Nvidia is introducing a new series of GeForce gaming GPUs today. Teasers and leaks have revealed that the graphics card maker will announce at least two new cards, aimed as successors to the popular GTX 1080 series. Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 Ti has leaked multiple times over the weekend, with specifications that reveal it’s a powerful card. Nvidia is expected to focus on real-time ray-tracing during its RTX series introduction, showing how it will allow games to render new cinematic lighting effects.
While most of Nvidia’s main announcement appears to have leaked, the company appears to have partnered with a number of studios for game announcements. Both the Tomb Raider and Battlefield V Twitter accounts have teased their involvement, suggesting we’ll see some new game content and demos alongside Nvidia’s new GPUs.
The key for Nvidia today will be explaining why its new Turing architecture matters to gamers, and just how different ray-tracing will make games look and feel. The ray-tracing rendering technique produces real-time light reflections and cinematic effects that have been demonstrated under Nvidia’s RTX moniker in recent months. Game developers can make use of the rendering technique in titles, and Microsoft has created a new DirectX Raytracing (DXR) API to complement Nvidia’s RTX work. Epic Games will also make real-time ray-tracing available to Unreal Engine developers later this year.
Nvidia’s new GPUs will likely be powerful, but for many, the price will be key. With rumors that Nvidia will start selling its new RTX 2080 series today, we should hear about pricing at the event.
Follow along with The Verge, as we’ll be covering the event live from Gamescom in Cologne, Germany and posting stories as they happen.
Where to watch
Starting time: San Francisco: 9AM / New York: 12PM / London: 5PM / Berlin: 6PM / Moscow: 7PM / New Delhi: 9:30PM / Beijing: 12AM (August 21st) / Tokyo: 1AM (August 21st) / Sydney: 2AM (August 21st)
Live stream: You can catch the live stream in the video embedded above or on Nvidia’s Twitch account here. You can also attend in person at Gamescom in Cologne by registering for tickets here.
Social media: Follow @verge for by-the-minute updates on products as they’re announced, as well as expert commentary on Nvidia’s overall strategy.
