ray tracing Archives

AppWizard

December 27, 2024

Alan Wake 2 set such a high technical bar last year that few games in 2024 came anywhere near, but it wasn’t all abject disappointment

Alan Wake 2 debuted late last year, leading to assumptions of a 2024 release. Dragon's Dogma 2 launched in March but had excessive hardware demands and inconsistent performance. Nixxes Software's port of Horizon Forbidden West showcased effective traditional rendering. In May, Nixxes also released the Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, which lacked ray tracing but was well-executed. June saw the release of Shadow of the Erdtree, the first expansion for Elden Ring, which did not include engine updates, causing performance issues for PC gamers. In August, Black Myth: Wukong and Star Wars Outlaws featured ray tracing but faced performance issues. September brought a port of God of War Ragnarök and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, both performing well. The Silent Hill 2 remake encountered glitches and performance issues on PC, while Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 struggled at launch. Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl had visual appeal but suffered from performance problems and required patches for stability. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle performed well on lower-end hardware but was glitchy. High-profile titles like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are anticipated for 2025.

AppWizard

December 26, 2024

Best PC Games Graphics of 2024

- Empire of the Ants, developed by Tower Five using Unreal Engine 5, showcases innovative technology like Lumen and Nanite, delivering a visually stunning experience without stutters. - Dragon Age: The Veilguard features a unique art style and striking visuals powered by the Frostbite Engine, despite not meeting long-time fans' expectations. - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, despite its troubled development and some graphical glitches, is visually captivating, especially with HDR, and modding communities have helped enhance its environments. - Horizon: Forbidden West translates beautifully to PC, offering impressive visuals without ray tracing effects, and is considered superior to titles like God of War: Ragnarok. - Final Fantasy 16 shines on PC with gorgeous environments and character designs, and the absence of major pop-ins enhances the immersive experience. - Tekken 8 is noted as the most visually impressive 3D fighting game, with meticulously crafted character models and stage designs that run smoothly on various PC configurations. - Black Myth: Wukong utilizes path tracing technology for a visually rich experience, though it has some limitations in environmental design. - The Silent Hill 2 Remake features expansive environments and exceptional use of Lumen and Nanite, showcasing impressive 3D models and an elevated horror art style. - Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, utilizing Unreal Engine 5, presents some of the most realistic 3D characters and environments, with high-quality textures and particle effects. - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is recognized as the best-looking PC title of 2024, featuring path tracing effects that enhance lighting and detail, despite minor texture issues.

AppWizard

December 25, 2024

Remedy’s CONTROL is free to own on Epic Games Store

Epic Games is offering a free copy of the game CONTROL to PC gamers until tomorrow. CONTROL, released in 2019, is a third-person action adventure game featuring stunning visuals, exceptional gunplay, and destructible environments. Players take on the role of Jesse Faden, the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Control, in a surreal world. The game utilizes the Northlight Engine and includes advanced technologies like Ray Tracing and DLSS 2.0. CONTROL does not officially support DLSS 3, but players can enable FSR 3.0 Frame Generation using Optiscaler. A video guide is available for installing FSR 3.1.1 Frame Generation. CONTROL 2 is currently in development by Remedy.

AppWizard

December 24, 2024

I played at least one retro game every week in 2024: Here are 10 I’d still recommend to everyone

The text discusses the appeal of classic video games and their modern counterparts, highlighting several notable titles. - Dig Dug (1982) is an arcade classic known for its simple yet challenging gameplay, where players clear dirt and drop rocks on monsters. - Mr. Driller DrillLand (2002) is a modern twist on the Dig Dug experience, featuring puzzle-solving and whimsical aesthetics, originally a GameCube exclusive now available on Steam. - Thief (1998) offers a first-person stealth experience in a detailed steampunk universe, focusing on exploration and heists. - Wing Commander (1990) combines space combat with a narrative that evolves based on player choices. - Strahd’s Possession is an RPG inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, featuring an innovative automap system for exploration in a gothic fantasy setting. - Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 (2004) provides engaging character development and loot collection, compatible with modern platforms. - The Castlevania Dominus Collection includes classic titles like Haunted Castle (1987) and Dawn of Sorrow (2005), showcasing the potential for redemption through redesign. - Alone in the Dark (1992) is recognized as a pioneer of the survival horror genre, known for its puzzle design and atmospheric tension. - Skald: Against the Black Priory (2024) captures retro aesthetics with modern gameplay mechanics, reminiscent of classic Commodore 64 adventures. - Devil Blade Reboot (2024) channels '90s arcade shooters with vibrant pixel art and fast-paced action.

