Nvidia's latest AI rendering technology, DLSS 5, has made its debut in the live game NBA 2K27, presenting a less jarring visual experience than anticipated. Despite months of apprehension surrounding its AI rendering capabilities, the implementation in NBA 2K27 demonstrates a notable, albeit costly, improvement in visual fidelity.
Testing was conducted on an RTX 5080 at 1440p and an RTX 5050 at 1080p, both using Ultra settings with ray-traced reflections and Quality-level DLSS upscaling. In both configurations, DLSS 5 appears to enhance NBA 2K27's existing photorealistic intentions. The technology's focus on realism aligns with the game's goal of accurately representing players and environments. Visual changes, such as slightly more textured vests and enhanced skin sweat, do not appear out of place and do not exhibit the artificial smoothness often associated with generative AI visuals. Crucially, the excessive detailing and rendering errors seen in pre-release material are largely absent, with facial structures remaining intact and darker skin tones not being lightened unnaturally. Even fast-moving objects like the basketball remain consistently rendered, avoiding the warping issues previously suggested.
When viewed from the default game camera, DLSS 5's impact is subtle, suggesting developers Visual Concepts may be selectively applying its neural rendering through a masking feature rather than across the entire image. This refined integration makes DLSS 5-enhanced NBA 2K27 still resemble a game, rather than an AI approximation. However, its effectiveness in more stylized games remains to be seen. DLSS 5 operates on the user's GPU, sidestepping the ethical concerns of large data centers, and functions as an upscaler rather than a creator of original art. Yet, its non-per-game-specific training model raises concerns about potential visual uniformity across different titles, similar to the homogenized tone of AI-generated text or video.
A more immediate concern is performance. The RTX 5080 experienced a 54% drop in frame rate at 1440p, falling from an average of 211fps to 98fps. The RTX 5050 saw a more drastic 67% performance hit at 1080p, with frame rates plummeting from 137fps to 44fps. This significant performance tax raises questions about whether the visual enhancements justify the cost, especially on less powerful hardware.
While NBA 2K27 includes DLSS 4's Multi-Frame Generation (MFG) to mitigate performance losses, its use introduces its own set of issues. Even in its 3x mode, MFG can distort details, as seen with player ID tags and hands. The 6x mode exacerbates these problems with edge distortions and ghosting effects, undermining DLSS 5's goal of realism and adding input lag.
Nvidia is reportedly working to improve DLSS 5 performance on RTX 50 series cards before expanding support to the RTX 40 series. The current implementation in NBA 2K27 is described as a demanding graphical upgrade, akin to path tracing with added machine learning, that is too resource-intensive for most PCs. Despite these drawbacks, the initial visual output is considered a promising, if expensive, debut, with DLSS 5-enhanced NBA 2K27 largely retaining its intended appearance, albeit with added detail and perspiration.