graphical features Archives

BetaBeacon

February 28, 2026

Don’t buy a new phone just for gaming, last-gen flagships still perform just as well

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra and its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor perform similarly to the last year's Xiaomi 15 Ultra and its Snapdragon 8 Elite in popular Android games and emulators. The newer processor offers slightly lower power consumption and potential future-proofing for upcoming games, but overall, there is not a significant performance difference between the two models.

AppWizard

September 18, 2025

Randy Pitchford calls Borderlands 4 “pretty damn optimal” amidst PC performance complaints

Gearbox Software's CEO Randy Pitchford addressed player concerns about the optimization of Borderlands 4 on PC, stating that the game's performance is "pretty damn optimal." He emphasized the relationship between players' hardware and software, encouraging gamers to customize settings for better performance. Pitchford mentioned that it is reasonable for developers to aim for 30fps on minimum specs and 60fps on recommended specs. He noted that Borderlands 4 has "few real issues," with any problems affecting only a small percentage of users, and assured ongoing improvements in performance. Despite this, many players reported frustrations with unstable frame rates, corroborated by Digital Foundry's analysis highlighting stuttering and frame rate drops. Since its launch on September 11, 2025, Borderlands 4 has received mixed reviews on Steam, primarily due to performance issues, yet it has surpassed 300,000 concurrent players, ranking among the most-played games on the platform.

AppWizard

September 15, 2025

Borderlands 4 Dev Says PC Gamers Are the Problem, Not the Game

Borderlands 4 launched on September 12, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version expected on October 3, 2025. The game has received mixed feedback regarding its performance on PC, with some players reporting issues like stuttering, frame rate drops, and high system requirements. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford defended the game's performance, stating that it is "pretty damn optimal" and encouraged players to adjust settings for better performance. He noted that legitimate complaints about PC performance account for less than 0.01 percent of the player base, with most support tickets related to SHiFT account issues. Pitchford also mentioned that many performance issues could be improved through in-game settings and the use of DLSS technology.

AppWizard

August 30, 2025

One of the best RPGs of all time is getting its ‘first ever unofficial DLC’ that adds a whole new region and restores cut content

Planescape: Torment is a classic computer role-playing game (CRPG) known for its unique setting, characters, and dialogue-focused gameplay. A group of Polish modders is developing an expansion for the game that will introduce two new recruitable characters, new planar creatures, original music, and fresh cinematics. They will also restore cut content, including voice lines and graphical features. The narrative will focus on the main characters and draw from the 2nd edition of Dungeons & Dragons. The full project may not be completed until 2031, but the first act is expected to be released later this year with an estimated playtime of twelve hours. The expansion, titled Blizzard in Baator, will be available in English and Polish, with some variations in naming conventions from the original English version.

AppWizard

May 29, 2025

F1 25 – Ray Tracing & Path Tracing Benchmarks

EA has made F1 25 available to players who purchased its Iconic Version, utilizing the EGO Engine with Ray Tracing and Path Tracing support. The game was benchmarked on a system with an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. In benchmarks on the Singapore track, F1 25 achieved a minimum of 173FPS and an average of 189FPS at Native 4K without Ray Tracing. With Ray Tracing enabled, it maintained over 70FPS at Native 4K. Activating DLSS 4 Quality Mode increased frame rates to 90-100FPS, and Multi-Frame Generation X4 reached up to 300FPS. Path Tracing resulted in a minimum of 29FPS and an average of 35FPS at Native 4K, with DLSS 4 Performance Mode recommended for better performance. Visual comparisons show significant differences between Ray Tracing and Path Tracing, with some visual issues reported, including problems with rain effects and flickering during motion. The recommended optimal experience is using Ray Tracing effects without Ray Reconstruction.

AppWizard

April 25, 2025

Oblivion Remastered loses the most helpful settings on PC thanks to a botched Game Pass update

A recent update for The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has caused dissatisfaction among PC Game Pass users, as it removed several key settings, including DLSS support, which enhances gaming performance on older hardware. Although a patch was released to address some issues, players remain frustrated with the lack of advanced graphical features. Additionally, there are limitations with cross-save functionality; while the Xbox Series X|S version supports Xbox Play Anywhere for save transfers, Steam users do not have this option, leading to further frustration in the gaming community.

AppWizard

March 24, 2025

Minecraft to Get Vibrant Visuals Graphics Update Soon

Mojang announced the 'Vibrant Visuals' update for the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft, which will enhance the game's graphics with features like volumetric lighting, improved reflections, and subsurface scattering for foliage. The update will also add detail to mobs and items, such as glowing spider eyes and illuminating torches. It is purely cosmetic, leaving gameplay mechanics unchanged and ensuring compatibility for players in the same realm. The update will be tested on various devices, with a beta version to be released soon, and plans to extend it to the Java Edition are in place. The Minecraft With RTX experience offers the highest visual fidelity for players with powerful PCs.