Now we know a little about one of the biggest upcoming games of the year.
Within its CES 2025 At the briefing, NVIDIA shared footage from a number of games that use the latest technology 50 series video cards. Any interesting tidbits that have gotten lost in the chatter surrounding the new line of graphics cards? Bethesda Softworks and id Software DOOM: Dark Ages will not only support DLSS 4, but will also have path tracking functionality.
You can check out a sneak peek of new footage from the new DOOM: The Dark Ages in the video below:
Since the launch of the original DOOM, id Software has often helped lead the way in PC technology while maintaining a commitment to delivering high-performance gaming experiences. DOOM Eternal running on id Tech 7 was surprisingly well optimized even when using ray tracing, so it will be interesting to see how far DOOM: The Dark Ages pushes the latest version of id’s own engine.
Even though path tracking remains a PC-only feature for now, I have full confidence that the console versions of DOOM: The Dark Ages will perform well as id Software has provided fantastic updates to DOOM Eternal for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 for free in It’s 2021, and this new game is being created only for the latest line of console hardware.
Currently, only a few games support path tracing.
Although various forms of ray tracing have become increasingly common over the past few years, path tracing — sometimes called “full ray tracing” – remains quite rare. Path tracking is ray tracing, but it’s a more complete version. Instead of focusing on just one specific aspect of a scene, such as the reflections of light in water and glass, path tracing more accurately models all the light in the scene, creating a much more realistic image overall.
It’s also extremely computationally expensive, mostly requiring NVIDIA’s frame generation technology to run at decent frame rates, and it’s a feature that the upcoming DLSS 4 (which is exclusive to the 50 series cards) is set to radically improve with multi-frame generation. . It’s also worth keeping in mind that only a small number of games currently support path tracing, including the current lineup including CD Projekt RED. Cyberpunk 2077Remedi’s Alan Wake 2and MachineGames Indiana Jones and the Big Circle.
The recent release of the latter is especially notable since MachineGames is a subsidiary studio of id Software, and Indiana Jones was developed using id tech’s “Motor” offshoot, so I’m curious to see what notes the teams have shared about the technology. in DOOM: The Dark Ages.
DOOM: The Dark Ages is slated to launch at some point in 2025 on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and PlayStation 5. As a native Xbox game, it will also be available on day one Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.