Another week, another Nvidia Game Ready Driver. Version 365.10 of Nvidia’s WHQL driver include support for the release of a game and three upcoming open betas.
This week’s big game release is Gearbox Software’s Battleborn, and according to Nvidia, the new driver should help players achieve the best framerates for their GPUs. The new game from the development team behind the Borderlands series features 25 heroes, and with so many bullets and abilities flying around in the battlefield, you’ll need the highest framerates available to keep up with your enemy.
In addition, there are three open betas this week. The first is Blizzard’s Overwatch, which starts on May 4 at 4pm PDT. In the past, the studio held closed betas for a handful of players, and this will be the first time that Blizzard is providing an open session for its fans. With the new driver, you’ll see some graphics optimizations as well as support for SLI configurations.
We had our first look at Epic Games’ Paragon in March, and the studio is also hosting an open beta later this week on May 5. Nvidia’s new driver ensures that owners of its GPUs can use the hardware to its full potential, even if the game is still in its beta stages.
Nvidia noted that even though Epic Games stated that a GeForce GTX 980 was recommended for 60 frames per second (fps) or higher on the game’s High setting, the developers also tested the GeForce GTX 970 and found that the lower GPU could handle the same framerate at High settings as well.
If Overwatch or Paragon isn’t your cup of tea, then you could try out Turn 10 Studios’ open beta for Forza Motorsport 6: Apex, which starts on the same day. The developers announced the open beta date last week, but the actual contents of the beta are somewhat vague. However, if you do participate in the beta, you can leave feedback for the developers on various channels, such as the game’s forums and social media outlets.
It’s unclear as to what the latest Nvidia driver can do for Forza in its current state, but that didn’t stop the company from issuing its recommended GPUs for it. You can use a GeForce GTX 740 to meet the minimum specs, whereas a GeForce GTX 970 meets the Recommended configuration for 1080p60 gameplay. If you want to play at 4K resolution with 60 fps, you’ll obviously have to get the GeForce GTX 980Ti.
This Game Ready driver won’t last long, especially when three of the four games are still in beta. Overwatch comes out on May 24, and Paragon and Forza Motorsport 6: Apex don’t have specific release dates (although they are coming at some point this year). Undoubtedly, Nvidia will release yet another Game Ready driver for each game’s final version, with more tweaks and optimizations.
