Konstantin Seurer, a Mesa developer, has spent the past couple of months working on CPU-based Vulkan ray tracing—naturally, some folks will express scepticism about this project's practicality. Seurer has already set expectations with a brief message: "don't ask about performance." His GitLab merge request page attracted Michael Larabel's attention—the Phoronix founder and principal author was suitably impressed with Seurer's coding wizardry. He: "managed to implement support for VK_KHR_acceleration_structure, VK_KHR_deferred_host_operations, and VK_KHR_ray_query for Lavapipe. This Lavapipe Vulkan ray tracing support is based in part on porting code from the emulated ray tracing worked on for RADV with older Radeon GPUs." A lone screenshot provided evidence of Quake II running at 1 FPS with Vulkan ray tracing enabled—this "atrocious" performance was achieved thanks to a Mesa Lavapipe driver "implementing the Vulkan API for CPU-based execution."

VideoCardz has highlighted an older example of CPU-based rendering techniques: "this is not the first time we heard about ray tracing on the CPU in Quake. In 2008, Intel demonstrated Enemy Territory: Quake Wars running at 720p resolution at 14 to 29 FPS on 16 core and 20-35 FPS at 24 core CPUs (quad-socket). The basic implementation of ray tracing in 2008 is not comparable to complex ray tracing techniques designed for GPUs, thus the performance on modern system is actually much lower. Beyond that, that game was specifically designed for the Intel architecture and used a specific API to achieve that. Sadly, the original ET demo is no longer available, it would be interesting to see how it performs today." CPU-based Vulkan ray tracing is expected to hit public distribution channels with the rollout of Mesa 24.1. Several members of the Phoronix community reckon that modern AMD Threadripper PRO processors have the potential to post double-digit in-game frame rates.

The game that jump-started FPS as a popular game genre, DOOM, is now 30 years old! Released in 1993 by id Software, DOOM's shareware first mission is the most widely distributed PC game in history, and its paid full version continues to sell to this day, on Steam; with Bethesda having designed a modern game executable. DOOM is also one of the most popular game franchises, with close to a dozen titles across platforms. With Bethesda's acquisition of Zenimax, the franchise got a fresh breath of live through the 2010s, first DOOM (2016), and then the smash hit DOOM Eternal.

The original team that designed DOOM, ace designers John Romero and Tom Hall; and artist Adrian Carmack, congratulated gamers for making DOOM the indispensable piece of video gaming history that it is. DOOM is among the games that turned the PC into a serious gaming platform, as games on PCs were seen mostly as a novelty software for what was predominantly a machine for work. To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of DOOM, John Romero announced the release of SIGIL II, the unofficial sixth episode of the original DOOM. Due to commercial restrictions, the WAD (where's all the data?) files for SIGIL and SIGIL II are free, but you can support Romero's work by buying its unique soundtrack that's been developed by Buckethead and THOR; collectible boxes, and other merchandise.

We're excited to announce that we're once again partnering with Computer Upgrade King to provide our attendees with the ability to rent either a monitor and or a full PC set up. As an added bonus to our Elite ticket holders, Computer Upgrade King is offering a special rental package with a 34" Ultrawide Monitor! For more information, and to secure yours today, visit beth.games/43obykp.

Need a rig? Reserve your computer at QuakeCon 2023. It's official! After three years of digital-only events, QuakeCon 2023 will mark the return of the beloved BYOC, in-person at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas from Thursday, August 10 through Sunday, August 13.

QuakeCon 2023 Returns to its Roots, Reuniting Fans with a Modern Upgrade to the Classic BYOC - It's official! After three years of digital-only events, QuakeCon 2023 will mark the return of the beloved BYOC, in-person at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas from Thursday, August 10 through Sunday, August 13.

"QuakeCon is our favorite event of the year, and we can't wait to finally see our incredible QuakeCon community in-person again, celebrate games, and frag all weekend with thousands of friends." said Marty Stratton, Studio Head, id Software. "For our first year back, QuakeCon 2023 is focusing on the fan favorite BYOC and the players that made QuakeCon the best gaming gathering for more than 25 years."

