The juice isn’t worth it, as they say.
The first game to use NVIDIA’s controversial DLSS 5 AI scaling, NBA 2K27Fortunately, don’t overdo it with technology. We’ve seen leakers use DLSS 5 to deliver gruesome images from games like Control And Final Fantasy VII Remakea clear sign that the technology could be overused far beyond what the original developers and artists intended. But after spending a few hours with NBA 2K27From the DLSS 5 implementation, I can confirm that it is very subtle. In fact, you could argue that it’s almost too subtle for most gamers, especially when you take into account the declining framerate and increased power demands of the technology.
DLSS 5 adds just a little detail to NBA 2K27
NVIDIA is introducing DLSS 5 as a way to achieve realistic graphics using neural rendering AI models, without needing to rely solely on raw graphics processing. It’s similar to how DLSS initially got its start as a way to generate higher-resolution textures by applying a neural model to lower-resolution textures: you could get 4K-like games, even if your GPU wasn’t powerful enough to render 4K natively.
2K games
In NBA 2K27DLSS 5 adds some additional detail to player and crowd models. The skin has more texture, especially when it comes to the faces and arms, and the shadows appear slightly more realistic. It’s a subtle upgrade, but once you know what to look for, it’s easy to tell when DLSS 5 has been enabled. Without this technology, the in-game models almost look like plastic mannequins, even with all of NVIDIA’s other graphics settings technologies enhanced. During testing NBA 2K27 with an RTX 5090 GPU in 4K, DLSS 5 also reduced my frame rate from 240fps to 150fps.
NVIDIA’s new upscaling technology looks best when the camera is close to players and the crowd. In wider shots, like the overhead view during a typical game, DLSS 5 doesn’t provide any major benefits. The lighting of the distant crowd seemed a bit more nuanced – as in real life, these people are far from the bright lights of the field – but that wasn’t enough to make me prefer the DLSS 5 implementation over the standard game.
2K games
Given that NBA 2K27 is a launch title for DLSS 5, however, part of me wonders if 2K Games deliberately left the game’s models a little undercooked just to help its partner shine a little. Sports games like 2K keep fans happy by updating rosters and stats with each consecutive annual title; they will still buy the game even if the graphics aren’t much better than before.
DLSS 5 is power hungry
While playing NBA 2K27 in 4K without DLSS 5, my RTX 5090 GPU typically consumed around 400 watts of power. (Yes, it’s crazy how demanding video cards are these days). Once I turned on the DLSS 5, it immediately increased to 525 watts. This is a surprisingly large gain in power for a feature that adds only a slight graphical facelift.
Beyond a higher electricity bill, the significantly increased power consumption also means that DLSS 5 puts a lot more strain on my GPU than normal, which could lead to potential damage. A HardOCP forum member reported that his RTX 5090 consumed over 600W when using DLSS 5 in NBA 2K27, which ultimately led to the GPU power cable melting.
In this era of obscenely high video card prices, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to risk their precious GPU just to see basketball players look a little more realistic.
DLSS 5 is clearly still a work in progress
After seeing DLSS 5 in action, it remains something far from essential for most players. It’s even less noticeable than ray tracing, an equally demanding feature that allows for more realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows. At the very least, NVIDIA responded to fan complaints and announced that DLSS 5 would eventually be supported on the latest generation RTX 4000 GPUs. Previously it was only for the new RTX 5000 hardware. Apart from NBA 2K27there are no other upcoming games with official support for DLSS 5.
Developers like Capcom, Tencent, and Ubisoft have committed to supporting the technology with future titles, but we’re still waiting to find out what those will be. For now, if you have a recent NVIDIA GPU and want to test DLSS 5, you can try modifying existing DLSS titles like Control And Cyberpunk 2077.
