You’ve probably seen mention of RTX Remix. But what is it?
Over the past few months, RTX Remix has been linked to a succession of classic PC games. Half-Life 2, Portal, Tomb Raider, and others have been reported to be under revision by development teams using this modding platform, with the ambitious aim of remastering the titles.
What is RTX Remix?
RTX Remix is a game modding platform developed by NVIDIA that allows modders to remaster classic games with cutting-edge graphics technologies like ray tracing, NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and modern physically-based rendering. It’s built on top of NVIDIA Omniverse, a platform for creating and collaborating on 3D worlds, which gives modders access to a powerful set of tools for enhancing their favorite games.
Development teams using RTX Remix can expect the following features:
- Ray tracing: technology that simulates how light interacts with objects in the real world. This creates more realistic and immersive lighting effects.
- NVIDIA DLSS: deep learning is used to improve the performance of games without sacrificing image quality.
- NVIDIA Reflex: this technology reduces input lag, so games should feel more responsive.
- Modern physically-based rendering: realistic materials and surfaces are created, ideal for 4K displays.
- Generative AI texture tools: tools that automatically improve the quality of textures in games.
RTX Remix is currently in open beta, and it is available for free to anyone with a compatible NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics card. To learn more about RTX Remix, you can visit the official website: www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/rtx-remix/.
Can you play RTX Remix games?
The system requirements for RTX Remix games will vary depending on game and mods that are installed. Aside from requiring an NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU (3060 Ti or better; RTX 4070 and above for ideal performance):
- CPU: Quad-core Intel Core i7/AMD Ryzen CPU or better
- RAM: 16GB of RAM
- Storage: 512GB of SSD storage
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or better (RTX 4070 or higher recommended for ideal performance)
- Operating System: Windows 10 or 11
At this point there is no compatibility with Linux/SteamOS.
RTX Remasters you can play now
While there is a growing number of RTX Remix projects, some have been completed already.
- Quake II RTX is free to play on Steam
- Portal RTX is also available free, but only if you own the original
A list of games compatible with RTX has been published on moddb. Many more RTX games could be coming soon.
Why is RTX Remix popular with modders?
Some classic FPS and third person games still stand up to scrutiny on modern hardware when it comes to playability. However, modern expectations for graphics may differ considerably. Using RTX Remix (and other remastering tools) can enhance the visuals on old games, and potentially open them to a brand new audience.
Consider these benefits of using RTX Remix:
- Improved graphics: RTX Remix can make classic games look better than ever before, in 4K!
- Enhanced performance: NVIDIA DLSS can improve the performance of games without sacrificing image quality.
- Reduced input lag: NVIDIA Reflex can make games feel more responsive.
- More immersive gameplay: Ray tracing and other advanced graphics technologies can make games more immersive.
RTX Remix has a powerful set of tools, and has been designed to make your favorite games look and play better than ever before. RTX Remix remasters of Half-Life 2, Portal, and Tomb Raider.
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