American McGee has been busy (since 2017) with the pre-production phase of his proposed follow up to 2011's Alice: Madness Returns. The third game in the series was going to be called Alice: Asylum, but after recent interactions with Electronic Arts McGee has admitted that: "Alice had a good run but the dream is over." McGee and a team of collaborators (artists, writers, designers, modelers and producers) have contributed to a massive Alice: Asylum Design Bible, and it was hoped that after many years of negotiations with EA, that the large chunk of presentation material would provide enough motivation for the publisher to sign up for a push into full development. The Alice: Asylum Design Bible was financed via fan contributions, through the Patreon crowd funding platform.

The publisher has decided to not finance the Asylum project, and will pursue other routes with the Alice intellectual property. McGee provided an update on the game's Patreon page: "After several weeks of review, EA has come back with a response regarding funding and/or licensing for Alice: Asylum. On the question of funding, they have ultimately decided to pass on the project based on an internal analysis of the IP, market conditions, and details of the production proposal. On the question of licensing, they replied that "Alice" is an important part of EA's overall game catalog, and selling or licensing it isn't something they're prepared to do right now."

A job posting with ZeniMax media, the Microsoft-owned game publisher that holds id Software, Bethesda, Machine Games, among other big studios, reveals that id Software is already working on its next first-person shooter. The posting calls for a UI programmer and senior graphics programmer, to "work on legendary id games for PC and next-generation console systems."

It's anybody's guess what this game could be—the next DOOM, making the 2016 reboot part of a trilogy? The next Quake, with MOBA elements or the Ranger timeline reboot? Definitely not the next Wolfenstein, since Machine Games handles the franchise? Something entirely new? Regardless, the posting hints at the likelihood of this new title only targeting PC and next-gen consoles (Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5), cutting out legacy ones (Xbox One, and PlayStation 4).

As most of the DOOM Eternal fans are informed, on June 29th, the latest installment in the DOOM series of games, DOOM Eternal, will be receiving a huge upgrade coming to all PC gamers. For the first time, PC players will get to experience NVIDIA's best pieces of technology, coming in a form of raytracing and NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). To celebrate that, the folks over at Bethesda Softworks and id Software have partnered with NVIDIA to launch a limited edition DOOM Eternal bundle. Called the "DOOM Eternal GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Limited Edition Demon Slayer Bundle", it will be a very scarce bundle made only in 300 copies.

Containing NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, the bundle is all about performance. However, what makes it special and different from buying a regular card is that it includes some additional products. For starters, the bundle includes Titanium Slayer Collectible mini-figure with matching aesthetics of the GPU, making it a real collectible item. Next up is a Titanium DOOM Eternal-GeForce RTX t-shirt, and an exclusive "DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods" oversized 15.75-inch x 35.44-inch mouse pad. Additionally, a $100 Bethesda Store credit and DOOM Eternal Deluxe Edition game code is included as well. Together, it forms a bundle that is limited to 300 pieces and costs 1450 USD. To join the raffle to purchase this bundle, you can enter here for North America, and here for Europe. Unfortunately, people from other regions can not enter. The raffle starts today, June 23, 2021, 5:00 AM (MST), and ends on July 7, 2021, 11:59 PM (MST). Winners will be announced on July 8th.

Microsoft announced their plans to purchase ZeniMax Media last year in a deal valued at 7.5 billion dollars which would give them 8 new game studios including Bethesda, id Software, Arkane Studios, and MachineGames. The deal is the largest acquisition by Microsoft yet increasing their game studio count from 15 to 23 and are adding several notable game series to their collection including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, DOOM, Prey, Dishonored, and Wolfenstein. Microsoft has announced that all these titles will be made available as part of Xbox Game Pass which will make the service even more compelling to gamers. The European Commission has approved the purchase without conditions and pending approval in the US the acquisition looks likely to complete in the coming months. Microsoft has confirmed that the existing Deathloop timed PlayStation exclusive deal will continue and major leadership changes within the company are not expected.

Doom Eternal has been called one of the best first-person shooters ever. If you haven't already experienced its unique brand of fast-paced, push-forward, first-person combat, now's the time to blast your way into id Software's critically acclaimed game coming to Xbox Game Pass on October 1 and Xbox Game Pass for PC later in 2020.

In Doom Eternal, you step into the armor of the Slayer, an unstoppable and unyielding force with a singular mission - Raze Hell and save humanity. Battle demons in an epic single-player campaign that takes you to Earth, to Mars, through Hell, and across dimensions never seen before.

