Have you seen those internet memes RTX Off, RTX On? This is literally whats happening to Minecraft, the global sensation which has millions of players globally and tens of thousands of incredible creations. The Windows 10 version is getting a much needed visual overhaul thanks to NVIDIA’s ray-tracing tech.
Minecraft with RTX introduces realistic shadows, lighting and vibrant colours to the classic game with an open beta that starts on Thursday, 16th of April at 3AM AEST for Windows 10 users. Minecraft players can download the free update and start to experience the juicy new visuals.
“We teamed up with Mojang Studios to bring next-generation ray tracing and AI to Minecraft and the results are truly amazing,” said Jeff Fisher, senior vice president of gaming at NVIDIA. “There is a ton of excitement from the community for Minecraft with RTX, and we can’t wait to see what they create.”
NVIDIA is also giving players six new Minecraft worlds to download free from the Minecraft Marketplace. This allows players to experience the full extent of possibilities that real-time ray-tracing brings to the game.
Saxs Persson, franchise creative director of Minecraft at Microsoft says GeForce RTX GPUs transform the Minecraft world with a dramatically more realistic look by adding life-like lighting effects, shadows, reflections, refraction and more to the builder’s tool kit.
I say ray tracing, you say path tracing
Developer Mojang Studios worked together with NVIDIA and Microsoft to bring a form of ray tracing known as path tracing to the game. Path tracing simulates the way light is transported throughout a scene using a unified model that combines several types of effects that have traditionally been implemented separately.
It’s important to note that Minecraft ray-tracing uses Microsofts new DirectX 12 Ultimate API and works only on NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs. While this leaves AMD players out in the cold, team green does offer the unique benefit of NVIDIA DLSS 2.0.
Utilizing the RTX Tensor Cores on the GPU, DLSS 2.0 boosts frame rates and visual fidelity using deep learning neural networks. DLSS can provide for up to 1.7x faster framerates without additional load on the GPU. This leaves the GPU with more power for ray-tracing calculations.
Whole new worlds
NVIDIA has worked with some of the most talented Minecraft creators to make six new worlds to ‘show off the dramatic possibilities that ray tracing and PBR textures bring to the game’. Included in the select group is our very own and super talented Aussie content creator PearlescentMoon.
RazzleberryFox, CEO at Razzleberries, a founding partner and industry leader on the Minecraft Marketplace describes Minecraft with RTX as mind-blowing. The six new worlds will be downloadable for free from the in-game Minecraft Marketplace and include:
- Aquatic Adventure RTX by Dr_Bond
- Color, Light and Shadow RTX by PearlescentMoon (Australian Content Creator)
- Crystal Palace RTX by GeminiTay
- Imagination Island RTX by BlockWorks
- Neon District RTX by Elysium Fire
- Of Temples and Totems RTX by Razzleberries
Minecraft with RTX will officially launch as a full update later this year to owners of Minecraft on Windows 10. However, if you’d like to be among the first to try, you’ll need to sign up for the Minecraft Windows 10 RTX beta through the Xbox Insider Hub from 3AM, April 16th. Remember, you will need at least an RTX 2060 GPU or higher running the latest NVIDIA Game Ready Driver.
