Science has never looked better.
Valve
If you were playing FPS games in 2007, you probably remember the Orange Box. Along with Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2, the box included a groundbreaking physics-based puzzle game called Portal.
Now, 15 years after Portal’s debut, it’s getting an unexpected update from Nvidia. At its 2022 GTC event, the graphics card maker announced it’s bringing ray-tracing to the original Portal.
Valve/Nvidia
In 2007, Portal looked great. It’s still not too shabby, just a bit dull even compared to its 2010 sequel. Regardless of how it looks, Portal is still worth playing.
Valve/Nvidia
The ray-tracing update just makes it a more beautiful experience, thanks to its enhanced lighting.
Valve
The original Portal’s reflective surfaces and shadowy corridors make it a better candidate for ray-tracing than you might expect.
You’ll need an RTX-capable graphics card to get the shiny new Portal experience. For those with money to burn, the $1,600 RTX 4090 further improves things with DLSS 3.
Portal with RTX is a free DLC update coming to Steam in November 2022.