NVIDIA is delivering a huge graphical update to the cult game Portal. Portal with RTX is to be tested urgently as the result is breathtaking.
When Valve launched Portal in 2007, it was a real revelation. Critics and gamers praised the game for its innovative gameplay, the tongue-in-cheek spirit of GLaDOS (theartificial intelligence upsets you during your mission) and its unique approach to storytelling. But 2007 is a date that goes back a long way today. If this gameplay still works 15 years later, this is not the case with the graphics. Fortunately, here comes a graphic update, completely free of charge.
NVIDIA offers a huge graphics update to the cult game Portal
Portal with RTX is a 2022 reinterpretation of the original graphics of Portal. The game uses NVIDIA’s RTX Remix tool, which helped deliver similar updates for Quake II et Minecraft. Portal thus wins ray-tracing, for very detailed environments and with dynamic lighting. The light thus bounces and interacts with each surface in the game. These are also very detailed – floors, walls, ceilings – with very rich and realistic textures.
But it’s not just ray-tracing in this Portal with RTX. NVIDIA also rebuilt textures and models from scratch. Everything from the portals to your weapon has a totally modern look. The difference is obvious, it’s day and night, enough to give the impression that this 15-year-old game was released at the same time as God of War Ragnarök or Elder Ring.
Portal with RTX is to be tested urgently as the result is breathtaking
One of the very interesting aspects of Portal original is that it runs on almost any machine. This is unfortunately, and logically, not the case for Portal with RTX. To be able to enjoy it in 1080p 30 fps, NVIDIA recommends, at a minimum, an RTX 3060 with DLSS 2. To play at 60 fps, you need an RTX 3080 with DLSS 2. And for 4K at 60 fps, you will need an RTX 4080 with DLSS 3, 16 GB of VRAM and 32 GB of RAM, just that!
Still, these are just recommendations. The update remains free to anyone who purchased Portal on PC. To test on your machine, you will see.