned.
The decision to expand support follows community efforts where modders demonstrated that the technology could function on older hardware, including RTX 40-, 30-, and 20-series cards. While RTX 40-series support is planned, these cards are limited to 2x MFG compared to the 6x MFG available on the newer Blackwell architecture.