Ray Tracing
Ongoing coverage on Ray Tracing.
Latest coverage
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced details PS5 performance targets and features, with the Pro console getting extra love and 60 FPS across the board
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced will target 60 FPS, HDR, and Dolby Atmos on PlayStation 5, with the PS5 Pro offering enhanced visuals and performance. The game utilizes Ubisoft's Anvil engine with limited ray tracing for global illumination and reflections, with PS5 Pro supporting strand-based hair for Edward Kenway across all modes. The remaster is also launching on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: PS5 Pro enhancements detailed
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, a modernized version of the 2013 game, is launching on July 9 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro. The update features significant graphical enhancements including 60 FPS options, HDR, Dolby Atmos, DualSense support, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing for lighting and reflections. The game also utilizes micropolygon geometry and an updated Anvil engine for a more dynamic and visually cohesive world.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Listings Note Realistic Dynamic Weather, “More Stable Frame Rates” on PS5 Pro
Retailer listings for Grand Theft Auto 6 on Amazon Brazil and KaBuM! suggest the game will feature realistic dynamic weather, advanced ray tracing, and improved performance with more stable frame rates on the PlayStation 5 Pro. The PlayStation Store has already confirmed PS5 Pro Enhanced status, with the game set to launch on November 19th.
Neon lights, mischievous bunnies, and a sneaky cat: KIYO - Bunny Tyranny is now available for PC and Nintendo Switch
The stealth adventure game KIYO - Bunny Tyranny is now available for PC via Steam and on Nintendo Switch. Developed by PixelRats and published by CobraTekku Games, the title features a unique neon-noir aesthetic with full ray tracing in a 2D pixel art style. Players control Kiyo the cat in a mission to infiltrate and liberate Rabbithole City from an oppressive regime of evil bunnies.
PS6 Could Use AI Features Like Frame Generation to Offer The “Feel” Of 4K120 FPS – Rumor
Rumors suggest the PlayStation 6 may utilize AI-driven frame generation to achieve the visual experience of 4K 120 FPS while keeping costs down. Leaks indicate features like AI, ray tracing, and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution will be key. Despite concerns over RAM prices, industry insiders believe Sony will stick to a 2027 launch, with AMD already testing PS6 chips.
Gears of War: E-Day’s 4-Player Campaign Co-op Was a “Huge Investment,” Says Creative Director
The Coalition has made a significant investment in Gears of War: E-Day's campaign, supporting four-player co-op from the outset. Creative director Matt Searcy stated that this decision reflects the core Gears DNA of four-person squads and required extensive environmental design and character animation work. The game is set to release on October 6th, with a multiplayer beta planned for August.
My quick test of Lumen Lite shows that it's probably good news for ray-traced gaming on handheld PCs, but I suspect that it will be used everywhere because of the pressure developers are now under
Epic Games has introduced Lumen Lite in Unreal Engine 5.8, a scalable ray-traced global illumination feature designed to improve performance on hardware like the Nintendo Switch 2 and PC handhelds. While the feature offers significant performance gains with minimal visual compromise, the author expresses concern that its ease of use might lead developers to rely on it as a quick fix rather than implementing more thorough, hardware-specific optimizations.
Unreal Engine 5.8 just got a faster Lumen for Nintendo Switch 2
Epic Games has released Unreal Engine 5.8, introducing Lumen Lite, a performance-optimized version of its global illumination system specifically for the Nintendo Switch 2, aiming to enable 60fps gaming. The update also includes improvements for PC and other platforms, along with new features like MegaLights and experimental Mesh Terrain.
Gears of War: E-Day Pushes Unreal Engine 5 “To Its Limits” In Its Latest Tech Demo
The Coalition has released a new tech demo for Gears of War: E-Day, showcasing the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5 with advanced lighting and ray tracing features on Xbox Series X. The demo highlights realistic environmental interactions and reflections, though it remains to be seen if the entire campaign will maintain this level of graphical fidelity, especially with multiplayer targeting 120 fps.
Grand Theft Auto V PS5 and Xbox Series upgrades become free on June 18
Rockstar Games announced that owners of Grand Theft Auto V on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One can upgrade to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions for free starting June 18. Previously, upgrades were either paid or required purchasing the new version separately. The PC version also received enhancements for free, including ray-traced ambient occlusion and global illumination.
