The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series is set to make a big impact in computing over the course of at least the next year, and likely beyond. That’s based on both the features and performance CEO Jenson Huang has been outlining, but also the potential to drive future AI development.
NVIDIA offered media at CES to see what’s possible with the new RTX 50 GPU when applied to both gaming and creative projects. The most obvious examples were in lower latency, faster framerates and less ghosting, among others. AI also figures into the broader picture for everything NVIDIA has in mind, especially compared to CES in 2024.
GeForce RTX 50 gaming upgrades
On the gaming side, DLSS 4 (Deep Learning Super Sampling) adds something called Multi Frame Generation, which basically means there are three extra frames for every “traditionally rendered frame”. The effect ultimately doubles the framerate over what DLSS 3.5 could do. A side-by-side comparison with Black Myth: Wukong showed the difference, not just in framerate but also in the subtleties of how the sun shone through the trees. No freckling ember-style specks, just smooth warm tones.
As NVIDIA puts it, it’s a big performance upgrade because it allows 4K games at 240fps to run with full ray tracing. Part of the reason this is possible is because the new frame generation AI model is 40% faster, yet uses 30% less VRAM. The effect is more stability in how pixels generate to maintain both detail and clarity no matter what happens onscreen.
A separate Reflex 2 demo showed latency cut in half during The Finals gameplay, which will join Valorant as the first two titles to utilize that particular feature on RTX 50 PCs. NVIDIA will make it available to previous RTX GPUs, but there’s no set timeframe yet.
Multi Frame Generation, on the other hand, will be available on 75 games once the RTX 50 Series goes live in the weeks to come. Other DLSS improvements will come to all RTX models for 50 games as well.
Helping out an NPC
Non-playable characters can be helpful or a hindrance, and NVIDIA wants to use its ACE generative AI technology to make them more helpful. In a PUBG game demo, a rep spoke into a microphone, communicating that they’ve never played the game before. With each comment or question, his AI-driven ally would offer advice and help survey the terrain for oncoming hostiles. It would also help locate supplies or ammo and call for rescue if taken down by enemies. The conversation went back and forth, sounding surprisingly conversational, though formal all at once.
Along with PUBG, inZOI will be the other game to implement this ACE system. It was an impressive demo, though it’s not easy to see where it’s all going. Would gamers who don’t have the technology feel cheated by those who do? NVIDIA’s rep said generative AI isn’t meant to give players an unfair advantage but more to make an NPC behave more dynamically.
Project G-Assist, which the company announced in mid-2024, will have an integrated assistant whose job is to help manage the PC’s system settings. It runs locally on device rather than the cloud as a “specially tuned small language model (SLM)”. It can check whether you have certain drivers installed and perform diagnostics to try solving bottlenecks or optimize performance.
GeForce RTX 50 creative use cases
When it comes to creating content, NVIDIA is looking to push the new RTX 50 Series as a game-changer. One example is NVIDIA Broadcast, an app made to help with livestreaming, conference calls, and video production. Two of the big new additions include Virtual key light and Video noise removal. For the former, it can apply additional lighting to a subject if only one actual key light is illuminating them. With noise removal, the app can take a voice recording and enhance voice clarity while stripping away the ambient noise around it. Both features are in beta and will be available to try out for those who can run it on their PC.
Video editing is another key area. A rep showed how DaVinci Resolve could handle up to nine different camera feeds in 4:2:2 10-bit at one time. It uses hardware accelerated decoding to do it without skipping frames or latency. Compared to the previous RTX 4090, the 5070 could handle it all seemingly with no issues. Another innovative AI feature allows editors to generate virtual footage based on a real clip, which can then be exported separately.
There were other examples related to 3D modeling, such as those game developers, architects, or interior designers might use. There was also a demonstration of an AI avatar called Project R2X. This AI avatar moves its lips and uses facial expressions to help a PC user with desktop apps and read or summarize documents. The example I saw had it guide a user on which tools to use in Photoshop to change a subject’s jacket through Adobe’s generative AI feature. Mixed results show there’s still work to do to make it truly viable, but it is an example of how dynamic AI may become on PCs.
Ready to roll out in 2025
Now that NVIDIA offers some context and insight into what its latest GPU Series is capable of, it will be interesting to see how much it delivers for gamers and content creators, alike. AI will clearly play a role in some respects, whereas raw power will be the driving force for other workflows. Not to mention 3D assets and the ability to enhance audio or create audio files from text.
I didn’t get to see every example of this in action, as there weren’t demos for all the particulars, but there’s plenty to follow. The first laptops to run the new RTX 50 Series GPUs will start launching in March 2025 from a variety of manufacturers.
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