How Nvidia brought Portal back to life with ray tracing, a decade-and-a-half later

When Portal was originally released in 2007, nobody would have thought that Nvidia would be playing an important role in its lifecycle 15 years later. Yet, fate had the two together as the hardware giants brought the popular game back from the dead. The last part is a stretch by all means as the gameplay remains as popular as ever.

However, times and technology have changed, and its dated nature had started to show up. Things turned positive earlier in the year when the classic reimagining of the game was shown to a global audience. It's not a remaster, but what Nvidia has managed to do is far more than that.

With the help of technologies like ray tracing, the game returned to life 15 years after its original release. The change has been so dramatic that some might need to play the title to believe it. However, it's not rocket science, and one can quite easily see how Portal has been completely revamped.

---

Nvidia's magic pill for the Portal revamp has been the use of tools like ray tracing and DLSS 3

When Nvidia showcased the RTX 40 series cards earlier in 2022, a core aspect of it was the emphasis on advanced tools. The tech giant is a pioneer in technological advancements, with features like ray tracing and DLSS, among other things.

While recent releases perfectly epitomize their effectiveness, it has taken a 15-year-old game to show their true potential.

Portal's RTX version showcases the potential of gaming and modding in the near future. As the game was completely rebuilt with ray tracing in every frame, it captured what can truly be done with the revolutionary technology. The implementation isn't just on paper, as a side-by-side video captured a huge jump in graphical fidelity.

Full ray tracing is an even more refined version of normal application, which unifies its effects across all dimensions. In simpler words, lighting effects will be uniform, and its effects can even travel through portals. It would have been almost impossible to believe fifteen years back, but it's not science fiction.

The full ray tracing done by the Remix RTX is reportedly more boosted than the standard version. This creates a new avenue for older games that offer sublime gameplay but come with dated visuals. With the help of new technology, Nvidia could have a massive ripple effect in the industry.

After all, it's not only developers who can take advantage of this. Modders can bring many old titles alive with their works, and the same was hinted at by showcasing Skyrim as a possible example.

The core aspect of Portal is its ability to take things through the holes, and full ray tracing brings plenty of immersiveness. Players will enjoy advanced features like volumetric lighting, among other things, thanks to the technology, which has been used to rebuild the game from the ground up.

One huge advantage that players would also get is higher FPS. This has been possible largely thanks to the DLSS 3 technology that will be featured on the Series 40 cards.

Nvidia has previously demonstrated the difference its implementation can create on suitable devices. The presence of DLSS 3, even with or without ray tracing, makes a huge difference in visual fidelity, especially on higher resolutions.

The possibilities are endless, and Portal with full ray tracing shows what more can be done for classic titles. With Reflex technology, players can also expect lower latency and faster responsiveness. It has been in the works for some time now and has already been implemented in certain games.

The ray-traced version of the 2007 release is a testament to how developers can reverse the aging process for video games.