The latest preview driver from Nvidia introduces support for Smooth Motion in the RTX 4000 series.
Images generated by AI can enhance the gaming experience. While this may not be consistent across the board, as the saying goes: the proof is in the pudding.
With the introduction of the preview driver 590.26 from Nvidia you now have the chance to experience any game utilizing the Smooth Motion
feature, even on RTX 4000 graphics cards.
Previously, this feature, released in February 2025, was accessible only with a modern RTX 5000 graphics card. There likely weren’t any technical reasons for this limitation. From a gaming standpoint, an early release for RTX 4000 would have been preferable.
We have already conducted a brief examination of the feature using an RTX 4090. After outlining the essential information including instructions, here is our initial impression.
On a related note: Nvidia’s Multi Frame Gen causes an amusing glitch – see for yourself.
Key Information Regarding Smooth Motion with RTX 4000
- The absolutely necessary preview driver is currently only accessible through the Nvidia developer program. However, anyone interested can easily create a compatible account.
- You will also require the Nvidia Profile Inspector tool, as the option has not (yet) been included in the Nvidia app (refer to the image at the beginning of the following section).
- It’s still uncertain when this feature will be integrated into the standard driver. However, we anticipate it will be included in the next official update or the one following it.
What distinguishes Frame Generation from Smooth Motion? In the former, the generation of AI-produced images is directly embedded into the game. You activate Frame Generation from the game’s menu, which usually yields the best results.
In contrast, for Smooth Motion, the game isn’t aware of its AI capabilities. Therefore, this feature is implemented through the driver. This can result in issues like image artifacts and increased latency. Ultimately, the experience may vary significantly from one case to another.
Activation Made Simple
Once you have downloaded the driver and the tool, you simply need to enable the relevant option in the Profile Inspector under Common
as displayed above.
It is advisable to utilize the low-latency setting above to ensure the gaming experience remains as immediate as possible, even with AI-generated images.
Our Initial Impressions of Smooth Motion
We tested the option in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 using an RTX 4090. The game does not inherently support fully AI-generated images and is fairly demanding in terms of hardware. Thus, it’s an excellent candidate for such a test.
The results are generally impressive (and perceptible), although this assessment may not be universally applicable (more on that shortly).
As illustrated in the subsequent image, the FPS rises from approximately 75 FPS to 130 FPS in our 4K scene at the highest detail level Experimental
without DLSS:
What does this imply for the game’s feel? Subjectively, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 feels marginally improved in our test scenario with Smooth Motion. Latency is slightly elevated, yet the overall presentation feels smoother and more stable to us.
The picture quality experiences only minor effects upon closer inspection, such as slight blurring or minimal flickering. However, we did not observe this during normal gameplay.