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Targets 60 FPS on Consoles, PSSR Support Coming in Post-Launch Update
Expression Games has detailed the performance targets for Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, aiming for 60 FPS on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, while PC will offer higher frame rates and advanced graphical options like ray tracing. A post-launch update will bring PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution support to the PS5 Pro. The game, a follow-up to Hell Let Loose, shifts the setting to the Vietnam War with 50v50 battles across six large-scale maps.
Morning Tech Bits
Zenless Zone Zero Version 3.0 is set to launch on June 17th, introducing DLSS 4.5 and Ray Tracing support, as announced by NVIDIA. NVIDIA also released RTX Remix 1.5, featuring AI Agent Skills for game modders.
Gears of War: E-Day’s Budget is “Upwards of $400 Million” – Rumor
A rumor suggests that Gears of War: E-Day has a development budget exceeding $400 million, a figure described as "insane" by insider Tom Henderson. The game, which is an Xbox console exclusive, features advanced graphics including realistic destruction and ray-traced lighting. The article also mentions a pulled trailer that briefly showed a PlayStation 5 logo, contradicting claims it was never planned for the platform.
Arm's ray-traced demo of its neural technologies for mobile phone gaming proves that there's an alternate chip…
Arm has partnered with Sumo Digital to showcase its new neural rendering technologies for mobile GPUs with a tech demo called Neural Dawn. The demo features ray tracing, AI denoising, and frame generation, suggesting potential applications beyond phones, particularly for handheld gaming PCs. While the technology is impressive, widespread adoption by game developers remains a significant hurdle.
New Arm tech enables the use of Unreal Engine MegaLights on mobile
Arm has unveiled its new neural graphics technology, demonstrated in the mobile game Neural Dawn developed by Sumo Digital. This technology enables the use of Unreal Engine MegaLights and ray-tracing on mobile devices for the first time, previously only available on PC and consoles. The Arm Mali GPU, incorporating machine learning, aims to deliver desktop-class visuals while preserving battery life, allowing for longer gaming sessions and dynamic lighting previously unachievable on mobile platforms.
NVIDIA, KRAFTON, NC and Reigning ‘League of Legends’ Champions T1 Celebrate RTX Spark at Korea’s PC Bangs
NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang introduced the new RTX Spark superchip in South Korea, targeting personal AI and gaming. Leading developers like KRAFTON and NC are integrating the technology, which promises high-performance gaming on slim laptops and efficient desktops. Huang celebrated the launch with esports team T1 and demonstrated games like PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and CINDER CITY at local PC bangs.
Phantom Blade Zero Gets 50-Day Delay
Phantom Blade Zero has been delayed by 50 days, moving its release date from September 9, 2026, to October 29, 2026. Developer S-GAME stated the extra time will be used to further improve character models and environments without relying on ray tracing. Pre-orders and further details will be revealed during a Summer 2026 State of Play showcase.
Control Resonant release date? Yeah that's nice, now move aside so I can look at its system requirements and ohhh that's a lot of SSD space
Remedy Entertainment has announced a September 24th, 2026 release date for its upcoming action RPG, Control Resonant, alongside a new story trailer. The article focuses on the game's demanding PC system requirements, which include 100GB of SSD space, 16GB of RAM, and high-end GPUs for recommended performance, drawing comparisons to Alan Wake 2's emphasis on visual spectacle.
Rayman Legends Untold aiming for 60fps on Switch 2 and should feature ray-tracing
Ubisoft Montpellier is targeting 60fps and ray-tracing for Rayman Legends Untold on the Nintendo Switch 2, aiming for parity with the Xbox Series S version through techniques like DLSS. Technical advisor Fabien Delpiano stated that the team is pushing the Snow Drop engine to achieve 60fps across all platforms, including high-end PCs and the PlayStation 5, by optimizing resolution and utilizing DLSS.
Phantom Blade Zero Delayed to October 29 as S-Game Focuses on “Polishing The Areas That Matter Most”
Phantom Blade Zero has been delayed to October 29, 2026, from its original September 9th release date. Game director Liang Qiwei stated the delay is to allow for further polishing of character models and environments, aiming for the highest possible visual standard without solely relying on ray tracing. The game will launch as a timed exclusive for PlayStation 5 and PC.
