RTX Remix is a tool that will make it easier for modders to remaster any game without too many worries.
NVIDIA held the most awaited event for all PC gamers. They shared with all of us the news that will come to the company in the coming days, months, and years: the new series of RTX 40 graphics, DLSS technology, and a lot more information. Although there is something very important that is not getting a lot of attention that could mean a total game changer.
RTX Remix is a free feature announced by NVIDIA that will automatically remaster DirectX 8 and 9 API games. Needless to say, it’s a tool that could mark the end of retro game remastering and shoddy cash grabs.
A tool that changes games completely from the graphical aspect
NVIDIA, after the technological leap raised by AMD with Radeon, had to put everything on the table. And for the pleasure of all of us PC gamers, we were able to see everything NVIDIA plans to do – from the RTX 40 Series to new technology changes.
However, RTX Remix flew under the radar. The RTX Remix will be integrated into NVIDIA’s Omniverse software and will add automatic remastering capabilities. It’s a development that has huge implications for the industry.
Yes, you read it right: automatic game remastering at the touch of a button. Although it really goes beyond just pressing the button, the idea is there. You, from your PC, can remaster Freedom Fighters (EA’s 2003 game) from the comfort of your PC.
To perform the remastering, players will have to capture a scene from the title that they can then bring into the RTX Remix tool. This tool is capable of recognizing the game’s textures, geometry, camera, and lighting. This is all thanks to artificial intelligence, NVIDIA’s Ray Tracing, and the new DLSS 3, which will rescale and smooth textures, create objects with greater definition, and add Ray Tracing automatically.
But it doesn’t stop there. Modders can export everything created automatically through RTX Remix to other development, rendering, or even graphic engines. This opens up a huge field for modders to create remasters of compatible games at professional levels.
Does this mark the end of remasters by the big developers?
Seeing this release immediately brought this question to my mind. Remasters of great classics by major developers have been the bread and butter of the industry in recent years. Even so, many of the remasters we have seen, with the exception of The Last of Us Part I (which is actually a remake), have been subpar to poor (see: Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition). So already the creation of remasters is questioned by many gamers.
But, will RTX Remix be able to do a high-level remastering? To prove it, NVIDIA has announced together with Valve a remaster of the original Portal. The Portal RTX Remix remaster presents us with the capacity of this remastering tool to an incredible level. In fact, it is so good that many players might actually think that it is a remake of the first game.
Don’t believe me? See for yourself!
So, will RTX Remix mean the end of remasters for full-priced remasters? In most cases, yes, it likely will… at least on the PC. The level of remastering that RTX Remix proposes is much more advanced than what we have seen from big companies. Furthermore, it is completely free and easily accessible to all users. The only big problem will be the list of compatible games. It’s something that possibly will be capped by the financial interests of large developers.
It is obvious that many companies will not allow the remastering of their games to be so easy since this decision is directly tied to the economic interests of each developer. Still, we hope that the list of supported games will be extensive enough to see great free remasters of classic games.
