"Some will argue ray tracing is just technical snake oil, others hail it as the next big thing for graphics."
For me, my position is both of those. Is it the next big thing for graphics? Sure, I'd agree with that because otherwise nobody would be investing heavily in its development.
Having said that, in its current form, RT really is nothing but technical snake oil. I've tried it in several games:
- Gotham Knights
- Cyberpunk 2077
- The Witcher III
- Guardians of the Galaxy
I actually have a personal example that happened
very recently, as in, three days ago. So, my specs are as follows:
CPU: R7-5800X3D
MOBO: ASRock X570 Pro4
RAM: 32GB DDR4-3200 (4x8GB)
VIDEO CARD: OG ATi RX 6800 XT
So, I got GOTG three days ago and I was playing around with the benchmark to see what settings I could use with a minimum FPS of 60+. I played with different levels of RT and I was able to get 60+FPS at 1080p but it really didn't look very different from 1080p RT off.
With RT off, I get 80FPS average with >60FPS minimum at 2160p Ultra Preset, native resolution. That looks better than ANY lower resolution or upscaling setting with RT on.
This is what I call "Glorious AAA Gaming"; maximum resolution with a minimum of 60FPS (since my display is 4K60Hz).
Comparing RT on and RT off is usually a fool's errand because while you're searching the screen for differences, an enemy kills you.
Comparing 1080p Ultra to 2160p Ultra can be variable however. If you have a 27" display, the difference would be very slight. Hell, on my 15.6" craptop, even though it has a 1080p display, I run it at 720p because at that size, I can't tell one from the other.
On my 55" 4K TV, it's a night-and-day difference that is immediately noticeable. I'd take 2160p Ultra over ANY level of RT seven days a week and twice on Sundays.
RT is the next big thing, but the key word is
next as the "big thing" part of it hasn't arrived yet. Thus, it is currently technical snake oil and nVidia is milking the sheep for all they can get with it.
I guess that makes them "Milk Snakes" which makes sense because they do sport Slytherin's colours...
