Tag: nVidia

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Nvidia’s eye contact feature looks creepy as hell

Earlier this month, Nvidia rolled out an update to its Broadcast software for live streaming and video conferencing. The update brings several new features and enhancements, like Vignette Effects for Virtual Backgrounds, but none of it matches up to the creepy energy of the Eye Contact effect.

Eye Contact is exactly what it sounds like — an effect that makes it look like you’re maintaining eye contact with the camera. Eye Contact uses AI to replace your eyes with simulated eyes that are aligned with the camera. The feature is still in beta, so unsurprisingly, it’s not particularly reliable.

But when it does work, it looks super weird.

Thankfully the other Broadcast features are less horrifying to the human psyche. The Vignette effect mentioned above can be combined with a subtle background blur to give your webcam an AI-simulated bokeh, which actually looks pretty good in Nvidia’s samples.

Nvidia also said it enhanced the Blur, Replacement, and Removal Virtual Background effects with temporal information, which can help achieve better segmentation and stability. That means the AI can make better decisions, and when mistakes do happen, users should see fewer occurrences of the background popping in and out.

Those interested can learn more about the Broadcast 1.4 update here.

Header image credit: Nvidia

Source: Nvidia

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Foxconn and Nvidia to develop platforms for autonomous vehicles

GPU and chipmaker Nvidia and electronics manufacturer Foxconn announced a partnership to develop platforms/software for autonomous driving vehicles.

According to Foxconn, it intends to manufacture electronic control units (ECUs) for autonomous vehicles based on Nvidia’s Drive Orin chip, which is made specifically for computing in connected and autonomous vehicles, as reported by Reuters. The ECUs Foxconn plans to make would serve the entire global autonomous automotive market.

On the other hand, according to Nvidia, its Drive Orin chip technology will help Foxconn manufacture ECUs that can process information from sensors in real-time and alleviate some of the issues faced by companies developing electric and autonomous vehicles, including difficulties in ramping up production due to rising costs.

Foxconn, which has a car-making plant in Ohio, announced that its cars will have autonomous driving ECUs based on Nvidia’s DRIVE Orin and DRIVE Hyperion sensors.

Currently, Foxconn makes electric vehicles for Lordstown Motors Corp, and reportedly has a contract to manufacture Fisker second car model, PEAR. Most notably, Foxconn also manufactures several of Apple’s products.

Foxconn has said that it intends to manufacture Tesla’s vehicles eventually.

Via: Reuters

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Nvidia is bringing its GeForce Now game streaming service to cars

As part of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Nvidia has announced that it’s bringing its GeForce Now game streaming service to cars.

Specifically, the tech giant is partnering with Hyundai, Polestar and BYD, who are all part of the company’s ‘Nvidia Drive’ autonomous vehicle platform. However, Nvidia didn’t provide details on which cars will be supported or when this might even launch, simply saying the GeForce Now client will run in cars either via Android-based infotainment systems or built-in web browsers.

The popular service features a catalogue of more than 1,000 controller-supported games, including Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Rocket League and Fortnite. GeForce Now will also only be accessible to drivers and front-seat passengers when parked or charging, with those in the backseat able to play at any time.

Automakers have been looking at gaming as a way to bolster their entertainment offerings for a while now. 2019 saw the launch of Tesla Arcade, which lets Tesla owners play games like Cuphead and Sonic the Hedgehog, while Sony and Honda are even looking into bringing PS5-quality games to their joint venture’s electric vehicles.

Source: Nvidia

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Grab Nvidia’s GeForce Now six month Priority membership 40 percent off

Nvidia is currently offering a 40 percent discount on its GeForce Now cloud game streaming service’s ‘Priority’ subscription.

The Priority subscription normally costs 12.99/month or $64.99 for six months. However, until Sunday, November 20th, you can subscribe to the six month membership for $38.99.

“This limited-time offer is valid for new users and existing ones upgrading from a free or one-month Priority Membership, as well as for those who are on an active promotion or gift card,” wrote Nvidia in its blog post.

The Priority subscription tier gives you access to premium gaming servers with a six-hour session length limit. For comparison, the free GeForce Now tier gives you access to servers for only one hour. Further, the tier also offers resolutions of up to 1080p and frame rates of up to 60fps.

Nvidia also offers a high-tier RTX 3080 subscription that offers gaming at 1440p at 120FPS, “click-to-pixel” latency of 56 milliseconds, and improved performance. In Canada, the RTX 3080 tier is available for $24.99 per month or for $129.99 for six months. The RTX 3080 tier is not discounted.

Image credit: Nvidia

Source: Nvidia

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Nvidia looking into reports of RTX 4090 cables burning or melting

Nvidia is investigating reports that the power cable for its RTX 4090 graphics cards is burning or melting in some situations.

