Shown off in all of its shining glory during Nvidia’s Ampere Live event, Cyberpunk 2077 showed off incredible new graphics. With RTX turned on, streets come alive with a life-like vibrance, light rays bounce off reflective surfaces, and the entire experience looks more akin to a cyberpunk film than a video game.
Such is the beauty of ray tracing, Nvidia Ampere architecture, and the development prowess of CD Projekt Red all wrapped up into a showcase that will undoubtedly leave Cyberpunk fans itching for more.
Cyberpunk 2077 and Nvidia have been relatively open about their partnership, whether it be in imbuing the game with raytracing effects and DLSS 2.0 support, or a limited edition Cyberpunk RTX GPU giveaway, but little in-game evidence of their collaboration has been presented until now. The extraordinary level of detail in the Cyberpunk 2077 RTX On trailer is proof enough just how much this game will evolve the way we look at graphical fidelity going well-beyond the future, wherein a focus on lighting and surface breathability will become the new norm.
Akin to past titles that serve almost as benchmarks for PC tech showcases, like Crysis, Metro Exodus, and even Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Cyberpunk 2077 is exemplary in highlighting the benefits of ray tracing and its further development. In an E3 2019 interview, Cyberpunk lead quest designer Pawel Sasko explains how RTX will be utilized to ensure Night City “really looks cyberpunk”, adding that “the realistic loop of the game is our goal.” Clearly, it shows. With its in-depth interactive cutscenes made all-the-more real via RTX technology, Cyberpunk 2077 may well be the closest we’ll ever get to the dark future.
Cyberpunk fans are now left questioning whether to break the bank on a brand new GPU, like the RTX 3070, 3080, and the aptly coined “BFGPU” 3090, or snag a next-gen console. Obviously, it will look clean no matter what you’re running, as previously-revealed concept artwork highlights the breadth and awe pockmarking every inch of this experience, but it’s in your best interest to have RTX on, of course.
NEXT: Updated: Cyberpunk 2077’s Subtitles Are Almost Impossible To Read
