NVIDIA announces new Game Ready Driver, out in time for Mortal Shell update

Source: NVIDIA. Mortal Shell performance with the new Game Ready driver. Lighter green bar shows average frames per second with DLSS on.

NVIDIA has released a Game Ready Driver that coincides with the new RTX update to Mortal Shell. The driver adds NVIDIA DLSS and ray tracing to the single-player, action-RPG from Cold Symmetry.

Gamers can expect stunning ray-traced shadows to the game, and a boost to performance of up to 130% at 4K.

NVIDIA Game Ready drivers are often used as a delivery mechanism to add new features for our GeForce users. This Game Ready driver also enhances NVIDIA Reflex support for Valorant, the free-to-play shooter from Riot Games. Reflex’s Boost Mode further reduces system latency in certain CPU-bound scenarios where the render submission thread is the limiting factor. These types of CPU bound scenarios can occur when there are many objects to render on the screen at once.

Other features of the new driver include:

- Support for a native integration of NVIDIA Broadcast’s Background Noise Removal feature directly into Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), the most popular broadcasting tool for streamers.

- Support for more G-SYNC Compatible displays, including LG’s 27GP950, 2021 B1 4K Series, 2021 C1 4K Series, 2021 G1 4K Series and 2021 Z1 8K Series, along with the MSI MAG 301 RF.

- Optimal game settings for It Takes Two and Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos.

- The addition of GeForce Experience optimal settings for creative applications, with 34 applications from Adobe Lightroom to Blackmagic Davinci Resolve supported with this release.

Available on or before launch day, NVIDIA Game Ready Drivers provide the best experience for GeForce gamers because NVIDIA engineers work up until the last possible minute to optimise performance and perfect gameplay. As an additional verification of quality, every Game Ready Driver is WHQL-certified by Microsoft.

NVIDIA's latest Game Ready driver enhances Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege play

Source: NVIDIA. GeForce gamers playing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege can enable NVIDIA Reflex with the new Game Ready driver to enjoy up to 30% lower system latency in the Vulkan version of the game.

NVIDIA continues to deliver meaningful upgrades for owners of GeForce GPUs. This week, the company launched a new NVIDIA Game Ready driver that benefits players of the upcoming Square Enix title Outriders and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, the tactical shooter, got a patch that adds support for NVIDIA Reflex. Reflex reduces system latency for GeForce gamers. By simply downloading and installing the new driver and the patch, GeForce gamers playing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege can enable NVIDIA Reflex to enjoy up to 30% lower system latency in the Vulkan version of the game.

The driver will also have GeForce Gamers ready for NVIDIA DLSS in Outriders when that game launches on April 1, giving them the performance headroom to maximise image quality settings.

With the addition of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, seven out of the 10 most popular shooters are now shipping with NVIDIA Reflex support.

NVIDIA Reflex provides a free upgrade to nearly all GeForce gamers by reducing latency and improving responsiveness for GTX 10 Series and higher GPUs for Vulkan games. Latency improvements are typically higher for lower-end hardware.

The latest NVIDIA Game Ready driver also includes:

Optimisations and enhancements for new games, such as:

- DIRT 5’s new ray tracing update

- Evil Genius 2: World Domination

- KINGDOM HEARTS Series

A resizeable bar on all GeForce RTX 30 Series desktop graphics cards

Beta support for virtualisation on GeForce GPUs

New G-SYNC Compatible gaming monitors, including the Asus XG16A, Dell S2522HG, LG 7GP850/27GP83B, LG 32GP850/32GP83B and Xiaomi Mi 245 HF1, and

Fifteen new GeForce Experience one-click Optimal Game Settings profiles, including for Aron’s Adventure, Blizzard Arcade Collection and KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX.

NVIDIA opens workshops to general public

For the first time, the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (DLI) is making its instructor-led workshops available to the general public. Anyone can learn from expert NVIDIA instructors in courses on artificial intelligence (AI), accelerated computing and data science.

The virtual full-day workshops offer hands-on exercises and guidance from expert instructors certified by DLI. Courses are delivered virtually and in many timezones, in English, Chinese, Japanese plus other languages. 

