Ray tracing has pretty much become the gold standard in improving video game visual qualitiy and performance. With Nvidia's RTX used in many popular titles, including Call of Duty and Cyberpunk 2077, it's more and more common for it to be implemented, sometimes after the fact. IO Interactive's Hitman 3 is one of the more recent games to receive the ray tracing treatment. However, it may not be as impressive as many had hoped it would be.
In a recent benchmark test conducted by DSO Gaming, Hitman 3 was put through its paces to see exactly how well the AI update works on the 2021 stealth title. Using an Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card, and an Intel i9 990K processor, all running on 16 GB of DDR 4 memory, it appears as though the game is not performing as smoothly as intended, with frames frequently dropping to below 50 fps, even with DLSS Performance Mode turned on. While the report concedes that certain areas in the game, such as Dubai, do have a lot of crowds to render, it's felt that proper optimization should have taken care of any performance drops.
Ray tracing for Hitman 3 has been in the pipeline for some time now. Although still an impressive looking game without it, RT is a popular and important way of implementing visual and performance boosts, and is something that a lot of AAA titles are inevitably getting. The fact that it seems to run under what may have been expected will no doubt be sad news to many who have been waiting for the update to the game. It could simply be an optimization issue, so perhaps a future patch will help iron any kinks out. The report goes on to say that more screenshots from the benchmark test will be provided at a later date.
For those who don't know, ray tracing is an AI technique used in gaming, which aims to make a video game's world look more realistic, particularly when it comes to lighting and shadows. Many who see side-by-side comparisons will likely notice things like improved reflections in puddles of water or on lakes, for example. While it's not new technology per se, it's only really the last few years that have allowed it to be implemented in video games in better and more efficient ways.
As part of one of the best espionage series out there, Hitman 3 has been met with huge praise. It's possible that many will not be too concerned about the ray tracing upgrade, and just prefer to enjoy the gameplay. But there will be some graphical purists out there who are interested in getting the most out of their hardware, and the test by DSO Gaming could be off-putting.
Hitman 3 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: DSO Gaming