A video has been uploaded that shows the difference between the originalPortalgame from 2007 and the newly released RTX version, with the latter being given a modern visual upgrade thanks to Nvidia’s ray tracing technology. AlthoughValve has yet to release a third entry in any of its series, let alone this beloved puzzle franchise, there are at least two installments under thePortalname that fans keep returning to. On top of that, this new version gives people just one more incentive to jump back into the world of Aperture Science.
WithPortal RTXnow out, players will get to experience this 15-year-old classic once more, only with some enhancements to the lighting and shadows. Not that the original looks particularly bad for its age. Despite being a decade and a half old, the game still looks pretty fantastic, but with the way the industry is moving these days, giving an older title a ray tracing facelift is par for the course, though some may wonder what the two versions would look like side-by-side.
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That’s where YouTuber Cycu1 comes to the rescue. A recent video on their channel shows a 1:1 comparison betweenPortaland the brand-new RTX build from Nvidia. With gameplay from each perfectly matched, viewers can easily see what the major differences are in terms of visuals. For starters, the game definitely has much more realistic lighting with RTX turned on. One neat result of this is the traveling orbs now give off their own light source, which can be seen shining along nearby walls. Outside of that, there’s not much that’s been changed. It’s still the same oldPortalthat many remember and love.
However, there have been a few concerns in the run-up to this new release. ThePC specs forPortal RTXwere revealed recently, showing that anyone who wanted to run this version of the game would need a pretty beastly machine. It even asks for an Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics card to run on “ultra” settings, a GPU that only came out in November. Some may see it as a bit odd that the game would require such demanding hardware when the only significant difference is the implementation of ray tracing for advanced lighting and shadow effects.
WhileNvidia RTX is typically applied to modern AAA games, such asCyberpunk 2077andResident Evil Village, other titles have been given the ray tracing treatment. Releases such asQuake 2andMinecraftnow have visually upgraded versions of their former selves, showing that no video game is truly safe from the allure of the RTX algorithm.
