Quake 2 RTX Brings Ray Tracing To Quake Next Month

Published: May 27, 2019 4:17 PM /

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Nvidia Announces Quake II RTX Remaster For Windows And Linux

Sometimes the best way to demonstrate a new technology is by reviving a classic game rather than developing a brand new one. The developers and engineers at Nvidia probably had this in mind when they decided to remaster the 1997 classic Quake II, which also built on the pioneering graphics technology of the original Quake to deliver a cutting edge 3D experience. Quake II RTX is a ray-traced remaster of the classic first-person shooter first demoed at GDC earlier this year.

The remaster will release on June 6. Nvidia will allow players to download a free demo with the first three levels available. For the full game experience, you will need an original copy of Quake II, such as the one available on Steam or GOG. Provided, of course, that you also own a GeForce RTX graphics card to run the game on, without which you won't be able to experience the visual effects of the remaster. Nvidia will also share the source code on GitHub, so that other players will be able to work on further advancements and enhancements of the code base, enabling Quake II mods and total conversions.

The technical specifications of the remaster include a variety of features, some of which include new textures for weapons and models, new dynamic environments, time of day options to change the lighting and appearance of some levels, better physically based atmospheric scattering, real-time reflectivity of the player and weapon model on water and glass surfaces, as well as player model shadows, improved ray tracing denoising technology, dynamic lighting for items such as blinking lights, signs, switches, elevators, and moving objects, cylindrical projection mode for wide-angle field of view on widescreen displays, and so on.

If most of these technical details don't mean much to you, see the official announcement trailer below for a visual demonstration of what Quake II RTX will look and play like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unGtBbhaPeU

What do you think of the Nvidia remaster? Does it open possibilities to revisit classic 3D games with new graphical gimmicks? Let us know in the comments below!

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Richard Costa
| Staff Writer

Hack for hire, indentured egghead, maverick thoughtcriminal. Mainly interested in Western RPGs, first-person immersion, turn-based tactics, point-and-… More about Richard