Back in August 2023, NVIDIA announced that it was working with several Half-Life 2 mod makers to create Half-Life 2 RTX. Those mod makers were using software tools from NVIDIA called RTX Remix that can remaster older Direct X 8 and 9 games with modern graphical effects.
Today, as part of its CES 2024 announcements, NVIDIA announced that it will launch an open beta of its RTX Remix tools on January 22. That means any PC game modder can get these tools and begin remastering older games with new visuals.
NVIDIA's press release stated that RTX Remix will include an app that will actually remaster a game's assets, along with a runtime that will capture and retain the original ones in the remastered version.
Modders will be able to add features like "full ray tracing, NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, modern physically-based rendering (PBR) assets, and generative AI texture tools" into older games. Some of the games that could be remastered with RTX Remix, according to NVIDIA, include Call of Duty 2, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Garry's Mod, Freedom Fighters, Need for Speed Underground 2, and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.
In addition to releasing the tools, NVIDIA is working with the well-known PC gaming mod site ModDB.com to host RTX Remix-based remastered games. The mod site will let users upload games with file sizes as big as 50GB.
NVIDIA also posted a new trailer showing the Ravenholm section of Half-Life 2, which is now being remastered as part of the Half-Life 2 RTX: An RTX Remix Project. NVIDIA says there are now 65 team members working on this project. The company added:
Monstrous creatures like the zombies feature almost 30X the geometric detail in Half-Life 2 RTX, going from 4,200 triangles to a staggering 75,590 triangles. Father Grigori, similarly, is now composed of 68,341 polygons. Weapons have been updated, with the Gravity Gun featuring 7X the textures, and 70X the polygonal detail. Now the materials of your weapon, the glass, metals and plastics, react to the world around you, catching light, shadows and color as you move.
There's no word on when this project will be completed, but you can keep up with its progress on its official website.
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