The training is now open to individual developers, data scientists, researchers and students. Previously, DLI workshops were only available to large organisations that wanted dedicated and specialised training for their in-house developers, or to individuals attending GPU Technology Conferences.

“Our public workshops provide a great opportunity for individual developers and smaller organisations to get industry-leading training in deep learning, accelerated computing and data science,” said Will Ramey, global head of Developer Programs at NVIDIA.

“Now the same expert instructors and world-class learning materials that help accelerate innovation at leading companies are available to everyone.”

The public DLI workshops for individuals include:

March 2021

- Fundamentals of Accelerated Computing with CUDA Python

- Applications of AI for Predictive Maintenance

April 2021

- Fundamentals of Deep Learning

- Applications of AI for Anomaly Detection

- Fundamentals of Accelerated Computing with CUDA C/C++

- Building Transformer-Based Natural Language Processing Applications

- Deep Learning for Autonomous Vehicles – Perception

- Fundamentals of Accelerated Data Science

- Accelerating CUDA C++ Applications with Multiple GPUs

- Fundamentals of Deep Learning for Multi-GPUs

- Applications of AI for Anomaly Detection

May 2021

- Building Intelligent Recommender Systems

- Applications of AI for Anomaly Detection

- Fundamentals of Accelerated Data Science

- Deep Learning for Industrial Inspection

- Building Transformer-Based Natural Language Processing Applications

Details:

Register. Registration fees cover learning materials, instructors and access to fully configured GPU-accelerated development servers for hands-on exercises.

GeForce RTX 3080 and 3090 buyers eligible for Call of Duty game bundle

Source: NVIDIA. The standard edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War bundle will include the Woods Operator Pack and the Confrontation Weapons Pack.

NVIDIA has announced that for a limited time, buyers of GeForce RTX 3080 or 3090-equipped graphics cards and PCs will get a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.  

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is the latest game in the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise and launches November 13, 2020. The game is a perfect showcase for the latest NVIDIA technology following the addition of immersive ray-traced shadows to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. NVIDIA effects to the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War campaign on PC include: 

 - NVIDIA RTX-accelerated ray-traced ambient occlusion, local shadows, and sun shadows effects for more immersive gameplay. 

 - NVIDIA DLSS to boost frame rates while generating beautiful, crisp game images. 

 - NVIDIA Reflex to reduce system latency. In the beta, NVIDIA Reflex reduced system latency by up to 20%. 

- NVIDIA Ansel to frame and snap unique hi-resolution screenshots. 

 - NVIDIA Highlights in Multiplayer mode, ensuring memorable in-game moments are automatically recorded and saved.  

Details: 

Gamers must buy from specific retailers and e-tailers by December 10, 2020 will get a copy of the standard edition of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The edition included in the bundle also features the Woods Operator Pack and Confrontation Weapons Pack. 

For a list of participating products and partners, visit Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War GeForce RTX Bundle home page.

Put together a team for GeForce Cup Pacific

GeForce Cup, the pinnacle of NVIDIA-owned e-sports competitions, will kick off next month in GeForce-certified iCafes across the Asia-Pacific region.

GeForce Cup Pacific by NVIDIA and Colorful will kick off in October and feature Counter-Strike:
Global Offensive (CS:GO) battles in Australia, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,
New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. As the successor to the well-known GeForce Xtreme Tournament (GEXT), GeForce Cup Pacific is expected to draw thousands of gamers from the region, with winners taking home more than US$20,000 in prizes from the regional finals in January 2020.

Source: NVIDIA. The GeForce Cup Pacific kicks off in Asia in October.

“GeForce Cup Pacific will take regional gamers to another level. The tournament will be
streamed live to allow gamers and e-sports enthusiasts around the world to follow the
development online,”  said Raymond Teh, VP of sales and marketing for APAC at NVIDIA.


“The cooperation with Colorful and NVIDIA in 2018 was a great success and Colorful is thrilled to
join GeForce Cup again in 2019. We dedicate to build a great platform for e-sports qualifiers, to
help them become professional e-sports players and win pride and honour. On behalf of Colorful
Group, I give my best wishes to GeForce Cup to achieve success again in 2019!” said Wan Shan,
CEO of Colorful Technology.

