Are there any older games that you would like to see remastered to take full advantage of today's graphics technology? Sure, there have been some, like "Quake 2" and "Portal," but these were not mods, as you had to download the entire updated game. However, with the release of Nvidia's RTX Remix open beta, you can now create your own mods for any DirectX 8 or 9 game

.

However, overhauling the graphics of older games is no mean feat, especially when it comes to writing good shaders and other code.

Nvidia first announced this in September 2022, and the premise was quite brilliant: run an old game and capture its assets (texture maps, etc.) using the Remix tool. Run an old game, capture its assets (texture maps, etc.) using the Remix tool, and then apply modern magic to that program to increase resolution and apply much better lighting.

Once done, you can bundle everything into a universal pack that can be uploaded to a mod database for others to use, or simply inject it into your game and enjoy the shiny new visuals.

RTX remixes are only allowed to be used by a handful of select developers and are kept out of the hands of the general public. However, the latest beta version is available to everyone.

RTX has two versions: one is a runtime used to capture game assets and inject updated assets, and the other does all the necessary asset magic. The so-called creator apps allow you to do some pretty slick things:

The runtime allows you to experiment with new lighting models and other shader effects in real time while playing the game. This includes enabling other aspects of Nvidia's technology portfolio such as DLSS 3, Reflex, RTX IO, etc.

Half-Life 2 is a somewhat well-known game (don't worry if you've never played it), but it is now getting the full RTX Remix treatment by Orbifold Studios. Literally every RTX technology is crammed into the game, but ignore that: just look at what better models, textures, and lighting bring to the game.

One particularly nice aspect of the RTX Remix is the mod format generated using the OpenUSD framework (Universal Scene Description), which means that upgraded assets can be further tweaked with tools like Blender This means that upgraded assets can be further tweaked with tools such as Blender.

And to make it even easier for people to distribute Remix MODs, Nvidia has partnered with the owners of ModDB.

The largest mod database has a section dedicated to RTX Remix projects, which can store up to 50 GB of your work.

I can't wait to start experimenting with RTX Remix; it may not make Deus Ex look late-racy and nice, but there are other things that pique my interest. I have many fond memories of using the old 3DMark benchmarking tools, and if I could give any of them an RTX paint job, I would be very happy.