Physically based textures, global illumination, volumetric effects. These are just a few of the buzz words used to describe the sort of things achievable with NVIDIA's new Ray-Tracing, or RTX, technology. For those like myself who aren't as technically-minded when it comes to the latest tech used to make things look better, what they're really talking about is the application of realistic lighting effects. Now, if you're wondering how this pertains to Minecraft - a game not known for its graphical capabilities - it's because NVIDIA recently partnered with developer Mojang to, for some reason, feature their RTX technology on the game.
Having somewhat unknowingly bought into the RTX hype when I decided to finally replace my rapidly aging 1050 Ti and purchase an RTX 2060, I thought maybe I should give Minecraft's RTX beta a go since, ya know, I could. Once figured out how to find a map that supported the dang thing (it was much harder than simply flipping a switch), and eventually getting the opportunity to bear witness to a world enhanced by RTX, I realized two things: My baseline 2060 was struggling real hard to churn out those ray tracings, and I'm not entirely sure how Minecraft, a game of digital legos, benefits from this technology. That is, aside from taking some before and after shots and being like "look at the difference!", which I most definitely did.
Without RTX
With RTX
This is the interior of a cleric's citadel when toggling between normal graphics and RTX. As you can see, what was once a rather dull looking alchemy stand is transformed into a glowing conduit of magical wonder. The torches along the wall now emanate a soft glow that ever so gently expresses the yellow stained glass, which is a nice touch.
Without RTX
With RTX
The difference in what a sunset looks like when RTX is enabled and when it isn't speaks for itself. The world remains illuminated despite the sun being nearly out of view, which is a pretty noticeable juxtaposition from how it normally looks. Without RTX, the lighting isn't nearly as nuanced and the world has essentially switched over to nighttime mode.
Without RTX
With RTX
This puts the "ray" in ray tracing, and for obvious reasons. As you can see, without RTX the sun is almost entirely blocked out by the tree that's standing defiantly in its line of sight. That's all well and good, because normally we prefer a bit of shade to shield us from the sun's harmful rays, but just look at how things look when RTX is enabled. The rays of light breaking through the gaps in the tree's branches, as well as the radiant light that subtly drapes over the field ahead. It's inspirational and borderline religious.
So, having seen it for myself, I can say this with certainty: if NVIDIA was trying to show the world how much of a game-changer their RTX technology can be by taking an 8-bit style game and incorporating elements of photo-realism, then they certainly have accomplished their goal. That said, I don't really see the inclusion of real-time ray tracing in Minecraft as anything more than a gimmick. For one, you need a beefy graphics card to run it, which is pretty laughable when you consider what game we're talking about. And two, Minecraft became the juggernaut it is today because of its boundless potential for creativity, not for its graphics, so I'm not sure if NVIDIA is targeting the right audience with its latest innovation.
I suppose it isn't hurting anybody by having the option available to those who might benefit from it. Personally, I don't see myself switching on the RTX feature very often, if at all, because that just isn't the kind of experience I need or even want out of Minecraft. That said, I'm really hoping that this isn't the beginning of a new era for the game - one that prioritizes graphical fidelity over everything that made it special to begin with.
