Each week we're bringing you the latest news on games launching with NVIDIA DLSS and advanced ray tracing. Last week, the list of supported DLSS games and apps surpassed 290, and this week we're adding even more games! Today, Returnal upgrades its DLSS integration to DLSS 3, giving GeForce RTX 40 Series players even higher frame rates in the fast-paced shooter, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum shows off its DLSS and ray tracing tech in a new trailer, and another 3 games add support for DLSS 2. Read on to learn more.

The Returnal: DLSS 3 upgrade launches today. Returnal, Sony and Housemarque's critically acclaimed third-person roguelike shooter, launched on PC in February, featuring out of the box support for DLSS 2 and ray tracing. After crash-landing on a shape-shifting world, players must guide astronaut Selene through the barren landscape of an ancient civilization for her escape. Isolated and alone, she finds herself fighting tooth and nail for survival. Again and again, she's defeated - forced to restart her journey every time she dies.

A memory mod for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 that doubles the amount of VRAM showed some impressive performance gains, especially in the most recent games. While the mod was more complicated than earlier ones, since it required some additional PCB soldering, the one tested game shows incredible performance boost, especially in the 1%, 0.1% lows, and the average frame rate.

Modding the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 to 16 GB VRAM is not a bad idea, since NVIDIA already planned a similar card (RTX 3070 Ti 16 GB), but eventually cancelled it. With today games using more than 8 GB of VRAM, it means that some RTX 30 series graphics card can struggle with pushing playable FPS. The modder benchmarked the new Resident Evil 4 at very high settings, showing that those additional 8 GB of VRAM is the difference between stuttering and smooth gameplay.

NVIDIA's rumored RTX 5000 Ada Generation GPU has been outed once again, according to VideoCardz - the cited source being a keen-eyed member posting information dumps on a laptop discussion forum. Team Green has released new driver documentation that makes mention of hardware ID "26B2" under an entry for a now supported device: "NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation." Forum admin StefanG3D posted the small discovery on their favored forum in the small hours of Sunday morning (April 23).

As reported last month, the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada is destined to sit between existing sibling workstation GPUs - the AD102-based RTX 6000 and AD104-based RTX 4000 SFF. Hardware tipster kopite7kimi has learned enough to theorize that the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation workstation graphics card will feature 15,360 CUDA cores and 32 GB of GDDR6 memory. The AD102 GPU is expected to sit at the heart of this unannounced card.

NVIDIA has begun selling its compact RTX 4000 Ada Lovelace graphics card, offering GeForce RTX 3070-like performance at a mere 70 W power consumption, allowing it to fit in almost all desktop PCs. The low-profile, dual-slot board is priced higher than the RTX 4080 as it targets professional users, but it can still be used in a regular gaming computer. PNY's RTX 4000 Ada generation graphics card is the first to reach consumer shelves, currently available for $1,444 at ShopBLT, a retailer known for obtaining hardware before its competitors. The card comes with four Mini-DisplayPort connectors, so an additional mDP-DP or mDP-HDMI adapter must be factored into the cost.

The NVIDIA RTX 4000 SFF Ada generation board features an AD104 GPU with 6,144 CUDA cores, 20 GB of GDDR6 ECC memory, and a 160-bit interface. With a fixed boost frequency floating around 1560 MHz to reduce overall board power consumption, the GPU is rated for just 70 Watts of power. To emphasize the efficiency, this card requires no external PCIe power connector, as all the juice is fed through the PCIe slot. The GA104 graphics processor in this configuration delivers a peak FP32 performance of 19.2 TFLOPS, comparable to the GeForce RTX 3070. The 20 GB of memory makes the card more valuable for professionals and AI researchers needing compact solutions. Although the card's performance is overshadowed by the recently launched GeForce RTX 4070, the RTX 4000 SFF Ada's professional drivers, support for professional software ISVs, and additional features make it a strong contender in the semi-professional market. Availability and pricing are expected to improve in the coming weeks as the card becomes more widely accessible.More images, along with specification table, follow.

