Since the inception of Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), the company has made significant strides in integrating the feature into a wide range of games. As the flagship feature of Nvidia’s top-tier graphics cards, most major game releases now come equipped with DLSS capabilities.
This trend has only intensified with the introduction of DLSS 3 and its Frame Generation feature, which has been featured in recent titles like Ghost of Tsushima and The First Descendent. However, one DLSS feature has seen surprisingly low adoption.
I’m referring to Ray Reconstruction. Despite being released over a year ago, it is only available in a handful of games. Its limited presence may have gone unnoticed by many due to its less flashy nature compared to upscaling or frame generation. Nevertheless, Ray Reconstruction plays a crucial role in enhancing a game’s image quality, as evidenced by its absence in my recent experiences with Black Myth: Wukong.
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An Overlooked Feature
Nvidia has a history of aligning certain games as showcases for its cutting-edge graphics technology. Titles like Atomic Heart and Cyberpunk 2077 have filled this role in the past. Currently, Black Myth: Wukong has taken center stage, offering a visually stunning retelling of Journey to the West through path tracing, which Nvidia refers to as “full ray tracing.” While path tracing delivers unparalleled realism in games like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077, its demanding nature can strain even high-end GPUs like the RTX 4090.
Having experienced the visual impact of path tracing in games like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077, I chose to disable the feature during my playthrough of Black Myth: Wukong. While there was a noticeable difference in image quality, the performance hit caused by path tracing was too significant, especially on an RTX 4090. This disparity made it evident that the absence of Ray Reconstruction was a significant factor.
Ray Reconstruction, despite flying under the radar for over a year, is crucial for enhancing the visual fidelity of games relying heavily on ray tracing, as exemplified by Black Myth: Wukong.
The Impact of Ray Reconstruction
In games utilizing ray tracing or path tracing, the image often appears noisy due to the limited number of rays sampled per pixel. This results in grainy artifacts akin to low-light phone photos. Ray Reconstruction acts as a denoiser, leveraging AI to filter and blur noisy segments, creating a cohesive and detailed image.
Ray Reconstruction’s AI-powered denoising capabilities, trained on extensive data sets, significantly enhance image quality. The results, as seen in Alan Wake 2, deliver improved details and realism not achievable through standard path tracing.
Unlike DLSS Frame Generation, Ray Reconstruction does not incur performance penalties and can even provide a slight boost in some cases. Its impact on visual quality is substantial, as demonstrated by scenes in Alan Wake 2 and Star Wars Outlaws.
Whether it’s the intricate details in a diner scene in Alan Wake 2 or the tangible difference in visual fidelity in Star Wars Outlaws, Ray Reconstruction elevates the visual experience to new heights by enhancing reflections, shadows, and object textures.
Redefining Visual Realism
Having witnessed the transformative power of Ray Reconstruction, it becomes evident that this feature is indispensable for games reliant on ray tracing for photorealism. While path tracing lays the groundwork for realism, Ray Reconstruction provides the finishing touch, enriching the visual experience and maintaining performance efficiency.
Unlike DLSS Frame Generation, Ray Reconstruction is compatible with older RTX graphics cards, making it accessible to a wider audience. Nvidia’s commitment to enhancing ray-traced visuals through features like Ray Reconstruction sets a new standard for visual fidelity in gaming, particularly in titles that heavily leverage ray tracing technologies.
