Cyberpunk 2077’s Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode, full ray tracing powered by NVIDIA DLSS 3.5
NVIDIA launches DLSS 3.5.
DLSS 3.5 is now available with Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 update, Source: CDProjekt/NVIDIA/VideoCardz
The future of gaming is taking a leap forward with the introduction of full ray tracing technology in Cyberpunk 2077’s Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode. This is largely credited to NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 with frame generation and ray reconstruction tech supported by RTX Direct Illumination (RTXDI). These technologies empower developers to replicate light’s behavior in scenes with an abundance of light sources. Cyberpunk, a game set in a futuristic world full of neon and billboards, is a perfect game to showcase how these technologies work.
The introduction of Ray Reconstruction replaces conventional hand-tuned ray tracing denoisers with a unified AI model, resulting in an enhancement of image quality. This enhancement becomes evident when examining scenes with complex lighting, such as the portrayal of car headlights. Ray Reconstruction, along with technologies like DLSS 3.5, delivers higher accuracy in rendering lighting effects, which can be seen in many examples as provided by NVIDIA.
DLSS 3.5 in Cyberpunk 2077, Source: NVIDIA
For owners of GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs, the combination of Super Resolution and Frame Generation with Ray Reconstruction promises both high performance and image quality. However, even users with GeForce RTX 20 and 30 Series GPUs can enhance their gaming experience by incorporating Ray Reconstruction into their AI-powered toolkit alongside Super Resolution. However, the Turing and Ampere series will not support Frame Generation, which is proven crucial for high frame rates.
According to NVIDIA’s own benchmarks, without DLSS3 and Frame Generation, the RTX 40 GPUs will only deliver 60+ FPS at 1080p resolution with RTX 4090. At 4K, even the RTX 4090 fails to deliver more than 24 frames on average without DLSS. However, once DLSS is enabled, it is an entirely different story, with even the RTX 4060 joining the list at 1080p resolution with more than 60 FPS.
NVIDIA RTX 40 in Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS 3.5, Source: NVIDIA
Unfortunately, NVIDIA did not provide any benchmarks for other cards, but reviewers come here with more data. TechPowerUP review covers a wider range of graphics cards, including AMD and Intel cards, all running full ray tracing (PT – path tracing) and no upscaling technology. It is apparent that only a handful of GPUs can deliver a playable experience without such technologies:
NVIDIA RTX 40 in Cyberpunk 2077 without DLSS 3.5/FG, Source: NVIDIA
Recently, Digital Foundry posted a video interview with CD Projekt Red and NVIDIA discussing the DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction in greater detail. It is an interesting video for a more profound understanding of the technology and also a sign of where gaming graphics are heading.
The Cyberpunk 2077 update is now available to download, while the Phantom Liberty DLC will launch on September 26th. The update is free to all owners of the base game and features the same graphics enhancements as the DLC.
