CD Projekt Red has just released a big old update for Cyberpunk 2077 — but only on PC. So why are we writing about it? Well, we think it's worth sharing the above video from Digital Foundry, because what we're seeing here is pretty much the future of visual fidelity in video games — at least to some extent.
Indeed, the aforementioned update adds a new graphical mode to the PC version of Cyberpunk 2077. Dubbed 'Ray Tracing Overdrive', this is «full» ray tracing, according to CDPR. That basically means every light source can cast an accurate shadow, and every reflective surface can provide accurate reflections. It results in some outstanding environmental lighting, often to the point of photorealism.
Both out in the open and in enclosed spaces, this new mode looks incredible — assuming you've got the high-end rig to actually run it.
It's hard to gawk at the footage and not think this is the next big push in graphics, especially for open world titles like 2077, which rely on dynamic lighting and weather effects. The PS5 isn't really capable of this kind of thing given its internals, but this could be the sort of technology we see tied to the PS6. Or maybe the rumoured PS5 Pro...? It'd certainly be a nice bullet point, but we wouldn't get your hopes up!
If you're interested in how all of this ray tracing business works, it's worth watching this official preview:
How long do you think it'll be before we see consoles capable of ray tracing like this? Try not to melt your graphics card in the comments section below.
Robert's been a dedicated PlayStation fan since the days of Tekken 2, and he still loves a good dust up. When he's not practising combos, he's usually getting lost in the latest 100-hour RPG, or, y'know, replaying
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