Original Half-Life 2 vs RTX: A Comparison

Digital Foundry’s YouTube channel has recently unveiled an extensive hour-long video that dives deep into a side-by-side comparison of the original Half-Life 2 from 2004 and its upcoming remaster, Half-Life 2 RTX. Developed by Orbifold Studios, a team renowned for their modding prowess, this remaster promises a visual overhaul that includes enhanced lighting, new assets, ray tracing, and the integration of NVIDIA's DLSS 4 technology. Excitingly, this remaster will be available at no additional cost to those who already own Half-Life 2 on Steam, although an official release date has yet to be announced.

Gamers eager to get a taste of what’s to come can mark their calendars for March 18, when a free demo will be released. This demo will allow players to explore two of the game's most memorable settings: the eerie, abandoned city of Ravenholm and the foreboding Nova Prospekt prison. Prior to this announcement, a new trailer highlighted the stunning ray tracing effects and the performance enhancements offered by DLSS 4, which significantly boosts frame rates.

The video from Digital Foundry, clocking in at a record-breaking 75 minutes, offers an in-depth analysis of gameplay footage from Ravenholm and Nova Prospekt. The experts at Digital Foundry meticulously compare the visuals of the remastered version with the original, showcasing the dramatic enhancements achieved by Orbifold Studios.

Orbifold Studios is diligently working to incorporate high-resolution textures, advanced lighting techniques, ray tracing, and DLSS 4 into Half-Life 2 RTX. While Digital Foundry's experts were thoroughly impressed by the visual upgrades, they did note some occasional frame rate drops in specific areas. Nevertheless, the overall transformation is nothing short of remarkable, injecting fresh life into this iconic game.