GeForce Cup Pacific is sponsored by Colorful and supported by AOC, Kingston, NZXT, and
Thermaltake.

Details:

Registration is now open at select GeForce-certified iCafes.

Locate an iCafe

Hashtag: #FRAMESWINGAMES

NVIDIA Gamescom Game Ready Driver offers up to 23% performance boosts for popular games

NVIDIA has announced real-time ray tracing for blockbuster game franchises such as Minecraft and Dying Light 2, with more to come. Bloodlines 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and Watch Dogs: Legion were some of the upcoming AAA ray-traced titles shared.

The company also released a Gamescom Game Ready Driver with software optimisations for Apex Legends, Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, Strange Brigade and World War Z. The driver increases frame rates by up to 23%. Game Ready Drivers are the gold standard for the gaming industry, delivering unprecedented game support, frequent performance optimisations, and new features to enhance the experience.

The new driver has features based on feedback and requests from the GeForce community, including an Ultra-Low Latency mode for faster input response, an Integer Scaling display mode for pixel art games, and a new GeForce Experience Freestyle sharpen filter.

Ultra-Low Latency mode gives gamers the ability to get the low latency feeling of high frame rates, without having to compromise their graphics quality settings or resolution to get there. The technology sends frames to be rendered just before the GPU needs them. This further reduces latency by up to 33%.

The Low Latency Mode is being released in beta with support for all GPUs in DX9 and DX11 games. For DX12 and Vulkan titles, the game decides when to queue the frame.

Integer Scaling preserves detail on pixel-art games when the resolution is increased, thanks to a hardware-accelerated programmable scaling filter available in NVIDIA's Turing. Gamers with a GeForce RTX or GeForce GTX 16-Series GPU who have installed the new Game Ready Driver, can enable an Integer Scaling beta in the NVIDIA Control Panel, in the “Adjust Desktop Size and Position” Display menu.

NVIDIA Freestyle allows gamers to apply and stack custom filters to personalise their gaming experience. The new Sharpen Freestyle filter has improved image quality and performance compared to the existing “Detail” Freestyle filter. NVIDIA says the performance impact is roughly half that of the prior filter.

Freestyle gives gamers the ability to customise the amount of sharpness, from 0 to 100%, and apply this customisation on a per-game basis using the in-game overlay. "We believe sharpness is based on personal preference and varies from game to game, so with Freestyle we designed a simple solution that remembers your settings in each game," NVIDIA said in a statement. NVIDIA Freestyle also supports over 600 games - DX9, DX11, DX12 and Vulkan API games.

The new driver supports three new G-SYNC Compatible gaming monitors, and has day-zero game support for Remnant: From The Ashes. The newly-validated models are the ASUS VG27A, ACER CP3271, and ACER XB273K GP. G-SYNC Compatible displays are gaming monitors that deliver a baseline variable refresh rate (VRR) experience that makes gaming smoother, clearer, and more enjoyable.

First introduced in the Studio Driver in July, the new Game Ready Driver further supports 30-bit colour across all product lines, including GeForce and TITAN, allowing seamless colour transitions without banding. With 24-bit colour, a pixel can be built from 16.7 million shades of colour. Thirty-bit colour enables a pixel to be built from over 1 billion shades of colour, which eliminates abrupt changes in shades of the same colour.

Applications that currently take advantage of 30-bit colour include Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Autodesk RV, Colorfront Transkoder, Assimilate Scratch, and Foundry Nuke.

As part of the Game Ready programme, NVIDIA has added Optimal Playable Settings (OPS) for even more games. These now include Wolfenstein Youngblood, Dota Underlords, F1 2019, The Sinking City, BATTALION 1944, Gloomhaven, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Pathologic 2, Rune 2, Observation, Beyond Two Souls, Heavy Rain, DEAD OR ALIVE Xtreme Venus Vacation, Blood of Steel, and Attack on Titan 2.

To optimise the game, open GeForce Experience, click on the game tile in the Games Tab, and hit “Optimize”.

