NVIDIA today unveiled at Gamescom the GeForce RTX series, the first gaming GPUs based on the new NVIDIA Turing architecture and the NVIDIA RTX platform, which fuses next-generation shaders with real-time ray tracing and new AI capabilities.

In what NVIDIA 's CEO desribed as the biggest generational leap ever in gaming GPUs, Turing -- which delivers 6x more performance than its predecessor, Pascal -- bring new features and technologies that deliver 4K HDR gaming at 60 frames per second on even the most advanced titles.

"Turing opens up a new golden age of gaming, with realism only possible with ray tracing, which most people thought was still a decade away," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, speaking before Gamescom, the world's largest gaming expo. "The breakthrough is a hybrid rendering model that boosts today's computer graphics with the addition of lightning-fast ray-tracing acceleration and AI. RTX is going to define a new look for computer graphics. Once you see an RTX game, you can't go back."

The new GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, 2080 and 2070 GPUs are packed with features never before seen in a gaming GPU, including:

• New RT Cores to enable real-time ray tracing of objects and environments with physically accurate shadows, reflections, refractions and global illumination.
• Turing Tensor Cores to perform lightning-fast deep neural network processing.
• New NGX neural graphics framework integrates AI into the overall graphics pipeline, enabling AI algorithms to perform amazing image enhancement and generation.
• New Turing shader architecture with Variable Rate Shading allows shaders to focus processing power on areas of rich detail, boosting overall performance.
• New memory system featuring GDDR6 with over 600GB/s of memory bandwidth.
• NVIDIA NVLink, a high-speed interconnect that provides higher bandwidth (up to 100 GB/s) and improved scalability for multi-GPU configurations (SLI).
• Hardware support for USB Type-C and VirtualLink, a new open industry standard being developed to meet the power, display and bandwidth demands of VR headsets through a single USB-C connector.
• New technologies to improve performance of VR applications, including Variable Rate Shading, Multi-View Rendering and VRWorks Audio.

NVIDIA is releasing special Founders Edition versions of the new GeForce RTX GPUs. The GPUs' key features include:

• Factory-overclocked design out of the box, with a next-gen 13-phase iMON DrMOS power supply and sub-millisecond power management for maximum overclocking.
• Dual 13-blade axial fans produce 3x higher airflow and quiet acoustics.
• Forged and machine-finished diecast aluminum cover with diamond-cut edge detailing.
• First full-card vapor chamber, which is 2x larger to maximize heat spreading and heat transfer to the finstack.
• Enhanced DisplayPort 1.4a with DSC allows a single connector to drive an 8K monitor at 60Hz.

Game publishers, developers and engine creators have announced support for the NVIDIA RTX platform to bring real-time ray tracing and the power of AI to gamers. They include Battlefield V, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, Control, and Assetto Corsa Competizione. Developers include EA, Square Enix, EPIC Games, and more.

The RTX platform is also being adopted by a developers of professional rendering applications, including Adobe, Autodesk and Pixar.

Starting at $499, GeForce RTX graphics cards, including the NVIDIA Founders Edition, will be available worldwide, across 238 countries and territories. They will be sold by NVIDIA's partners including ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, Palit, PNY and Zotac.

Pre-orders start today for GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and GeForce RTX 2080, with availability starting on Sept. 20. GeForce RTX 2070 will be available in October.

Games optimized for NVIDIA RTX

NVIDIA also announced that a barrage of blockbuster games - led by Battlefield V and Shadow of the Tomb Raider - are being developed on the NVIDIA RTX platform, enabling real-time ray tracing and AI capabilities in games.

Games that will feature real-time ray tracing include the following, with more to come:

• Assetto Corsa Competizione from Kunos Simulazioni/505 Games
• Atomic Heart from Mundfish
• Battlefield V from EA/DICE
• Control from Remedy Entertainment/505 Games
• Enlisted from Gaijin Entertainment/Darkflow Software
• Justice from NetEase
• JX3 from Kingsoft
• MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries from Piranha Games
• Metro Exodus from 4A Games
• ProjectDH from Nexon's devCAT Studio
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider from Square Enix/Eidos-Montreal/Crystal Dynamics/Nixxes

Powered by Turing Tensor Cores, GeForce RTX GPUs also support Deep Learning Super-Sampling (DLSS), a technology that applies deep learning and AI to rendering techniques, resulting in smooth edges on rendered objects in games.

Games that will use DLSS include the following, with more to come:

• Ark: Survival Evolved from Studio Wildcard
• Atomic Heart from Mundfish
• Dauntless from Phoenix Labs
• Final Fantasy XV from Square Enix
• Fractured Lands from Unbroken Studios
• Hitman 2 from IO Interactive/Warner Bros.
• Islands of Nyne from Define Human Studios
• Justice from NetEase
• JX3 from Kingsoft
• Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries from Piranha Games
• PlayerUnknown?s Battlegrounds from PUBG Corp.
• Remnant: From the Ashes from Arc Games
• Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass from Croteam/Devolver Digital
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider from Square Enix/Eidos-Montreal/Crystal Dynamics/Nixxes
• The Forge Arena from Freezing Raccoon Studios
• We Happy Few from Compulsion Games / Gearbox