With Nvidia entering their 4th generation of ray tracing cards, and gamedev companies shoving excessively demanding requirements down our throats, is it time to finally get with the program and conform?

If you aren’t living under a rock you know that its 2025. Salutations! Congratulations for making it into the new year. There’s a lot to be excited for, be it the long-awaited release of GTA VI, or next generation of GPUs. However, one thing we never had on our bingo cards, was the harsh realization that our tech is aging.

[Robots – 2005]

I see you little Timmy at the back with your hand raised high asking, “What is ray tracing Mr. Sandman?”. Well please allow me to mansplain a bit.

We got our first harsh reality check with the release of Alan Wake II, and its dreaded path tracing. GPUs across the globe were brought to their knees, and now, with the announcement that MachineGames’ Indiana Jones was built from the ground up with ray tracing as a requirement, it’s easy to see where the industry is shifting to. Ray tracing is becoming a standard, and us the consumers will have to bear the cost for it to become a reality.

I see you little Timmy at the back with your hand raised high asking, “What is ray tracing Mr. Sandman?”. Well please allow me to mansplain a bit. Ray tracing is a lighting technique deployed where lighting/shadows such as in a scene, are created through simulating actual light rays deflecting off of materials instead of alternately creating light maps to imitate how light would otherwise behave.

If you ask me my thoughts on it, it’s a novelty! Similar to how motion blur, and bloom were once viewed as revolutionary effects, when, in fact they were a novelty. Of course, it has suitable use-cases, and sometimes it makes for some god-awesome visuals. But does the end-product justify the great barrier to entry, especially for budget gamers? I honestly don’t think so.

Despite this, MachineGames, and Remedy Entertainment don’t care what I think, and it’s inevitable that more game devs will jump on the bandwagon as we approach 2030. So, gamers get your wallets ready, or get some part-time jobs… I don’t know. That 5070 and Arc B580 won’t buy itself.

Till next time valiant gamers.