Ray tracing is a technology that allows hardware acceleration on the new consoles. With ray tracing, the Series X has better dynamic shadows, physics-based lighting effects, and dynamic shadows. When implemented properly, the tech provides realism to game scenes. However, it has been difficult to get ray tracing working as it should. The Xbox Series X has capabilities to support the technology but so far there are no games that offer it. A preview of Minecraft with ray tracing was on the Microsoft Store in April before being removed. Because of the intensive processing required to run ray tracing, there have been too many compromises in quality across other areas of the gaming visuals. However, the recent improvements in machine learning mean ray tracing is improving too.
AMD Confirmation
According to a stream from AMD, it has finally devised a ray tracing system for Halo Infinite that works without compromising performance. The company was hosting its advance_gaming event and showed Halo Infinite running with ray tracing. Of course, we will have to take AMD’s word for it. While the company displays the game with ray tracing, compression from the stream will not show us the real thing. That kind of quality you need to see with eyes on a 4K display. Either way, AMD says the feature works and reports suggest players will get it with the launch of Halo Infinite Season 3. Microsoft is expected to roll out that season sometime in 2023. Tip of the day: For the most part, Windows apps are stable, but they can still be still thrown out of whack by updates or configuration issues. Many boot their PC to find their Microsoft Store isn’t working or their Windows apps aren’t opening. Luckily Windows 11 and Windows 10 have an automatic repair feature for apps that can resolve such issues.