Some users experiencing the issue have taken to Reddit, posting photos of the damage. The Verge cited user ‘reggie_gakil’ as the first to post about it, detailing burn damage on their Gigabyte RTX 4090. A photo also shows damage on the ’12VHPWR’ adapter that Nvidia includes with the 4090 card. Another Redditor replied in the same thread showing similar damage to their Asus RTX 4090 card and power adapter.

Nvidia told The Verge that it’s investigating the reports and is in contact with the first Redditor and plans to reach out to the second as well.

However, several people have already raised concerns about the 12VHPWR power adapter, specifically noting that the adapter could cause issues if bent a certain way. CableMod, a company that makes custom cables for use in PCs, includes details in its 12VHPWR guide about how to bend the cable to avoid these issues:

“The 12VHPWR connector and the terminals used in it are much smaller than the previous generation. Through our extensive testing, it appears that bending the wires too close to the connector could result in some of the terminals coming loose or misaligning within the connector itself. This may lead to an uneven load across the other wires, increasing the risk of overheating damage.”

CableMod recommends bending the cable a minimum distance of 35mm away from the connector to avoid the problem. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work in practice, as there’s often not enough space between the graphics card and the side of the PC case for a safe bend. PCI-SIG, the consortium responsible for developing standards around peripheral component I/O data transfers, also warned of issues with the 12VHPWR adapter back in September. Moreover, the PCI-SIG included several examples of how the adapter could melt or burn, which looks very similar to the Reddit reports.

The Verge also highlighted a video from PC-building YouTuber JayzTwoCents, who called the 12VHPWR adapter “dangerous.” But when he brought his concerns to Nvidia, the company said in an email that he was “worrying about issues that don’t exist.”

While it remains to be seen what comes of Nvidia’s investigation, it’s worth noting that some power supply vendors have started to ship 12VHPWR cables to replace the bulky connector for a single cable that should avoid the bending issues. The Verge says new ATX 3.0 power supplies should also help, but there aren’t that many available yet, and it can be a tough sell to PC builders who are upgrading components and already have a working power supply.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Reddit, (2), CableMod, WCCF Tech, JayzTwoCents (YouTube) Via: The Verge

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Nvidia prepping launch of next-gen GPU architecture in September

Santa Clara, California-based Nvidia is preparing to share more information about the successor of its current Ampere GPU architecture. The next-gen GPU architecture, codenamed Lovelace, will be detailed at Nvidia’s GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2022 event in September, as shared by The Verge.

The same was hinted at by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during a recent earnings call. “We’ll get through this over the next few months and go into next year with our new architecture,” said Huang, during the call. “I look forward to telling you more about it at GTC next month.”

Revealing the new architecture doesn’t necessarily mean that Nvidia’s next-gen RTX 40-line of GPU’s will start magically dropping from the sky, and it’ll likely be a while before the first RTX 4080 or 4090 GPU comes out, expected in late 2022. However, it is expected that Huang would shed more light on the new architecture’s specs, capabilities and upgrades over Ampere.

“I look forward to next month’s GTC conference, where we will share new advances of RTX reinventing 3D graphics and gaming,” said Huang during the earnings call.

It’s also worth noting that the RTX 4090 was first rumoured to release last month in July, and was supposed to be available on shelves alongside the RTX 3080 and 3090, though it appears we’ll have to wait until later this year to get our hands on the updated GPU. There are currently no leaks or rumours about the RTX 40 line’s pricing, though we can expect the GPUs to cost around the ballpark of the RTX 30 line’s release cost.

The upcoming GPU’s are expected to use a 5nm production process and feature ray tracing, along with being more power intensive.

Nvidia’s GTC event is taking place on September 20th at 11am ET. You can register to attend the event virtually here.

Source: The Verge

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Nvidia enabling 120FPS GeForce Now cloud gaming on all compatible Android devices

Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service is bringing improved frame rates to more players. Starting this week, 120FPS support is rolling out to all Android phones support 120Hz. This is a sizeable improvement over the previous standard of pre-selected models.

Players using GeForce Now to access games via the cloud can expect to see improved frame rates and a much smoother gaming experience. Displays offering 120Hz are able to render gameplay experiences that run serviceable better than 60FPS. Additionally, a higher frame rate can make games feel more responsive. Given that GeForce Now is a cloud-based service, that response time is crucial as performance is being processed on remote servers.

Previously GeForce Now’s 120FPS support was locked to select Samsung, Google, Asus, and Xiaomi devices. Now, any and all Android devices capable of supporting 120FPS can take advantage of the innovations. However, players need to subscribe to Nvidia’s RTX 3080 tier of its service.

Amongst its GeForce Now cloud streaming service, Nvidia offers a high-tier subscription, enabling 1440p at 120FPS, “click-to-pixel” latency of 56 milliseconds, and improved performance. Players also receive 8-hour session lengths. In Canada, the RTX 3080 tier is available for $24.99 per month. Alternatively, there’s a $129.99 offer for six months.

