With the upcoming next-generation release of The Witcher 3 drawing near, attention on social and video platforms in Canada and the United States is ramping up. Viewers are comparing how the game’s visuals have advanced since the 2015 release, focusing on lighting, textures, and the overall sense of immersion that the ray tracing and improved rendering bring to modern hardware.
The initial clip showcases a side-by-side look at ray tracing enabled and disabled, captured on a PC configured with an NVIDIA RTX 3080. The edge that ray tracing provides to global illumination and reflections is apparent, though results may vary with settings and scene composition. The video demonstrates the transformation in atmospheric lighting, sun and moon glow, and the fidelity of reflective surfaces when RT is active versus when it isn’t.
The second video broadens the comparison across platforms—PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X—highlighting how the next-gen edition scales visuals and performance. The author notes that console support for ray tracing is uneven, with Series S lacking RT in some scenarios and the effect primarily influencing global illumination, sun, moon, and certain reflective elements. The SSR reflections receive improvements too, depending on the platform and mode selected.
Key takeaways from this set of observations include:
- Console ray tracing commonly centers on global illumination for celestial lighting and fire, while some consoles may not support RT for all surfaces; this also affects reflection quality.
- On PlayStation 5, the Performance mode often delivers stronger SSR reflection quality in certain areas compared with Xbox Series X.
- Xbox Series S tends to use lower settings, trading off draw distance, vegetation detail, and shadow quality in performance-focused configurations.
- On PC, ray tracing reveals a pronounced difference, delivering true global illumination, shadows, and reflections that differ from console builds.
- PC ray tracing may show occasional visual glitches in shadows and reflections, issues that are typically addressed in ongoing patches.
- Xbox Series X finds a favorable balance with ray tracing, while PlayStation 5 often shines in faster load modes and snappy performance.
- Loading times on consoles remain a point of comparison, with PS5 generally offering brisker loads in many scenarios.
- Resolution parity varies by area and title, with both Series X and PS5 delivering high fidelity, sometimes favoring one platform in specific scenes while the other wins elsewhere.
- For Series S, Quality mode is typically preferred for a crisper image, whereas PS5 and Series X readers often lean toward Performance mode for steadier frame rates and smoother gameplay.
- Hair rendering still shows a slight edge on some PC configurations, but it may not harmonize perfectly with global illumination and ray tracing in every scene.
The third clip centers on the original PS4 version (including PS4 Pro) and the upgraded PS5 edition, offering insights into how the visuals have evolved alongside the console generation shift.
The conclusions drawn from this comparison reveal a few consistent threads:
- Ray tracing primarily affects the global illumination for sun, moon, and fire, with no RT dedicated to reflections or shadows in this study’s scope.
- RT enhances shadow area contrast, overall luminance balance, and ambient shading for certain elements, bringing greater depth to scenes.
- SSR reflections gain from the ray-traced lighting context, adding to visual clarity on reflective surfaces.
- Performance Mode trades these lighting details for a steadier 60 FPS and a medium resolution, offering smoother gameplay overall.
- Initial distant-shadow rendering can display minor issues in RT, a known temporary side effect expected to be resolved with patches.
- PS5 shows faster load times, with substantial reductions and quicker travel times compared with the older console era.
Overall, CD Projekt RED published a comparative look at the PS4 and PS5 editions using Skellige as a case study, illustrating how the next-gen transition redefines lighting, shadows, and texture fidelity across platforms.
Recall that the next-gen patch and accompanying update were set to roll out on December 14, with owners of the Full Edition eligible for the upgrade at no additional cost. The broader conversation about how these upgrades align with player expectations continues to shape the reception of the refreshed experience across regions in North America.
Source: VG Times [Citation: VG Times]