Acer today announced the new Acer Swift X 16 (SFX16-61G), designed to bring out one's creativity through a suite of performance-packed features for graphic designing, 3D rendering and video editing. The creator laptop brings captivating color and clarity with an option for a 16:10 OLED display supporting 100% DCI-P3 and 500 nits peak brightness.

Combining an attractive design and powerful performance, the Swift X 16 comes in a refined 17.9 mm thin design with up to the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPUs with NVIDIA Studio Drivers to help take creative projects to the next level. It also comes packed with a TwinAir cooling system, a larger battery, and all the vital connection ports for enhanced productivity. Video calls and streaming have never been better as the RTX laptop utilizes a 1080p FHD camera that uses Acer's Temporal Noise Reduction (TNR) and its suite of AI technologies for clear and crisp videos.

NVIDIA has released a new update for Quake II RTX, version 1.7.0. The newest update adds a couple of improvements and fixes several issues. Quake II RTX has been NVIDIA's popular tech-demo playground to show off RTX capabilities, and while the latest update is not a major one, it does include some important fixes.

According to the short highlights, the newest update adds a player flashlight, fixes multiple compatibility and stability issues, fixes some texturing issue, reduces visual noise and flicker in some conditions, as well as tunes some visual effects like full-screen blend and particles.DOWNLOAD: Quake II RTX v1.7.0

Resident TechPowerUp hardware database overseer T4C Fantasy has divulged some early information about a custom version of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU card - Colorful's catchily named iGame RTX 4060 Ti Ultra White OC model has been added to the TPU GPU database, and T4C Fantasy has revealed a couple of tidbits on Twitter. The GPU has been tuned to have a maximum boost clock of 2580 MHz, jumping from a base clock of 2310 MHz. According to past leaks the reference version of the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti has a default boost clock of 2535 MHz, so Colorful's engineers have managed to add another 45 MHz on top of that with their custom iteration - so roughly 2% more than the reference default.

T4C Fantasy also confirmed that the Colorful iGame RTX 4060 Ti Ultra W OC will be appointed with 8 GB of VRAM, which also matches the reference model's rumored memory spec. T4C Fantasy points out that brands have the option to produce RTX 4060 Ti cards with a larger pool of attached video memory, but launch models will likely stick with the standard allotment of 8 GB of VRAM. The RTX 4060 Ti is listed as being based on the Ada Lovelace GPU architecture (GPU variant AD106-350-A1), and T4C Fantasy expects that Team Green will stick with a 5 nm process size - contrary to reports of a transition to manufacturing on 4 nm (chez TSMC foundries).

A Half Life 2 modder, Igor Zdrowowicz, has managed to integrate path tracing into the game - with striking results, even at an early stage in development. His project - codenamed "HL2RTX" - has been in-progress for a handful of months, and the modder has managed to integrate a ray tracing system into Valve's classic shooter (sort of) via NVIDIA's RTX Remix SDK. That package has become open source only very recently, so Zdrowowicz stated that a Portal RTX-derived binary was the tool of choice.

NVIDIA's Lightspeed Studios has already created an impressive RTX conversion of Valve's fan favorite puzzle-platform game Portal (2007), and modders have been poring over the underlying technology and update technique processes. A number of old favorites, running on past iterations of the Source Engine (DirectX 8 and 9), are getting the amateur mod community sprucing up treatment. It is posited that Zdrowowicz will have an easier time with his current conversion project, thanks to an official release of NVIDIA's RTX Remix toolkit (albeit in early access).

RTX Remix is a revolutionary modding platform to remaster classic DirectX 8 and 9 games with path tracing, NVIDIA DLSS, AI-enhanced textures, and user-created assets. RTX Remix, part of the NVIDIA Studio suite of apps, is composed of two core components that work together to enable modders to remaster classic PC games: the RTX Remix creator toolkit, and a custom RTX Remix runtime.