The first big DLC of 2020's bright spots, "DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part One" will release on 20th October, 2020, and will be available to holders of the Year One Season Pass. id Software posted the first full-length trailer of the DLC, which serves as an extension of the original's campaign. The fall of the Khan Makyr has imbalanced creation. Doomguy along with his Makyr ally, the Seraphim, has to fight his way back to Urdak to restore the balance of power. On his way, he will face new horrors as the trailer reveals.

We spy several new levels across the four worlds - the Earth, Hell, the Sentinel homeworld, and Urdak. There are several new enemies, including the summoner, which makes a comeback from DOOM (2016), but completely changed from the Archvile. It now possesses, heals, and possibly buffs demons in an arena. There's a new Makyr heavy which we put in the same category as the DOOM Hunter. A scene also shows us resurrect a Titan of Hell. Do we finally get to use the mech inside the Fortress of DOOM? Find out this October.The trailer follows.

Bethesda over the weekend posted a teaser to the very first expansion of DOOM Eternal, one of 2020's brighter spots. Titled "The Ancient Gods, Part One," (which indicates more parts); the DLC is an expansion of the original's campaign, and appears to pick off from it. Urdak (a dimension that's compared to Heaven) is in tatters and swarming with demons following the events of "Eternal," and Doomguy is resurrected by Father (creator of the universe) to clean it up. The teaser features a monologue by Father that sounds an awful lot like Vega. "Am I the Father?" were its last words as it was consumed by Urdak's computers. The 30-second teaser shows us an Urdak-like locale, demons with a new blue buff, possibly as they're resurrected by the summoner (which makes a comeback from DOOM (2016)). We also see a new more formidable makyr heavy enemy than the walking piñatas from "Eternal." Beth will post an extended trailer on August 27, at Opening Night Live of Gamescom 2020.The teaser follows.

Someone at Bethesda or id Software thought it was a good idea to retrofit "Doom Eternal" with the vastly unpopular Denuvo DRM as an anti-cheat component, two months following its March launch, as part of "Update 1" (a major game patch). This invited the wrath of gamers as they review-bombed the game on Steam. The game's executive producer Marty Stratton took to Reddit, to announce that Denuvo will be removed in the game's next update (without announcing a timeline), while defending it. Stratton maintains that the performance issues noticed in Update 1 are not related to the Denuvo implementation. If you've read our comprehensive review of Denuvo, where we go into the technical aspects of the DRM solution, you'll know that it can be implemented in a number of ways, some of which inflict performance penalties.Image Courtesy Modern Vintage Gamer

NVIDIA today released a major update to Quake II RTX that add even more eye-candy to the game, leveraging RTX. Quake II RTX, promoted by NVIDIA, is a playable tech-demo for its RTX real-time ray-tracing technology that's based on a classic 3D game so it runs on nearly all DXR-compatible graphics cards (GeForce GTX 10-series, 16-series, and RTX 20-series). It comes with id Software's shareware 1st episode content, although you can add your own licensed game data for the full game.

With version 1.2, NVIDIA added support for a boatload of modern technology, beginning with support for dynamic resolution scaling. Much like watching online videos with resolution toggle set to "auto" (which adjusts resolution based on your Internet bandwidth), dynamic resolution scaling adjusts the rendering resolution of your game on the fly in pursuit of a frames-per-second target. NVIDIA also remastered several textures of the game, increasing texture detail. Over 400 textures have been redone by NVIDIA, adding detail. Support is added for multiple reflection/refraction bounces, which makes it possible to create a "hall of mirrors" effect. NVIDIA implemented light shafts or god rays throughout the game, including underwater light shafts. Light shafts also get reflected off certain metal or glass surfaces. NVIDIA also improved the AI denoiser for the game. Metal and glass surfaces are made to appear more photo-real thanks to denoiser improvements. Find many other technical changes in the official change-log below.DOWNLOAD: Quake II RTX v1.2

In heartbreaking news to slayers prepping for the hotly anticipated addition to the franchise, DOOM Eternal, id Software announced that the game's release has been delayed to the 20th of March, 2020, from its earlier 22nd November 2019 release. In its announcement, id Software put quality-assurance as the main reason behind the delay. The developer assured gamers that the game will be worth the additional 5 months of wait. id also announced a few updates, namely Invasion Mode, a gameplay mode that allows you to "invade" another player's game as a playable demon, a Nintendo Switch version that follows the other platforms, and the availability of DOOM 64 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

