NVIDIA GeForce RTX Ray Tracing In Battlefield V Explored Pre And Post Patch
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
DICE and NVIDIA worked relatively quickly to address many of the issues of the initial RTX implementation in Battlefield V, including performance. That said, we still believe things will continue to evolve moving forward. NVIDIA's RTX technology is blazing a new trail and it's going to take time for game developers and NVIDIA themselves to wring the most out of it they can. What we see represented here today, is not necessarily what we'll see further out in the future.
RTX and DXR will likely find their way in to many games in the months and years ahead, but a fast-paced FPS like BFV may not have been the best place to start for a few reasons. First, if you are stopping to look at all the pretty bits, you are a sitting duck for the enemy. For really skilled players, however, enabling RTX may even give an unfair advantage because they may be able to see reflections of other approaching players while hiding in cover. This point will be up for argument of course, but we felt it was worth mentioning nonetheless. At the very least, there is no denying that RTX clearly enhances the visual impact of the game and is a welcome step forward in in-game realism.
NVIDIA and DICE claimed up to 50-60% performance gains with this latest patch, and our numbers partially concur. We saw some massive increases in minimum frame rates, especially with the GeForce RTX 2070, though average frame rates didn't increase as much. Keep in mind, however, we tested the game in an area where ray traced elements were not spread across the entire map in an effort to see what a normal gaming experience, with different types of terrain and reflective surfaces, would be like. There will be areas in the game with a larger number of windows and lots of reflective water, which may see a heavier RTX penalty, but a more significant post-patch performance delta versus day one.
RTX and DXR will likely find their way in to many games in the months and years ahead, but a fast-paced FPS like BFV may not have been the best place to start for a few reasons. First, if you are stopping to look at all the pretty bits, you are a sitting duck for the enemy. For really skilled players, however, enabling RTX may even give an unfair advantage because they may be able to see reflections of other approaching players while hiding in cover. This point will be up for argument of course, but we felt it was worth mentioning nonetheless. At the very least, there is no denying that RTX clearly enhances the visual impact of the game and is a welcome step forward in in-game realism.
NVIDIA and DICE claimed up to 50-60% performance gains with this latest patch, and our numbers partially concur. We saw some massive increases in minimum frame rates, especially with the GeForce RTX 2070, though average frame rates didn't increase as much. Keep in mind, however, we tested the game in an area where ray traced elements were not spread across the entire map in an effort to see what a normal gaming experience, with different types of terrain and reflective surfaces, would be like. There will be areas in the game with a larger number of windows and lots of reflective water, which may see a heavier RTX penalty, but a more significant post-patch performance delta versus day one.
In the end, we feel this first taste of in-game RTX ray tracing action is rather impressive, despite the performance penalty. Considering how much things have improved in a relatively short amount of time, we suspect NVIDIA and DICE can further optimize RTX to not only improve performance but realism and immersion as well. Consumer adoption and the initial perception of RTX will likely improve as well, as we see more titles that showcase the benefits of the immersive experiences real-time Ray Tracing can create.
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