Sony appears to be working on ways to improve ray tracing on PS5, according to a listing on the Sony Group Portal website and a recently filed patent.
If you're new to ray tracing, the easiest way to describe it is as a more advanced and realistic way of rendering light, shadow, and reflection in a scene. Ray tracing is commonly used in movies and TV shows, and its application in games is now made possible by more powerful hardware.
However, ray tracing is an extremely graphically intense feature that often requires developers to lower a game's performance and resolution to implement it effectively on PS5. This has been the case with games like Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2, Control Ultimate Edition, and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, though developer Insomniac offers a Performance RT mode, which includes a less faithful frame rate but stays in 60fps.
So Sony seems to be trying to solve the problem that ray tracing can have on a developer's resources. An article on the Sony Group website highlights a new AI technology that could boost the performance of PS5 games. Takafumi Morifuji, Principal Researcher at Sony Group Corporation, explores super-resolution technology in ray tracing, which essentially relies on machine learning to make low-resolution images look sharper and clearer.
Although the new AI technology is currently only being tested in computer-generated movies, Morifuji says super-resolution ray tracing will have a "great effect in the future" and "the goal is to expand the use of the technology in games." , movies and others". areas of entertainment, so there's no reason we can't finally see the super-resolution technology in ray tracing being used on PS5.
Another sign that Sony is getting serious about ray tracing comes from a recently filed patent by Sony's principal systems architect, Mark Cerny. Cerny filed a patent for "Accelerated Ray Tracing Method and System" on August 20, 2020 (thanks Zuby_Tech), indicating a new way to optimize ray tracing effects on PS5.
While it's difficult to parse all of the technical language used, it appears that the new patent would effectively reduce the number of rays that need to be cast in the game, thereby reducing the resources needed for ray tracing while still providing a comparable experience. .
Analysis: Ray tracing needs a boost
It's clear that while ray tracing is a desirable feature, it currently requires too much processing power to be as common as some would like. If Sony can find a way to optimize ray tracing or use upscaling techniques to deliver better image quality when resolution or frame rate must be compromised, that could make this feature a more tempting proposition for developers and gamers.
Currently, only those with access to high-end GPUs like the Nvidia 3090 can really take full advantage of ray tracing, as well as using Nvidia's DLSS technology that uses AI to update lower resolution content, similar to what Sony offers with its machine learning technology.
But why do we need ray tracing, exactly? Although developers have mastered the art of creating convincing lighting in games, it's a time-consuming process that can't replicate the same level of realism that ray tracing can provide. The same is true for highlights and shadows.
Hopefully ray tracing will continue to improve in the future, especially on consoles like the PS5, as it's a technology that can have a truly transformative effect.
How to enable 120 Hz on PS5 | How to change your PSN name | How to disable adaptive triggers and haptic feedback | How to enable PS3 5D audio for TV speakers | How to upgrade PS5 internal SSD storage | How to clear cache on PS5 | How to turn off a PS5 | How to use a PS4 controller on PS5