The RTX Remix creator toolkit, built on NVIDIA Omniverse and used to develop Portal with RTX, allows modders to assign new assets and lights within their remastered scene, and use AI tools to rebuild the look of any asset. The RTX Remix creator toolkit Early Access is coming soon. The RTX Remix runtime captures a game scene, and replaces assets at playback while injecting RTX technology, such as path tracing, DLSS 3 and Reflex into the game. Already, mod developers have been using the RTX Remix runtime from Portal With RTX to create experimental ray traced scenes in numerous classic games. To further empower the mod development community to extend Remix's game compatibility and feature set, NVIDIA is releasing the RTX Remix runtime as open source on GitHub today.

PNY announced today the expansion of its revolutionary NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series PNY and XLR8 Gaming family of GPUs with the addition of the new GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB VERTO graphics cards. The GeForce RTX 4070 GPU includes all the advancements of the NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, including the new standards in gaming such as DLSS 3 neural rendering and real-time ray tracing technologies. Starting at $599, the GeForce RTX 4070 runs most modern games at over 100 frames per second at 1440p resolution.

PNY GeForce RTX 4070
PNY GeForce RTX 4070 is the 4th addition to PNY's 40 Series GPUs and will be available in three different configurations: XLR8 Gaming EPIC-X RGB Overclocked Triple Fan, XLR8 Gaming EPIC-X RGB Triple Fan and PNY VERTO Dual Fan edition. PNY RTX 4070 GPUs feature 12 GB of super-fast GDDR6X on-board memory powered by the ultra-efficient NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture and the 3rd generation of RTX, delivering the speed needed to rip through the most demanding games and effortlessly create content.

Based on a leak courtesy of @momomo_us on Twitter, we now know that Gigabyte will be launching at least four different NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 based SKUs next week. Although the leaker only posted a single image of all four cards seen from the edge, it still gives us an idea of what to expect. The leaker also confirmed a rumour, that there will be two different types of GeForce RTX 4070 cards, namely those with a single 8-pin power connector and those with the 16-pin 12VHPWR PCIe 5.0 connector.

Gigabyte's four SKUs start with the Eagle and Windforce as the more budget friendly options, with the Eagle being the one we'd expect that will sell for the rumoured US$599.99 MSRP. Both of these cards obviously have the 8-pin power connector and seemingly a more basic heatsink compared to the other two cards. The higher-end models include the Gaming and Aero cards, both with 16-pin power connectors and a beefier heatsink with more heatpipes. It's unclear if we'll see a higher-end Aorus branded SKU or not at this point in time, but Gigabyte might forgo it to try to avoid making an overly expensive card that won't sell, considering that the 4070 is still largely an upper mid-range card.

CD PROJEKT RED's Cyberpunk 2077 is already one of the most technologically advanced games available, using several ray tracing techniques to render its neon-illuminated environments and vast Night City visuals at incredible levels of detail. On April 11th, a new Cyberpunk 2077 update will hit the streets, featuring the technology preview of the Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode, which enhances the game's already-amazing visuals with full ray tracing, otherwise known as path tracing.

Full ray tracing accurately simulates light throughout an entire scene. It is used by visual effects artists to create film and TV graphics that are indistinguishable from reality, but until the arrival of GeForce RTX GPUs with RT Cores, and the AI-powered acceleration of NVIDIA DLSS, real-time video game full ray tracing was impossible because it's extremely GPU intensive.

Last week we announced Playground Games' Forza Horizon 5 added DLSS 3 to multiply performance and provide the definitive open-world racing experience. This week, DLSS 3 is available for Sackboy: A Big Adventure. And coming next week, the technology preview of Cyberpunk 2077's Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode will be released.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure DLSS 3 Update Available Now
PlayStation's iconic woolen hero stars in the PC edition of Sackboy: A Big Adventure. The dastardly Vex kidnapped Sackboy's friends and forced them to build his Topsy Turver. This most terrifyingly twisted device will transform Craftworld from a fantastical land of pure imagination and innocent dreams… into a torrid, barren eyesore of nightmares. Set off alone or with your bravest friends on a whirlwind of capers across the snowiest mountains, the leafiest jungles, the wettest underwater realms and the, uh, spaciest of space colonies. Take down Vex. Save the sack-folk. Save the day.

