Minecraft is not one of those titles that are known for having the latest graphics technology; rather, it focuses on immersive gameplay seamed with incredibly deep mechanics. Still, people have long been requesting for the game to be based on something more than a common texture pack.
After the ‘Super Duper Graphics Pack’ for the Xbox One X console was called off because of its disappointing performance, it appeared that we weren’t going to receive any kind of upgrade for Minecraft. However, what was earlier a collection of unfounded speculations was officially announced just a week later: ray tracing is coming to Minecraft.
Back on August 19th of last year, NVIDIA released a trailer for RTX ray tracing in Minecraft, which uses DXR and DirectX 12 so that the game can precisely depict lighting, shadows, shaders, textures and so on.
The reveal was a bit unexpected, but fans have passionately welcomed it. With ray tracing, Minecraft takes the gameplay to a new level without losing anything but gaining more.
What Ray Tracing Can Do For Minecraft
Before ray tracing was utilized by the gaming studios, particle effects and lighting were artificially created. With ray tracing, the games can trace the trajectories of light through an environment in a dynamic manner, as well as in real-time. This means that reflections, shadows, textures, and patterns of light can appear more authentic and similar to the real deal.
Minecraft has never been created to look realistic, as its graphics are direct, adaptable, and so simple that even low-end hardware can manage them with decency. Ray tracing entirely changes Minecraft at its core, making it a very different game. NVIDIA’s website showcases side-by-side comparisons that literally blew our minds.
Release Date
Mojang and NVIDIA have not announced an exact date for the launch of ray tracing technology for Minecraft, but it stated that it is coming ‘within the next year.’ Taking into consideration the fact that the new graphics system was announced in August of 2019, we can probably expect the update sometime during summertime in 2020.
Obviously, schedules can change, and with the recent pandemic of coronavirus, which is causing events call-offs and altered schedules everywhere, it is likely that the launch could also be delayed a bit.
There’s good news, though: both companies have already revealed the fact that the upcoming update will be free to pay. If you have the setup for it, you’ll be able to take advantage of RTX ray tracing as soon as it comes out. Mojang also stated that while ray tracing will be available exclusively for Windows PCs, it will, later on, be accessible from other platforms that also offer support for this technology.
Moreover, the Render Dragon engine enables Minecraft to perform platform-specific updates in order to enhance the graphics or performance, depending on the device. In case your device cannot handle ray tracing, you may still see enhancements as time passes.
Ray Tracing and Minecraft
Merging the timeless life of Minecraft with the incredibly advanced graphics modern games pack seems a perfect fit, and ray tracing will make that possible. As you can see from almost every instance of the tech in Minecraft, it is an outstanding transition that fans will thoroughly enjoy.
