We've seen enough tech demos to know that real-time ray tracing, when done right, can add some genuine wow factor to 3D-rendered visuals. Shadows, reflections and lighting can be brought to life like never before, and such changes ultimately enhance the overall feeling of immersion.
That's the theory, but in practice real-time ray tracing is still in its infancy. Game support is currently limited, though the list of compatible titles is slowly growing, and those who have dabbled with the tech have come to realise that, despite the superior visuals, the performance penalty can be significant.
In the current graphics landscape, it is interesting to note that Nvidia has embraced hardware-based ray tracing in its recent round of GeForce graphics cards, while AMD has opted against such tech in the latest Radeon GPUs. Indeed, the likes of GeForce RTX 2060 Super and Radeon RX 5700 XT are so closely matched in terms of performance, that support for up-and-coming graphics enhancements could be viewed as key to the buying decision.
It's always fascinating to hear real-world opinions, and we're intrigued to know how you feel about ray tracing as things stand. Do you have high hopes for the tech, is it something you've had a chance to try, or do you view it as a gimmick that's unlikely to really catch on? Either way, we want to know your thoughts so let us ask; does your next GPU need to support ray tracing?