ADLINK Technology Inc., a global leader in edge computing, today launched Pocket AI - the first ever ultra-portable GPU accelerator to offer exceptional power at a cost-effective price point. With hardware and software compatibility, Pocket AI is the perfect tool to boost performance and productivity. It provides plug-and-play scalability from development to deployment for AI developers, professional graphics users and embedded industrial applications.

Pocket AI is a simple, reliable route to impressive GPU acceleration at a fraction of the cost of a laptop with equivalent GPU power. Its many benefits include a perfect power/performance balance from the NVIDIA RTX A500 GPU; high functionality driven by NVIDIA CUDA X and accelerated libraries; quick, easy delivery/power via Thunderbolt 3 interface and USB PD; and compatibility supported by NVIDIA developer tools. For the ultimate portability, the Pocket AI is compact and lightweight - est. 106 x 72 x 25 mm and 250 grams.

The latest leaked slide for GeForce RTX 4070 confirms most of the specifications, as well as reveals some previously unknown details, including the 186 W average power draw. While the specification list does not mention the number of CUDA cores, it does confirm it will be based on AD104 GPU with 36 MB of L2 cache, and come with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with 504 GB/s of maximum memory bandwidth, which points to 192-bit memory interface and 21 Gbps clocked memory.

The slide posted by Videocardz also compares the upcoming GeForce RTX 4070 with the previous generation RTX 3070 Ti and the RTX 3070, showing a significant increase in shader number, RT cores, and Tensor cores, not to mention we are talking about 3rd gen RT cores and 4th Gen Tensor cores on the RTX 4070. It will also support DLSS 3, and have AV1 and H.264 NV encoders.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of Antec Performance 1 FT Case is now live]

With outstanding cooling performance and lots of useful features, Antec Inc. presents the latest flagship of full towers, the new Performance 1 FT. Featuring an airflow-enhanced front panel design, magnetic front filter, and four pre-installed PWM fans, this new chassis provides efficient airflow and great cooling performance. The case is now commercially available from MSRP US$159.99.

The new Antec flagship supports the latest RTX 40 Series GPUs. Considering the increasing demands for CPU and GPU cooling, Antec designed the Performance 1 FT to enhance the air intake, improve the cable routing, and enable an easy installation with various options. The new temperature display function allows to keep control of the components. The display screen located on the case top allows users to check the temperature of the GPU and CPU at a glance. It addresses the need for temperature monitoring without purchasing expensive cooling kits.

NVIDIA is stepping up to manufacturers of counterfeit graphics card in China according to an article published by MyDrivers - the hardware giant is partnering up with a number of the nation's major e-commerce companies in order to eliminate inventories of bogus GPUs. It is claimed that these online retail platforms, including JD.com and Douyin, are partway into removing a swathe of dodgy stock from their listings. NVIDIA is seeking to disassociate itself from the pool of unlicensed hardware and the brands responsible for flooding the domestic and foreign markets with so-called fake graphics cards. The company is reputed to be puzzled about the murky origins of this bootlegging of their patented designs.

The market became saturated with fake hardware during the Ethereum mining boom - little known cottage companies such as 51RSIC, Corn, Bingying and JieShuoMllse were pushing rebadged cheap OEM cards to domestic e-tail sites. The knock-off GPUs also crept outside of that sector, and import listings started to appear on international platforms including Ebay, AliExpress, Amazon and Newegg. NVIDIA is also fighting to stop the sale of refurbished cards - these are very likely to have been utilized in intensive cryptocurrency mining activities. A flood of these hit the market following an extreme downturn in crypto mining efforts, and many enthusiast communities have warned against acquiring pre-owned cards due to the high risk of component failure.

Today at the Amplify Partner Conference, HP Inc. announced new products and solutions to usher in the next era of hybrid work for everyone with a comprehensive set of computing solutions for hybrid flexibility. With only 22 percent of workers describing themselves as 'thriving' in hybrid work, it's clear companies are still figuring out how to make hybrid work. "Most companies want to move past the 'forced return' to the office era of hybrid work," said Alex Cho, President of Personal Systems, HP Inc. "The challenge is, they're not sure how to. We believe the future is hybrid flexibility, which delivers the best of the home and the office to workers everywhere."

According to HP's Future of Work study, 80 percent of workers want to be in the office some of the time, but many companies continue to struggle to get workers back in the office. HP research suggests that the most significant barrier to a return to office is a sub-optimal technology experience. In fact, 89 percent say technology is the most important factor driving return to office decisions. Similarly, of those who report thriving in hybrid work, 90 percent believe that access to the right technology and tools leads to a positive work experience. To accelerate employees' return to work, the right technology is required for optimal work setups, enabling success for companies and their employees.

Creating, consuming and collaborating in a hybrid world just got easier with Lenovo's latest generation of Windows 11 Yoga laptops that deliver impressive performance, incredible versatility, and easy mobility in a sleek and portable design:

"We know that digital content creators continue to embrace the hybrid lifestyle to create anytime, anywhere, from making videos to designing graphics on the move," says Jun Ouyang, Lenovo's vice president and general manager of the Consumer Business Segment, Intelligent Devices Group. "Lenovo's latest new premium Yoga Pro laptops are made for creators. Combining performance and portability, including an impressive new Mini-LED PureSight Pro display and an upgraded keyboard, creators will revel in the exceptional user experience to create whenever inspiration strikes."

Today at the Amplify Partner Conference, HP Inc announced its latest line-up of gaming hardware and software designed to bring gamers everything they need to enjoy the games they love. The new OMEN Transcend 16 Laptop, OMEN 16 Laptop, Victus 16 Laptop, and a vast range of stunning OMEN monitors offer casual, hobbyist, lifestyle, and hardcore gamers the power and flexibility to play and work hard. To bring everything together, new enhancements in OMEN Gaming Hub offer a variety of performance and personalization features.

People everywhere seek devices that can adapt to hybrid play and work. Sixty-two percent of gamers prefer a PC that fits their entire life instead of being used for gaming only. With a billion new gamers entering the space in the last seven years and 84 percent of them using games to connect with others with similar interests, gaming devices enable access to countless games and corresponding communities.

Developer Sweet Bandits Studios and Publisher Tripwire Presents announced that DECEIVE INC., the highly-anticipated multiplayer FPS title that blends stealth and spycraft elements with intense action, launches this week with cross-play support on PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store), the PlayStation 5 computer entertainment system, and Xbox Series X|S console system.

DECEIVE INC. deploys players into the world of high-stakes subterfuge, working for a private corporation with a complete monopoly over the international espionage market. Disguise yourself as anyone you meet in an instant, access state-of-the-art gadgets the rest of the world can only dream of, and possess skills that would make Hollywood super spies jealous. But you are not alone. Rival spies are after the same objective and every single one of them is as skilled, cunning, and well-equipped as you are. Blend in, alone or with your team, grab the objective, and break out. In the end, only the right actions and skills will get you that paycheck.

Today, Lenovo announced the latest 8th generation of Lenovo Legion Slim laptops, allowing gamers to harness the freedom that the newest series has to offer. The Lenovo Legion Slim series is all about empowering players to crush their gaming goals while also pursuing their creative passions, and there are more options than ever among the new Lenovo Legion Slim 7i and 7 (16", 8), Lenovo Legion Slim 5i and 5 (16", 8), and—an all-new size for this year—the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 (14", 8), which elevates laptop power and portability to a whole new level. This newest generation of the series is also the first to sport the Lenovo Artificial Intelligence (LA) family of chips. These are onboard physical AI chips that power Lenovo AI Engine+, which dynamically adjusts the Lenovo Legion ColdFront 5.0 thermals to optimize cooling on the fly and maintain maximum output with minimal noise.