In another iD Software game supporting ray tracing (we already know Wolfenstein: Young Blood will support it), id Software's Marty Stratton confirmed that DOOM Eternal will also support the graphics technology. In what capacity, it is unclear as of yet; whether for a global illumination solution, like Metro: Exodus, or just for reflections and shadows like most games seem to be using, is unknown at this point. Looking back at how the "original" DOOM looked, and considering changes to graphics technologies under the new iD Tech 7 engine, however, DOOM Eternal really is looking to be one of the best looking games - at least on the PC platform.

As Marty Stratton put it, "RTX makes it look, you know, amazing. There are great benefits but it doesn't necessarily expand our audience or that the way that the way that something like Stadia does so, but absolutely people can look forward to DOOM Eternal and id Tech 7 supporting ray tracing. Absolutely. I mean we love that stuff, the team loves it and I think we'll do it better than anybody honestly."

We knew this was coming, especially after Google's teaser from earlier this month. Project Stream was a proof-of-concept in collaboration with Ubisoft, to see whether AAA gaming was possible over the internet. Things were smooth most of the time in our own experience, but there remained questions over how the concept would translate over to a finished product, especially with infrastructure challenges on the client side of things. Google's keynote at GDC just wrapped up, and the main focus was Stadia- the now named cloud gaming service borne out of Project Stream.

Stadia is built with instant access in mind. An example demo came in the form of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Odyssey, which was used in the public test before. It is integrated with partner YouTube channels such that a trailer for a supported game would have an option to play said game, which would then launch immediately. Stadia is built with support from a wide partner network including AMD, Unity, id Software, and more, with details seen past the break.

Christoph Schied reimagined the 1990s cult-classic "Quake II" with real-time ray-tracing, using the Vulkan API and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20-series hardware exposing the "VK_NV_ray_tracing" extension. Called "Q2VKPT," this game based on id Software's open-source Quake II code, implemented real-time path-tracing to make the lighting more physically accurate. NVIDIA expanded on Schied's work with "Quake II RTX," which is possibly the world's first game that is fully real-time ray-traced.

This NVIDIA rendition of Q2VKPT leverages NVIDIA's RTX for Vulkan to ensure all lighting, shadows, reflections, and other visual effects are ray-traced and denoised using NVIDIA's AI-accelerated denoiser. Unless it somehow scored higher-resolution texture assets from id Software, NVIDIA could also be using a GPU-accelerated upscaler to improve texture resolution. It's also possible that ambient-occlusion methods such as HBAO+ are in play to add apparent geometric detail to some of the surfaces in the game. NVIDIA hasn't made Quake II RTX public yet, although you could take the path-traced Q2VKPT for a spin. You'll need an RTX 20-series graphics card and the latest drivers.

Developed by id Software, DOOM Eternal is the direct sequel to the award-winning and best-selling DOOM (2016). Experience the ultimate combination of speed and power as you rip-and-tear your way across dimensions with the next leap in push-forward, first-person combat. Powered by idTech 7 and set to an all-new pulse-pounding soundtrack composed by Mick Gordon, DOOM Eternal puts you in control of the unstoppable DOOM Slayer as you blow apart new and classic demons with powerful weapons in unbelievable and never-before-seen worlds.

Bethesda Software announced the next entry to its 2010s reboot of the iconic "Wolfenstein" franchise, titled "Youngblood." The game is slated for 2019. Apparently, BJ Blazkowicz and Anya have twin daughters, who BJ raises to be badasses like himself, to take the fight to the Nazis in Europe, 19 years after the events of "The New Colossus." The reveal trailer depicts two female protagonists with a heavy Southern US accent, beginning their quest in 1980s Paris. It's the age of the microcassette and early Techno. The same team that put together the past three "Wolfenstein" titles is working on this one, with Bethesda/Zenimax as the publishers, Machine Games the development studio, and IDTech 6 being the underlying technology.The reveal trailer follows.

