PC gaming has long been at the forefront of technological advancement, offering features like ray-tracing, upscaling, and multi-frame generation. However, these innovations often demand powerful, specific hardware. NVIDIA's GeForce NOW cloud gaming service aims to bridge this gap, allowing players to experience these cutting-edge PC technologies on a wider range of devices.
One of the latest advancements is NVIDIA's DLSS 5 technology, a neural rendering model designed to enhance graphical realism. Initially exclusive to RTX 50-series GPUs and laptops, DLSS 5 is featured in NBA 2K27, the first game to incorporate the technology. GeForce NOW allows users to stream games, including NBA 2K27, to PCs, laptops, tablets, TVs, and smartphones, providing access to DLSS 5 and other RTX 50-series features without requiring a hardware upgrade.
NVIDIA describes DLSS 5 as a significant breakthrough in computer graphics, utilizing an AI model to process color and motion vectors from each frame. This process infuses scenes with photorealistic lighting and materials that are anchored to source 3D content, ensuring consistency across frames. Initial impressions of NBA 2K27 running with DLSS 5 on GeForce NOW reveal a noticeable improvement in image quality, with more realistic player models, enhanced skin and hair textures, and greater detail in the crowd and arena environment.
While NBA 2K27 is the first title to support DLSS 5, GeForce NOW is compatible with a broad selection of game libraries, including Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox, Battle.net, and GOG. The service also supports day-one availability for new releases like 007: First Light, Control Resonant, Gears of War E-Day, and Phantom Blade Zero, enabling players to experience graphically intensive games as soon as they launch.
GeForce NOW offers several subscription tiers. The Free Tier provides access to over 2,000 games with one-hour session limits and up to 1080p resolution at 60 FPS. The Premium Tier, priced at £9.99 per month, extends session limits to six hours, offers up to 1440p resolution, and includes features like RTX Ray Tracing, priority queue access, HDR10, ultrawide monitor support, and persistent in-game settings.
For the highest level of performance, the Ultimate Tier costs £19.99 per month and provides eight-hour gaming sessions, up to 5K resolution at 360 FPS, first priority queue access, and advanced features such as NVIDIA DLSS 5, NVIDIA Reflex, surround audio, and Cloud G-Sync. Temporary access is also available through Day Passes, with a Performance pass costing £3.99 and a 24-hour Ultimate pass at £7.99. Further details on membership and pass options can be found on nvidia.com/geforce-now.