Explore:

Get a list of all G-SYNC, G-SYNC ULTIMATE, and G-SYNC Compatible gaming monitors

Details:

Install the GeForce Game Ready 436.02 WHQL drivers at the GeForce Experience Drivers tab. Windows Hardware Quality Labs or WHQL refers to hardware that is certified to run with Windows.

NVIDIA launches GeForce RTX SUPER Series

Source: NVIDIA. The
GeForce RTX 2060.

NVIDIA has supercharged its lineup of gaming GPUs with the new GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER and GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER – delivering best-in-class gaming performance and real-time ray tracing for today’s and next-generation games.

The result of nearly a year of architectural and process optimisations, the new GeForce RTX SUPER GPUs deliver the fastest gaming performance, and the best power efficiency of any gaming GPU in their class. They also offer gamers an uncompromised combination of performance and cutting-edge
features.

“The ecosystem driving real-time ray tracing is immense – tens of millions of GPUs, industry-standard APIs, leading game engines and an all-star roster of game franchises,” said Jeff Fisher, Senior VP of the PC business at NVIDIA.

“This killer lineup of SUPER GPUs delivers even more performance for demanding PC gamers and ensures that they’re prepared for the coming wave of real-time ray tracing blockbusters.”

Ray tracing is an advanced graphics technique used to produce ultrarealistic visual effects. Only GeForce RTX GPUs use a hybrid architecture of advanced shading, programmable ray tracing and
compute cores to deliver ray-traced games in real time, NVIDIA said.

Ray tracing is supported in industry-standard APIs, including Microsoft DirectX Raytracing (DXR) and Vulkan, as well as in the game engines used by developers to create games, including Unreal Engine, Unity, Frostbite, id Tech, Northlight, and 4A Engine.

Computex and E3 in June marked a milestone for real-time ray tracing as a growing number of developers announced that they will be using it to create visuals in upcoming games. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Control, Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Eternal, Sword and Fairy 7, Watch Dogs: Legion, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood joined the list of major titles that will be using ray tracing. Battlefield V, Metro Exodus Quake II RTX, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Stay in the Light (early access) are already shipping with ray tracing support.

The new SUPER series of RTX GPUs join the existing GeForce RTX 2060 (starting at US$349, the first step up to RTX performance) and the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (starting at US$999, the highest-end gaming GPU).


In addition to being the only GPUs capable of real-time ray tracing, GeForce RTX GPUs deliver an order of magnitude increase in artificial intelligence (AI) processing performance with NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (up to 130 Tensor TFLOPS of horsepower), and are also the only ones that support advanced features including mesh shading and NVIDIA adaptive shading (NAS).

NAS also supports variable rate shading, including motion and content adaptive shading for the highest performance and image quality, as well as foveated rendering, which puts the detail where the gamer is looking when used in combination with eye-tracking. These techniques help to deliver next-generation VR experiences.

All NVIDIA GPUs come with GeForce Experience, an application that makes PC gaming more accessible and provides unique, easy-to-use in-game features. GeForce Experience includes NVIDIA Highlights, which automatically captures the best gaming moments; NVIDIA Ansel, which lets gamers take in-game screenshots; and NVIDIA Freestyle, which lets gamers customise their games’ appearance with more than 15 post-processing filters and 38 different configurations including settings for image sharpening, colour blindness and photorealism. There is even a special night mode, which reduces the amount of blue light emitted, so they can get to sleep more easily.

Details:

• GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER GPU - starting at US$399, available July 9

○ Up to 22% faster (average 15%) than RTX 2060

○ 8GB GDDR6 - 2GB more than the RTX 2060

○ Faster than GTX 1080

○ 7+7 TOPs (FP32+INT32) and 57 Tensor TFLOPs

• GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER GPU - starting at US$499, available July 9

○ Up to 24% faster (average 16%) than RTX 2070

○ Faster than GTX 1080 Ti ○ 9+9 TOPs (FP32+INT32) and 73 Tensor TFLOPs

• GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GPU - starting at US$699, available July 23

○ Memory speed cranked up to 15.5Gbps

○ Faster than TITAN Xp

○ 11+11 TOPs (FP32+INT32) and 89 Tensor TFLOPs

For a limited time, starting on July 9, qualifying purchases of a GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, or GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER-based graphics card or desktop PC will include a copy of two games that support real-time ray tracing, Control and Wolfenstein: Youngblood. a value
of US$90.

The GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, RTX 2070 SUPER and RTX 2080 SUPER GPUs will be available as custom boards, including stock-clocked and factory-overclocked models, from top add-in card providers such as ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, Palit, PNY, and Zotac and as Founders Editions from www.nvidia.com. Look for the GeForce RTX SUPER GPUs in gaming systems built by Acer, Alienware, Dell, HP, and Lenovo, as well as by leading system builders worldwide.

Explore:

Watch the product video

Game Ready driver available for Battlefield V: Firestorm

Source: Battlefield V website. Still from Battlefield V: Firestorm.

NVIDIA has released a new Game Ready driver (GRD) for Battlefield V: Firestorm, the new battle royale mode for Battlefield V. Game Ready drivers are available on or before launch day for most major titles and are tuned for best performance and flawless gameplay. Every Game Ready driver is also Microsoft WHQL-certified.

The driver will also provide optimisations for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice as well as optimisations for NVIDIA DLSS and DXR Ray Tracing for Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

This driver also brings new additions to the list of G-SYNC Compatible displays, including:
Asus VG258 25" display and the Asus VG278QR 27" display. NVIDIA has also introduced support for NVIDIA Surround when using G-SYNC Compatible displays. That means three G-SYNC Compatible monitors can be run simultaneously.

The G-SYNC Compatible programme aims to bring consistency and educate consumers on which displays will provide a good entry-level variable refresh rate (VRR) experience. Under the programme, NVIDIA works with monitor OEMs to validate the experience on monitors that support the AdaptiveSync protocol. Those that pass are designated as G-SYNC Compatible.

Last week, NVIDIA released its first Creator Ready driver (CRD), which has the same version number as this GRD. Depending on the alignment of application updates and NVIDIA driver release schedules, GRDs and CRDs may have the same release version though the GRD version can also be higher than the CRD version.

In 2014, NVIDIA created the Game Ready Driver programme to provide the best day-zero gaming experience. In order to accomplish this, the release cadence for Game Ready drivers is driven by the release of major new game content.

In similar fashion, NVIDIA is now offering the Creator Ready Driver programme. CRDs provide extensive testing against creative applications and are released on a cadence to best support the needs of content creators.

The company separately launched the GeForce GTX 1660 on 14 March.

Starting at US$219, the GTX 1660 features 6 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, 1,408 CUDA Cores, and a boost clock of almost 1.8 GHz. On average, it is 35% faster than the GTX 1060 3 GB at 1080p, and compared to the Maxwell-architecture GTX 960, 130% faster.

This means the GTX 1660 delivers the performance necessary at 1080p to play the latest games at smooth, enjoyable frame rates, with rich graphical detail.

The GTX 1660 is based on the same Turing-architecture technology as the GTX 1660 Ti, offering:

- Improved performance and capabilities in the latest games, and those coming soon 

- Support for Adaptive Shading technology, which further improves performance in supported titles

- Works with G-SYNC Compatible gaming monitors

- GPU hardware accelerator engine for video encoding (NVENC) compatibility for single-PC broadcasting

- Supports technologies like Ansel, Freestyle, GameStream, GeForce Experience, Highlights, and ShadowPlay

The GeForce GTX 1660 is available now add-in card providers, including Asus, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Inno3D, MSI, Palit and Zotac.

Details:

Pricing starts at US$219 and will vary based on partner designs, features and region. Find a retailer for:

Australia/New Zealand

Indonesia
 

Malaysia

Singapore

Thailand

The Philippines

Vietnam

NVIDIA determines real-world benefits of GPUs on gaming

NVIDIA is publishing information on gamer gameplay performance in Battle Royale games, and how technology can help gamers perform better.

NVIDIA partners with e-sports professionals to develop the most competitive hardware. The company's graphics cards are optimised for high frame rate gameplay, which helps improve latency and overall reaction time.