AppWizard

December 23, 2024

Another N64 classic has been quietly ported to PC by fans

An unofficial PC port of the Nintendo 64 game Star Fox 64, called 'Starship,' has been released by the Harbour Masters team, who previously created PC ports for Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. The port features enhanced capabilities such as higher frame rates and ultra-widescreen resolutions, and players must use their own legally sourced ROMs to access it. The development involved reverse-engineering the original game while ensuring compliance with copyright laws. Original Star Fox programmer Dylan Cuthbert expressed hope for the franchise's future, noting the absence of a new game for eight years since Star Fox Zero on the Wii U. He discussed the game's inspirations and the importance of character development in the franchise.

AppWizard

December 22, 2024

The Best PC Games to Play in 2025

The PC gaming landscape in 2025 will feature major AAA releases such as Grand Theft Auto VI, Avowed, Assetto Corsa Evo, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Frostpunk 2, and Indika. Technological advancements like ray tracing and DLSS will enhance graphical quality and performance, while cloud gaming services will offer new ways to access games. Players can expect a variety of genres, including RPGs, FPS, simulation, and strategy, each with unique pros and cons. The most anticipated games include Grand Theft Auto VI, Avowed, Assetto Corsa Evo, Stalker 2, Frostpunk 2, Indika, Death Stranding 2, Homeworld 3, Broken Roads, and Pacific Drive. Popular PC-exclusive titles include Valorant, League of Legends, Crusader Kings III, and Factorio. The most played PC games currently are Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Apex Legends, Grand Theft Auto V, Baldur’s Gate 3, Naraka: Bladepoint, Team Fortress 2, Rust, and Cyberpunk 2077. Counter-Strike 2 has the highest concurrent player count on Steam.

AppWizard

December 22, 2024

Will ‘Civ 7’ Run On Steam Deck And Linux?

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII will have a native Linux version with the following minimum PC requirements for 1080p at 30 frames per second on low graphics settings: - OS: Ubuntu 22.04 - Processor: Intel i5-4690 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 - Memory: 8 GB RAM - Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1060 / AMD RX 580 - Storage: 25 GB available space The Windows version has a minimum requirement of an Nvidia GTX 1050, while the Linux version requires a GTX 1060. The Steam Deck's GPUs (GTX 1050Ti or AMD Radeon RX 570) are slightly below the Linux minimum requirements, but the lower resolution of 1280x800 suggests Civ 7 may run well on the device. Users should run Ubuntu 22.04 or higher, but other modern Linux distributions with a contemporary kernel may also suffice. Civilization VII is scheduled for release on February 11, 2025.

Winsage

December 21, 2024

Core Ultra 9 285K is faster in Linux than in Windows

Intel's Core Ultra 9 285K shows an average performance increase of 6% on Ubuntu 24.10 compared to Windows 11 with the 24H2 update. Upgrading to Linux kernel version 6.13 provides an additional 2% boost, totaling an 8% improvement. The processor struggles with tasks like rendering, ray tracing, and encoding on Windows, performing nearly double the speed on Ubuntu in encoding tests. The 14900K slightly outperformed the 285K in benchmarks, but no gaming tests were conducted due to limited Linux game ports. The P-State performance governor did not enhance speed as expected, and Intel's Battlemage B580 GPU also performs better on Linux but still lags in gaming compared to Windows.

AppWizard

December 18, 2024

Lost Soul Aside is officially coming to PC in 2025

Lost Soul Aside is set to launch on PC in 2025. A new gameplay trailer has been released, showcasing dynamic combat and stunning visuals. The game was originally conceived as an indie project using Unreal Engine 4 and draws inspiration from Final Fantasy XV. Players will engage in fast-paced battles, mastering combos and upgrading weapons. The game will support DLSS 3 and Ray Tracing on PC. Sony will publish the title, and the PC version will not be a timed exclusive for the PS5, though a PSN account will be required to access the game.

AppWizard

December 10, 2024

Use This Trick To Optimize Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Your PC

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been released, developed by MachineGames. The game has high system requirements, particularly for ray tracing. Troy Baker voices Indiana Jones. Performance testing on a high-end rig with a Geforce RTX 4080 indicates that VRAM significantly affects performance. For optimal settings at various resolutions, 8GB, 10GB, and 12GB of VRAM are recommended for different quality settings. Using DLSS frame generation requires additional VRAM. The game utilizes path tracing for lighting calculations, impacting visual effects like sun shadows and reflections. Benchmarks show performance results at 1440p and 4K with various settings. Players may experience pop-in issues, which can be temporarily mitigated by entering a command. The game is available on PC and Xbox Series X|S, with a PS5 release planned for spring 2025 and accessible via Xbox Game Pass.