Cyberpunk 2077 to Unleash Overdrive Raytracing Update on April 11th

Are you ready for a jaw-dropping visual experience in Cyberpunk 2077? Well, buckle up, because Nvidia and CD Projekt Red are about to unleash a groundbreaking raytracing update called Overdrive. Let’s dive into the details, shall we?

TL;DR:

• Overdrive raytracing update for Cyberpunk 2077 releasing on April 11th
• Pathtracing to enhance lighting, shading, and reflections in Night City
• Real-time pathtracing gains momentum as more games adopt the technology
• Expectations of a new wave of games with pathtracing features
• CD Projekt Red remains silent about the update

What Can We Expect from the Overdrive Update?

According to Nvidia’s blog, the Overdrive update is set to release on April 11th. In just a couple of weeks, you’ll be able to experience firsthand how pathtracing revolutionizes the lighting, shading, and reflections in Night City. Unfortunately, there are no details yet regarding technical requirements or new public videos showcasing Overdrive raytracing. But that’s likely to change soon.

Pathtracing – The Future of Real-Time Graphics

During the GDC presentation, Nvidia and CD Projekt Red showed off a technology preview that serves as a “small taste” of the future of full raytracing. With complete raytracing, “practically all light sources” cast physically accurate soft shadows, according to Nvidia. Colored light will also be reflected multiple times within Cyberpunk 2077’s world, creating more realistic indirect lighting and occlusion.

As Daniel, our gaming expert and experienced journalist, puts it: “This is a game-changer in every sense of the word.”

“This not only offers players better graphics but also has the potential to revolutionize the entire game development pipeline.” – Pawel Kozlowski, Senior Technology Developer Engineer at Nvidia

The Growing Trend of Real-Time Pathtracing

Pathtracing in real-time graphics is becoming more widely accepted, with Cyberpunk 2077 being the latest blockbuster title to utilize the technology. This follows the introduction of pathtracing in games like Minecraft, Portal, and Quake II. It’s only with the GeForce RTX 40 series and DLSS 3 that real-time pathtracing has become possible.

Cyberpunk 2077 also takes advantage of Shader Execution Reordering, an RTX 40-exclusive feature that optimizes GPU usage and enables more efficient pathtracing for lighting.

Current Raytracing Support in Cyberpunk 2077

As of now, Cyberpunk 2077 already supports RT Reflections, diffuse lighting with raytracing, RT Global Illumination, and RT Shadows. The Overdrive update will bring RTX Pathtracing into the mix, allowing for a completely dynamic and comprehensive, physically accurate simulation of light in a dynamic scene.