In an observation of data from real-world players, it was found that higher frame rates do indeed help reaction time and competitive performance. Those playing with higher-end GPUs with high refresh monitors have a meaningfully higher K/D ratio* over players playing with lower end GPUs with 60 Hz monitors. Ideally, the system should run at 144+ frames per second (FPS), paired with a high refresh monitor.

Explore:

Read the report on GeForce.com: Unlock Your Full Potential - How Higher Frame Rates Can Give You An Edge In Battle Royale Games.

*Kills divided by deaths.

NVIDIA: good things comes in threes

NVIDIA has released a new Game Ready Driver for Apex Legends and two other games, and a bundle for GeForce RTX GPUs that includes Metro Exodus, Anthem, and/or Battlefield V. Additionally, there are three new G-SYNC Compatible Displays.

The latest GeForce Game Ready driver will optimise the Apex Legends experience, as well as that for Devil May Cry 5 and Tom Clancy's Division II.

Game Ready Drivers are available on or before launch day for most major titles and are tuned for best performance and flawless gameplay. Every Game Ready Driver is also Microsoft WHQL-certified.

A new Triple Threat bundle

Buy an eligible GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or 2080 GPU, desktop and laptop and get Metro Exodus, Anthem, and/or Battlefield V. If gamers buy a GeForce RTX 2070 or 2060 GPU, desktop or laptop, they can pick one of the three.

Three more G-SYNC Compatible Displays

GeForce gamers can play their new titles on a trifecta of new G-SYNC-compatible displays. The G-SYNC Compatible programme expands the G-SYNC ecosystem, and aims to bring consistency and educate consumers on which displays will provide a good entry level variable refresh rate (VRR) experience.

Three new monitors have been added to the list of G-SYNC Compatible Displays: the BenQ XL2540-B/ZOWIE XL LCD, Acer XF250Q and Acer ED273 A.

Under the G-SYNC Compatible programme, NVIDIA works with monitor original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to validate the experience on monitors that support the AdaptiveSync protocol. Those that pass are designated as G-SYNC Compatible. 

Source: NVIDIA blog post. Available today, a new Triple Threat bundle enables those who buy an eligible GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or 2080 GPU, desktop and laptop to get Metro Exodus, Anthem, and/or Battlefield V.

Details:

Download the Game Ready driver. To download and install, fire up GeForce Experience and click the Drivers tab.

Triple Threat bundles vary by country. Get Triple Threat bundle details for:

Australia/New Zealand
Indonesia
Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
The Philippines
Vietnam

Browse the list of G-SYNC Compatible displays

NORAD Santa Tracker shows Santa in 3D, rendered by NVIDIA GPUs

Source: NVIDIA blog. Merry Old Santa Claus by Thomas
Nast from the January 1, 1881 edition of Harper’s Weekly,
is one of the earliest drawings of the holiday icon
showing him the way he is depicted today, complete with
a red suit. (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons,
licensed under public domain).

Once a year, NORAD - the North American Aerospace Defense Command — tracks Santa using Cesium. The open-source WebGL globe and map engine maintained by Analytical Graphics is widely used for visualising fast-changing data.

When paired with the latest Internet browsers, WebGL can take advantage of NVIDIA GPUs to render detailed images based on NORAD’s real-time data.

Hannah Pinkos, Software Developer, Cesium said, “It’s really fun that the app that I work on gets visited by millions of children. I would have loved this when I was growing up, to be able to watch Santa in 3D.”

Footage of Santa’s travels has been upgraded over the years, most recently with a particle system that lets viewers see a trail of snow and sparkles behind an animated 3D model of Santa as he flies across the globe. The NORAD Santa Tracker draws more than 20 million visitors each December 24. Today, they can even zoom in as Santa travels. This year, the sparkles and snowflakes will be visible on both the desktop and mobile versions of the site.

NORAD began tracking Santa in 1955, when a newspaper ad misprinted a call-in number for Santa. Callers ended up reaching the operations hotline at the Continental Air Defense (CONAD) Command Air Operations Center – the predecessor to NORAD – in the US.

