visual upgrade Archives

AppWizard

July 2, 2025

I tried Minecraft’s Vibrant Visuals — Here’s what it gets right and where it falls short

The Vibrant Visuals upgrade is Mojang Studios' first effort to enhance Minecraft's graphics, introducing features similar to community-created shaders and texture packs. It aims to refresh the game's visual appeal while keeping its signature aesthetic, incorporating richer lighting, realistic volumetric fog, and other enhancements. The new shaders are activated by default and exclusive to the Bedrock Edition, creating a more immersive atmosphere with improved lighting and reflections. However, the upgrade has some inconsistencies, including lighting and shadow glitches, and can only be toggled from the main menu, unlike the Java Edition. On the Xbox Series X, gameplay runs smoothly at 60FPS, while the Series S requires "favor performance" mode for stability. The upgrade shows Mojang's commitment to modernizing Minecraft's aesthetics while addressing minor issues could enhance the experience for players.

AppWizard

June 18, 2025

Minecraft’s Nintendo Players Request “Switch 2 Edition” After Graphics Update Skips Switch

Mojang has launched a visual graphics upgrade for Minecraft called 'Vibrant Visuals' alongside the 'Chase the Skies' drop. Nintendo Switch players are disappointed that the Switch trailer does not feature the new visual enhancements, leading to calls for a "Switch 2 Edition" that would include these updates. The Vibrant Visuals update enhances the game's aesthetics without changing gameplay mechanics and allows players to toggle the enhancements on and off. Mojang has expressed a commitment to bringing this graphical update to as many devices as possible in the future. The latest update for the Switch version introduces new features, including a flying mount, building in the sky, leashing camels, a new music disc, and a Player Locator bar.

AppWizard

June 12, 2025

Minecraft – Official Vibrant Visuals and Chase the Skies Release Date Trailer

Mojang has announced the release of two updates for Minecraft: Vibrant Visuals and Chase the Skies, scheduled for June 17. The Vibrant Visuals update includes graphic improvements such as reflective water, dynamic fog, and glittering waterfalls. The Chase the Skies update introduces flying mounts, happy ghasts, and additional gameplay features.

AppWizard

June 1, 2025

Painkiller RTX is a path-traced upgrade to a classic but almost forgotten shooter

Nvidia's RTX Remix is a tool that allows game modders to enhance classic PC games with path-traced visuals. One notable project is the transformation of the 2004 game Painkiller into Painkiller RTX, currently at version 0.1.6. This project utilizes a custom rendering technology called PainEngine, replacing the original Direct X 8.1 rendering with a path tracer, resulting in improved visuals such as real-time shadows and moving lights. The gameplay retains its fast-paced action focus, with enhanced mechanics through Havok physics, allowing for dynamic interactions with the environment. Painkiller RTX features significant upgrades in lighting, including dynamic lighting that interacts with moving objects and improved texture quality using Quixel megascan assets. However, the path-tracing technology requires robust hardware for optimal performance, and even mid-range GPUs like the RTX 4060 may struggle with frame rates during intense gameplay.

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

May 20, 2025

Android 16 QPR1 delivers a colorful Settings app redesign [Gallery]

Android version 16 QPR1 introduces a redesigned Settings app featuring a vibrant palette of pastel colors, moving away from the previous monochromatic gray interface. This update aligns with Google's Material 3 Expressive design language, enhancing user experience through bold aesthetics. The lock screen has also adopted a bolder appearance. Each category in the Settings app is now represented by unique hues, aiding navigation, although color assignments do not follow a strict logic. The functionality of the app remains unchanged, with the redesign aimed at creating a more inviting user environment.

AppWizard

May 13, 2025

Stellar Blade PC Release Date & Content Leaked

Stellar Blade, an action-adventure game by Shift Up, will be released on PC on June 11, following its exclusive launch on PS5 in April of the previous year. The PC version will feature new costumes, new boss battles, enhanced resolution and graphics, and user convenience improvements. The game is powered by Unreal Engine 4.26.

AppWizard

April 26, 2025

The adventure game that kicked off the Syberia series just got a shiny Myst-like makeover

French publisher Microids has released a polished remake of its 1999 classic, Amerzone – The Explorer's Legacy, originally created by Benoît Sokal. The game features a nameless journalist on a quest to return the last egg of a rare giant bird to its habitat. The remake includes significant visual upgrades and aims to provide a new experience while honoring the original. However, the future of the Syberia series is uncertain following Sokal's death and the recent layoffs of Microids' Paris team, which was responsible for both the Syberia: The World Before and the Amerzone remake. Amerzone – The Explorer's Legacy is priced at £35, with a demo available on its Steam page.

AppWizard

April 24, 2025

The new Frostpunk game that’s coming in 2027 is a ‘reimagining’ of the original in Unreal Engine 5 with new content, mechanics, laws, and—finally—mod support

11 Bit Studios has announced the upcoming release of Frostpunk 1886, a remake of the original game using Unreal Engine 5, set to include new content, innovative mechanics, a variety of new laws, and an all-new Purpose path. The title references Year 0 in the Frostpunk timeline, marking the start of the Great Frost. Development of Frostpunk 2 will continue alongside Frostpunk 1886.

AppWizard

April 4, 2025

Grand Theft Auto 5 is Coming Back to PC and Xbox Game Pass on April 15

Grand Theft Auto 5 will return to Xbox and PC Game Pass on April 15, allowing players to access both the standard and Enhanced Edition. The Enhanced Edition, released in March, has received mixed reviews on Steam, currently holding a "Mixed" rating with over 33,000 user reviews. Enhancements include graphical upgrades, new vehicles, and activities like the Wildlife Photography Challenge, along with an initial boost of GTA 000,000 for new players. Since its release in 2013, GTA 5 has sold over 210 million copies globally, contributing to over 440 million units sold across the entire GTA franchise. Rockstar is also developing Grand Theft Auto 6 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with no announcements regarding a PC version.