The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update New Comparison Videos Highlight Excellent Ray Tracing Implementation On PC

The Witcher 3 next-gen update is going live in a few hours, and it looks like fans of the third entry in the series by CD Projekt Red are in for a threat, especially if they will play the game on PC, judging from a few new comparison videos.

The first new comparison video, shared by ElAnalistaDeBits, compares all versions of the next-gen update, highlighting the excellent implementation of ray tracing on PC, better screenspace reflections in performance mode on PlayStation 5, and better performance on Xbox Series X with ray tracing.

– PS5 and Xbox Series S offer two modes: Ray-Tracing or Performance. Xbox Series S also offers two modes: Quality or Performance.
– Ray-Tracing mode on consoles only applies to global illumination of the sun, moon and fire. Xbox Series S does not have Ray-Tracing. This mode also improves the quality of SSR reflections.
– PS5 has better SSR reflections in performance mode compared to Xbox Series X in some areas.
– Xbox Series S has lower settings. Performance mode reduces draw distance, vegetation quality and shadows.
–  The Witcher 3 next-gen PC Ray-Tracing shows a palpable difference. It is the only version with Ray-Tracing for global illumination, shadows and reflections.
– On PC, Ray-Tracing has some visual bugs in shadows and reflections. These are expected to be fixed with future patches.
– PS5 has a slightly more noticeable pop-in than the other versions.
– Series X performs better with Ray-Tracing, but PS5 offers better performance in Performance mode.
– PS5 has better loading times.
– In some areas,Series X resolution is higher than PS5 and vice versa, but overall both have a similar average resolution.
– On Xbox Series S I recommend Quality mode, while on PS5 and Xbox Series X I would choose Performance mode.
– Hairworks still marks an advantage on the PC version in terms of the fur on some models. However, this technique does not behave correctly with Ray-Tracing global illumination.

As already mentioned, the PC version of The Witcher 3 next-gen update features an excellent ray tracing implementation, which makes quite a difference, judging by the comparison video below shared by Cycu1.

The Witcher 3 next-gen update goes live tomorrow, December 14th, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. You can learn more about everything the update brings to the game by reading the official update notes.