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Ray Tracing support is now available in PCSX4

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We are happy to announce that PCSX4 now supports ray tracing in all the titles. This technique can be useful for modelling light transport rendering algorithms for generating digital graphics. Hardware acceleration for real-time raytracing is added in the latest release of the emulator. The new API will allow developers to utilise hybrid ray tracing and rasterization-based rendering.

RTX

Ray tracing will be disabled by default for GPUs that do not support this feature or do not have the required accelerators. Old GPUs will still be able to benefit from this feature, but the performance will be affected drastically.

Ray Tracing GPU’s supported by PCSX4

Nvidia

  • GeForce RTX 2060

  • GeForce RTX 2060 Super

  • GeForce RTX 2070

  • GeForce RTX 2070 Super

  • GeForce RTX 2080 GeForce RTX 2080 Super

  • GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

  • Nvidia Titan RTX

  • GeForce RTX 3060

  • GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

  • GeForce RTX 3070

  • GeForce RTX 3070 Ti

  • GeForce RTX 3080

  • GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

It’s up to Nvidia and AMD to release drivers for older GPUs to have some features of Ray-Tracing enabled.

AMD

  • AMD RX 6900 XT
  • AMD RX 6800 XT
  • AMD RX 6800
  • AMD RX 6700 XT

Because ray tracing tends to be extremely demanding, the emulator is limited to only 1080p and 1440p.

Is it worthwhile to use Ray Tracing in PCSX4?

Ray-tracing technology was previously exclusively available on PCs, however it is now available in PCSX4. The console games with ray-tracing capabilities can produce significantly higher graphics than those seen on previous gaming platforms. This is particularly true in terms of more realistic lighting, as well as greater accuracy in depicting shadows and reflections. As a result, it is unquestionably one of the console's most important features. Surprisingly, ray-tracing functionality is also present on Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, proving its value. Ray tracing is a sophisticated rendering technology that helps video game developers create amazingly realistic lighting effects.

RTX Comparison

Ray-tracing in PCSX4 is used for creating considerably more realistic lighting in a virtual environment, such as a game or a movie. The ray-tracing requires tracking the way light moves about an area, including all of the ways it bounces and refracts off different surfaces. Nvidia's cards may be able to manage decent frame-rates at 4K with DLSS in a few cases, but most of the GPUs are unable to handle games at 4K native with DXR.