Mankind is in peril. In the decades following an asteroid's devastation, most of the earth has become an unforgiving wildland where bloodthirsty factions vie for control of precious resources. Pockets of civilization have emerged to claim their space in the world, but the tentative peace they've established is being threatened. RAGE 2 follows Walker, the last Ranger of Vineland, as he fights to survive the chaos of the dystopian world into which he was born. With a wide array of weapons, vehicles and strange powers, Walker sets off to take down the tyrannical Authority. Get your first look at the insane action in the worldwide gameplay reveal trailer below and check out the live action teaser released on May 14 here. RAGE 2 will be launching on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in 2019.

The Open-World Shooterverse
It's the perfect mix: id Software's first-person shooter pedigree, Avalanche Studios' mastery of the open world sandbox, with a healthy dose of pedal-to-the-metal vehicle combat. From the swamplands and jungles where enemies lurk among the dense foliage, to the open deserts where a passing car is more likely to mow you down than offer you a ride, the world of RAGE 2 is not a gentle, nurturing place. The people who have survived in this landscape have had to learn to protect themselves and keep their heads on a swivel, especially with the reemergence of a familiar menace.

Quake Champions continues to grow and evolve in Early Access thanks to new content, features, and improvements driven by feedback from the community. Next Thursday, 15th March, id Software will roll out the next big free update for Quake Champions, delivering new ways to play and fun new looks. This will include the return of Instagib - the first new game mode added since closed beta - the introduction of 'No Abilities Mode' in custom games; a new 2v2 version of Ranked Play for competitive players and a variety of fresh seasonal cosmetics to commemorate the coming of Spring.

id Software has continued to update and improve Quake Champions throughout Early Access based on the feedback and requests of the player community. This week on Dec. 14, Quake Champions will receive one of its largest updates to date, delivering new content and features including a new Champion, Keel, who returns from Quake 3 Arena and Quake Live; a new arena for Duel and 2v2, Vale of Pnath; Ranked Play and Leaderboards; plus a ton of festive, holiday-themed gear and maps for a limited time.

If you are feeling nostalgic or want to see what all the fuss was about regarding those legendary Quake games, id Software has you covered. In looking for extra knowledge on how to fine-tune its game and servers, the game developer is asking that you sign up for the challenge, which you can do on the game's website. Even though there has been a closed beta already for close to a month, if you didn't make it, now is your chance.

The tech test will start on May 12 and run through May 21, during which time you'll be able to play anytime throughout the testing period. In the game, you'll find three game modes the Beta testers have already driven into their minds and quick trigger fingers - Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Duel. However, id Software is debuting another, fourth mode, Sacrifice, which pits two teams with four players each. Expect some nuances on the details of this game mode's workings, but if an image is worth a thousand words, a trek through the game should be worth slightly more than that.

id Software, the pioneering game studio behind "Doom" and "Quake," in a marketing video about how its developers and gamers are benefiting from AMD Ryzen processors, hinted that it is working on a new next-generation game engine that succeeds idTech 6, which is heavily optimized for AMD Ryzen processors. id CTO Robert Duffy spoke at length about how Ryzen is putting more CPU capabilities in the hands of gamers at attractive price-points, which is letting game developers add that much more content and production design that benefits from this level of parallelism and performance.

The most interesting part about Duffy's comment comes later in the video, where he talks about a new game engine that id is working on, which will be "far more parallel than idTech 6" (far more multi-core and multi-thread friendly), and that it will be able to consume "all of the CPU [compute power] that Ryzen can offer." Duffy also confirmed that "Quake Champions," the studio's upcoming online hero-based FPS, will be optimized for both Ryzen and Radeon Vega.The video follows.

With the success of Blizzard's "Overwatch," it's only natural for game studio Bethesda to develop the oldest, most successful hero-based FPS brand from the early 2000s, "Quake III Arena," into a brand-new title that keeps up with the times, and perhaps even sets new standards. That title is "Quake Champions," and Bethesda is tapping into big id Software talent in its development.

"Quake Champions" will by driven by a proprietary engine that's not id Tech 6. This game will take advantage of the Vulkan API, besides an OpenGL fallback, and as part of an agreement between Bethesda and AMD, it could feature optimization for AMD Ryzen processors. "Quake Champions" will build on the things that made Quake III Arena a cult-classic, besides featuring a cutting-edge production design. Besides PC, the game will launch on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms.