Hype is building for Battlefield 2042, the next installment of the popular online shooter, and it looks like gamers with recent Nvidia graphics cards, like the new RTX 3080 Ti, could get some nice additional features that could give them the competitive edge.
It has just been announced that Battlefield 2042 will support Nvidia DLSS technology. DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to intelligently upscale images, effectively allowing you to play games at higher resolutions, and with more intensive graphical effects, without the performance hit of running at native resolutions.
We’ve seen DLSS work wonders in many other games, and as Battlefield 2042 is a competitive multiplayer game where speed and reflexes are essential to winning, DLSS could be a real boon.
Not only are Battlefield games fast-paced, but they are often graphical showcases as well, and DLSS could work really well in this case to provide seriously impressive graphics, while keeping everything running smoothly. DLSS relies on the Tensor Cores that are only found in Nvidia RTX graphics cards, which means the feature isn’t available on AMD cards, or older Nvidia GTX GPUs (although AMD has finally released its own answer to DLSS, FidelityFX Super Resolution.
Low latency
Battlefield 2042 is also getting Nvidia Reflex technology as well, which aims at reducing latency – so the time it takes for you to move your mouse or press a keyboard key, and the game registering it should be noticeably reduced.
This will lead to a far more responsive game, and a hectic multiplayer title like Battlefield 2042 could really benefit from it.
We’ve seen in existing titles that have got Nvidia Reflex support, like Rainbow Six Siege, impressive latency drops, with reductions of up to 30%. Again, this could give players a decent advantage if they are able to react faster than their opponents.
Unlike DLSS, Nvidia Reflex is supported on older Nvidia GPUs, not just the latest RTX models.
With those two features, Battlefield 2042 players may want to upgrade their GPU to an Nvidia model (that’s certainly what Nvidia will be hoping, anyway). The issue is, graphics cards – especially new ones – are still extremely hard to find in stock due to the global chip shortage. Hopefully stock becomes more readily available in the run-up to Battlefield 2042’s launch on October 22, 2021.
Partnership
These exclusive features are in part due to Nvidia being announced as the official Battlefield 2042 PC graphics platform partner.
EA and Dice have also announced other official partners for the game. Xbox will be the official console partner (which may mean timed exclusivity on certain features, though nothing has been disclosed), and Logitech will be the official Battlefield 2042 PC peripherals partner.
Logitech peripherals will have Battlefield 2042 integration (such as Logitech’s Lightsync tech), and Logitech headsets will have in-game audio presets.
The WD_Black SSD is the official gaming storage partner, with EA and Western Digital apparently teaming up so that gamers using the SSD “have the best possible gaming experience for its vast new world of immersive and realistic maps and dynamic gameplay.”
If you think having an official storage partner for a game is a bit weird, then you may love the fact that there’s also an official Battlefield 2042 Off-Road Vehicle Partner with Polaris. Apparently, “EA and Polaris have partnered to bring players the opportunity to operate authentic Polaris vehicles in Battlefield 2042.” So yeah, that’s a thing.
We’ll find out more about Battlefield 2042 at the EA Play event on July 22.