Colonel Harry Shoup, then director of operations, had his staff use CONAD’s network to track, and report on, Santa’s progress to children calling the number. The tradition continues every year, with military staffers answering phone calls from small children.

Today, NORAD shares this information through the web, a dedicated mobile app, and social media. The NORAD Santa tracker page has more than 1.8 million followers on Facebook. More than 1,500 staffers run the hotline, which receives around 150,000 calls each year.

NORAD’s efforts over the past six decades have yielded these insights:

- Typically, Santa begins his journey in the South Pacific. Then, as night falls, he travels to Australia and New Zealand, before continuing west.

- Data also shows he likely has rosy cheeks from riding his sleigh in cold weather, and weighs about 118 kg (before milk and cookies).

- NORAD tracks Santa through the infrared signal from Rudolph's red nose.
 
Details:

The Santa Tracker webpage lets children explore the North Pole all through December. On Christmas Eve, as soon as Santa’s sleigh takes flight, site visitors can find live updates on his location and footage from Santa cams stationed around the world.

For live updates of Santa’s location throughout Christmas Eve, follow @NoradSanta on Twitter.

Call the hotline at +1 877 HI NORAD (translates to +1 877 44 66723; Skype calls accepted)

Speech recognition app will transcribe conversations between multiple people

Source: NVIDIA blog post. The Otter team at AISense.

US-based AISense has launched Otter, a GPU-powered app that records speech and produces both voice files and transcriptions from multiple people. Most of the software available today must be trained to recognise the voice of their owner, and will not recognise speech accurately from multiple people.

Human-to-human interactions are much more difficult to capture than human-to-machine interactions such as simple commands between people and Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri or Google Assistant, AISense co-founder and CEO Sam Liang points out in a blog post. While they typically handle short queries or commands from a single speaker, Otter can manage longer conversations involving multiple people. 

AISense’s proprietary Ambient Voice Intelligence technology allows people to store, search, share and analyse voice conversations. Powered by Ambient Voice Intelligence, Otter allows users to scroll through text, labeled as coming from multiple people, and gives the option to listen, as well. The app provides better than 90% accuracy in text dictation, says the company.

Otter has to handle the complicated interactions of people and nuances of conversations, and it can get tripped up by accents in people’s speech, said Liang. “This is a pretty deep technology. It’s extremely difficult,” he said. “We had to do pretty sophisticated supervised learning, and we had to get a lot of labelled data, with hundreds of thousands of hours of recordings.” 

The 15-person team at AISense trained Otter on 50 NVIDIA Tesla GPUs and terabytes of freely-available audio and transcripts from the archives of National Public Radio (NPR) radio programmes and Supreme Court proceedings available at the US Library of Congress. This means that Otter will work best with US accents. 

Said Liang, “It’s a startup and we have to spend money very frugally. But we have to spend some resources on GPUs — it’s just a must.” 

The company is targeting Otter at enterprise customers who might use it in meetings. AISense plans to release a premium version that will require a subscription, and it already licenses some of its technology to enterprise customers.

AISense is also working with partners to deliver similar results. It recently partnered with Zoom Video Communications to handle voice data, which is being automatically transcribed with AISense’s technology.

Details: 

Otter is available free on iOS, Android and the web.

Optional NVIDIA GeForce GPU drives heavy graphics on Microsoft's Surface Book laptop

Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Book, its first laptop. Unveiled by Microsoft Devices CVP Panos Panay in New York on October 6, the 13.5" Surface Book features an NVIDIA Maxwell architecture-powered GeForce GPU option.

The detachable keyboard base can be folded flat against the screen, like a laptop, tucked against the back of the screen, or detached. Panay showed the Surface Book running Adobe Premier Pro.

“This is for the gamer who plays League of Legends; this is for the architect who is building a building right now; this is for the scientist who is thinking about a cure for cancer,” Panos told his audience. “This is for the developer who wants to compile using the GPU and CPU at the same time and not lose a minute.”

Source: NVIDIA blog.

Interested?

The NVIDIA GeForce GPU variant starts at US$1,899, and is available October 26. Pre-order here