Original Half-Life 2 vs. RTX: A Comparison

Digital Foundry's YouTube channel has released an extensive hour-long video that delves into a detailed comparison between the original Half-Life 2 from 2004 and the upcoming remaster, Half-Life 2 RTX. This remaster, developed by Orbifold Studios, a team of seasoned modders, aims to significantly enhance the visual experience of the classic game. Utilizing NVIDIA's advanced tools, the project promises to introduce enhanced lighting, new assets, ray tracing, and support for DLSS 4, offering players a visually stunning upgrade. Importantly, this remaster will be available for free to those who already own Half-Life 2 on Steam, although a specific release date has yet to be announced.

Starting March 18, players can get a taste of what's to come with a free demo that will allow them to explore two of the game's most iconic locations: the eerie, abandoned city of Ravenholm and the formidable Nova Prospekt prison. A recently released trailer has already given fans a glimpse of the game's impressive ray tracing capabilities and the performance-enhancing DLSS 4 technology.

The video from Digital Foundry, which runs for a record-breaking 75 minutes, provides an in-depth analysis of gameplay footage from both Ravenholm and Nova Prospekt. The experts at Digital Foundry meticulously compare the remastered visuals to the original, showcasing the dramatic improvements achieved by Orbifold Studios. The team is working tirelessly on high-resolution textures, advanced lighting, ray tracing, and DLSS 4 integration, aiming to transform Half-Life 2 into a visually breathtaking experience.

While the results have been met with high praise from Digital Foundry's experts, they did note some occasional frame rate drops in certain areas. Despite these minor hiccups, the overall transformation of Half-Life 2 RTX is nothing short of remarkable, breathing new life into this legendary game and setting a new standard for what modding can achieve.