GeForce Now enables players to access games available through Nvidia’s catalogue as well as a selection of games across Steam, Epic Games Store, and Ubisoft Connect. On top of Android devices, the cloud streaming service is available on iOS, PC, Mac, and select LG smart TVs.

While GeForce Now is available on iOS, it does not support 120FPS. This is likely due to the fact that Apple’s App Store policies dictate Nvidia runs its service through web browsers. This likely offers challenges and hurdles in supporting higher framerates on iPhone.

Image credit: Nvidia

Source: The Verge

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After two years, the Nvidia and AMD GPU shortage may be behind us

For the past two years, anyone on the hunt for a new GPU has had to have an equal amount of patience and luck. As with many other segments of the tech industry, the pandemic made it difficult for eager customers to get their hands on an Nvidia or AMD graphics card. However, we may have reached the tipping point.

Whether it’s an Nvidia RTX 3080 or an AMD 6900 XT, GPUs have been well sought after this year. Since the peak of the pandemic, suppliers have not been able to keep up with the global demand. Even when retailers were able to re-up their stock, scalpers, bots and shoddy infrastructure got in the way of many obtaining one.

With high demand came a high secondhand resell price tag. eBay and other markets saw GPUs sitting at more than double their retail price. However, it appears as though these prices are now normalizing. It’s been reported that since January 2022, the cost of many GPUs fell by more than 50 percent of their inflated price.

At the start of the year, the street pricing saw the Nvidia RTX 3090 land at $2,609 USD (roughly $3,356 CAD). The price then fell to $1,837 USD ($2,363 CAD) by April. That same GPU is now available for around $1,033 ($1,329 CAD).

The secondhand market may be stabilizing. It appears to indicate that suppliers are finally catching up with demand. As supply increases, the ability to upcharge on graphics cards lessens more and more. The downward trajectory of secondhand market prices gives a clear look at where the market currently is.

With that said, it’s hard to say what this means for the next-generation wave of GPUs. The Nvidia RTX 40 series and AMD’s RDNA 3 are both to arrive this fall. One still has to wonder if suppliers will be able to keep up with what one can assume will be greater demand. However, if you’re happy with a current-gen GPU, this should all come as welcome news.

Image credit: Nvidia

Source: The Verge

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Stadia code change hints Google is prepping Nvidia GPU support

Google might be working to add Nvidia GPU support to its servers for Stadia and/or Immersive Stream for Games.

As reported by 9to5Google, a code change from last month shows that Google added a way to include necessary drivers for Nvidia GPUs:

“Add support to the kokoro job script to generate a disk that contains the UMD/KMD NVIDIA modules and corresponding support files required for instances that use a NVIDIA gpu.”

Google’s game streaming services — Stadia and the underlying Immersive Stream for Games tech Google opened up for companies to use — have so far relied on custom AMD GPUs to power games. Researchers have said that Stadia’s servers run on AMD’s Radeon Pro V340, or something similar in power.

The main reason for this is that Stadia uses a modified version of the Linux kernel and, until recently, Nvidia hasn’t offered open-source GPU drivers for Linux.

In other words, with Nvidia offering open-source GPU drivers, it looks like Google is prepping to support the company’s hardware for use in Immersive Stream for Games and Stadia. While Nvidia GPUs aren’t available for the services yet, the inclusion points to intriguing possibilities.

As 9to5 notes, Stadia games are optimized to run on the current AMD hardware. If Google swapped Stadia to Nvidia, it would likely introduce issues for the current lineup of games unless developers similarly optimized for the new hardware.

That said, it’s certainly a possibility. 9to5 says Google might have plans for a Stadia ‘hardware upgrade’ to make it more competitive with other game streaming options from Microsoft and Nvidia. Alternatively, it could just be a way to give developers building Immersive Stream experiences more options.

For now, it’s not clear how this will play out, or what it means for Stadia users. The change could herald a significant upgrade, or could mean little — only time will tell.

Source: 9to5Google

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Here are the new games coming to Nvidia GeForce Now this week

Nvidia has announced five new games that are coming to its GeForce Now cloud-streaming platform this week.

Below is a full list of all of the titles:

Nvidia’s cloud gaming service offers three membership options. The first is the free route that will give you standard access to the platform with a one-hour gaming limit per session. Once the hour passes, you can queue again to get another hour of free gaming in, although you may have to wait a while.

Nvidia also offers a paid membership option that gives you priority access to gaming servers without any session length limit. This subscription will cost you $12.99/month or $64.99 for six months.

Lastly, the company’s recently-released RTX 3080 tier provides a low ‘click-to-pixel’ latency of 56ms, and a boost in framerates and overall performance. The subscription is available for $24.99/month or $129.99 for six months.

Learn more about Nvidia GeForce and its subscription options here. Find all games coming to the cloud streaming platform in May here.

Image credit: Nvidia

Source: Nvidia