While AMD is gearing up to launch new hardware (the Radeon HD 7970), NVIDIA is keeping it light this week by only rolling out an updated driver for existing products. Bearing a beta tag, the 290.53 driver includes support for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500-series desktop cards, and for ION desktop GPUs, and features the following:

Optimizations for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

- Increases performance by up to 25% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim vs. 290.36 drivers (measured with GeForce GTX 560 at 19x10 Ultra - Indoor Scene)
- Updates the NVIDIA Control Panel ambient occlusion support for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to a higher performance profile.
- Added new 3D Vision laser sight /crosshair options to better match Skyrim crosshairs.

NVIDIA SLI

- Adds SLI profiles for Trine 2, WRC 2: FIA World Rally Championship 2011, and Afterfall: InSanity.

3D Vision

- Fixes issues with Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 not launching into 3D Vision mode
- Added new 3D Vision laser sight /crosshair options to better match The Elder Scrolls Skyrim crosshairs
- Added or updated the following 3D Vision game profiles:

AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome - rated Good
The Adventures of Tintin: The Game - rated Excellent
Assassin's Creed: Revelations - rating changed to Fair
Driver San Francisco - updated settings to work better in 3D Vision
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - updated in-game compatibility message
Hard Reset - updated in-game compatibility message. FXAA x2 and x4 are now supported by the game
Ignite - rated Good
Jane's Advanced Strike Fighters - rated Fair
Jurassic Park: The Game - rated Good
Orcs Must Die! - rated Good
PAYDAY The Heist - rated Poor
PT Boats - Knights of the Sea - rated Good
PT Boats - South Gambit - rated Good
Race 07 - updated in-game compatibility message
Race Room - rated Good
Serious Sam 3: BFE - rated Poor
SkyDrift - rated Good
Star Wars: The Old Republic - rated Good
Stronghold 3 - rated Good
Take on Helicopters - rated Fair
Trine 2 - rated 3D Vision Ready
Waves - rated Excellent

Key Bug Fixes

- Fixes some random instances of triangular artifacts when playing Battlefield 3 (fix is now enabled for GeForce 400 and 500 series GPUs).
- Fixes a default panel resolution/ timing bug in 290.36.

Other Details

- Supports multiple languages and APIs for GPU computing: CUDA C, CUDA C++, CUDA Fortran, OpenCL, DirectCompute, and Microsoft C++ AMP.
- Supports single GPU and NVIDIA SLI technology on DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 11, and OpenGL, including 3-way SLI, Quad SLI, and SLI support on SLI-certified Intel and AMD motherboards.

To download the GeForce 290.53 beta just clicks on the following links:

- Windows XP 32-bit
- Windows 7 / Vista 32-bit
- Windows 7 / Vista 64-bit