Lenovo Legion Slim series laptops are designed to meet the multi-faceted needs of gamers, with an SD slot, rapid charging battery technology Windows 11, three months of free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, as well as access to Nahimic by SteelSeries 3D immersive audio, and Lenovo Vantage helping users get the most out of their machines. Offering peace of mind, Lenovo's Legion Ultimate Support service is available with round-the-clock tech support, guidance and assistance so gamers don't have to miss a beat, and with Legion Arena, users can create their ultimate gaming hub with all their titles accessible in one place rather than having to switch between apps. Additionally, gamers looking to expand their horizons—literally—can look forward to the new Lenovo Legion R45w-30 44.5" 32:9 ultrawide curved display and the new Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 Gaming Monitor that delivers extreme clarity and vivid color with its 34-inch mini-LED backlit panel.

Gaming doesn't have to be enjoyed only on a high-end gaming PC. Announced today, Lenovo LOQ—pronounced "lock"—lets new gamers set out on the first steps of their gaming journeys, allowing them to explore new virtual worlds and connect with new real-world communities with gaming devices that are packed with features without breaking the bank. Offering plenty of choice, the brand-new lineup of Lenovo LOQ gaming laptops include the Intel-based Lenovo LOQ 16IRH8 and Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 laptops as well as the Lenovo LOQ Tower 17IRB8 desktop PC, and the AMD-based Lenovo LOQ 16APH8 and Lenovo LOQ 15APH8 laptops. Inspired by Lenovo's premium Legion-branded gaming line-up, the new Lenovo LOQ line encompasses more than just design features such as the rear I/O notch on its laptops and the shared stylized 'O' in both brands' logos. The two sub-brands are complementary in catering to a wider gaming community, including beginner gamers setting off on their gaming paths to greatness with Lenovo LOQ as well as those leveling up to Lenovo Legion devices to compete against more advanced opponents.

"With the launch of the new Lenovo LOQ brand, we're building a lineage of gaming excellence and PC offerings that are not just for the gaming community's top players, but for new and future gamers alike," said Jun Ouyang, Lenovo's vice president and general manager of the Consumer Business Segment, Intelligent Devices Group. "Lenovo LOQ breaks down barriers to entry for gamers, empowering them to embark on adventures of connection and fun in the gaming world."

In addition to the RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation workstation GPU launched at the GTC 2023, NVIDIA is apparently also working on the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation, which should fit between the previously available AD102-based RTX 6000 Ada Generation workstation graphics card and the new AD104-based RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation.

According to a fresh report coming from kopite7kimi, the NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation workstation GPU packs 15,360 CUDA cores and 32 GB of GDDR6 memory. If these specifications are spot on, the RTX 5000 Ada Generation GPU should be also based on the AD102 GPU, with a memory interface cut-down to 256-bit to match the 32 GB of GDDR6 memory. NVIDIA also has enough room to fill the rest of the lineup, but judging from this information, there will be a pretty big gap between the RTX 6000 and RTX 5000 Ada Generation workstation GPUs.

ASUS today announced its participation in NVIDIA GTC, a developer conference for the era of AI and the metaverse. ASUS will offer comprehensive NVIDIA-certified server solutions that support the latest NVIDIA L4 Tensor Core GPU—which accelerates real-time video AI and generative AI—as well as the NVIDIA BlueField -3 DPU, igniting unprecedented innovation for supercomputing infrastructure. ASUS will also launch the new ProArt Studiobook Pro 16 OLED laptop with the NVIDIA RTX 3000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU for mobile creative professionals.

Purpose-built GPU servers for generative AI
Generative AI applications enable businesses to develop better products and services, and deliver original content tailored to the unique needs of customers and audiences. ASUS ESC8000 and ESC4000 are fully certified NVIDIA servers that support up to eight NVIDIA L4 Tensor Core GPUs, which deliver universal acceleration and energy efficiency for AI with up to 2.7X more generative AI performance than the previous GPU generation. ASUS ESC and RS series servers are engineered for HPC workloads, with support for the NVIDIA Bluefield-3 DPU to transform data center infrastructure, as well as NVIDIA AI Enterprise applications for streamlined AI workflows and deployment.