Well, colour me shocked, there's a piece about Fortnite going up that isn't about the Epic vs Apple lawsuit. Naturally, I had to mention it right at the start because why wouldn't I do something so predictable? Exactly. Anyway, in a move that wasn't exactly predictable, but likely should have been because Minecraft of all games has RTX and other features, Fortnite is getting the whole gamut.

　　Announced today alongside NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 30 series of GPU's, it has been revealed that Fortnite will get a host of new features that include four ray-traced features, DLSS and NVIDIA Reflex, looking to bring a whole new look, feel and life to the game. Before I go on to say what exactly it's getting, you can watch the trailer:

　　Matt Wuebbling, the vice president of Global GeForce Marketing at NVIDIA has this to say:

　　Epic Games is turning Fortnite, which is already a pop culture sensation, into a showcase for how competitive gaming will improve with technology. Fortnite players are about to experience the stunning visuals of next-level ray tracing, AI-accelerated frame rates powered by NVIDIA DLSS, and our new low-latency esports technology suite, NVIDIA Reflex.

　　So, what are the features getting pushed into the game? Let's start with the four ray-traced features that will look to bring the visuals of Fortnite to a whole new level:

　　Ray-traced reflections – Recreates the way light reflects on glossy and metal surfaces, including smooth natural mirrors like window glass and rougher surfaces like brushed metal.Ray-traced shadows – Accurately models shadowing on many surfaces while enhancing surface and contact detail, and fixes problems associated with traditional shadow techniques.Ray-traced global illumination – Calculates world lighting with massively increased precision, illuminating Fortnite’s environments, players and characters with unprecedented detail, fidelity and clarity.Ray-traced ambient occlusion – Where objects or surfaces meet, light is occluded, creating subtle shadows that can highlight the slightest of surface details.DLSS, as we know, will look to sharpen the image quality while also boosting framerate, something that is always needed in a competitive game like Fortnite. Finally, there is the inclusion of NVIDIA Reflex, something that is said to measure and reduce system latency, letting people improve responsiveness and increase their precision. Again, something pretty useful in a game that has you shooting at each other, particularly over large distances. Maybe I'll finally be able to hit my target.

　　Fortnite is one of the very first games to support NVIDIA Reflex, with Nick Penwarden, vice president of Engineering at Epic Games having this to say:

　　NVIDIA Reflex technology arms developers with new features to minimize latency in their games. We’re seeing excellent responsiveness and player control with Fortnite running on the GeForce RTX 30 Series.

　　Will you be trying out all the new features of Fortnite? I'm certainly curious to see how the game looks with reflections on, maybe you can use reflections to your advantage, spotting an ambush before it happens. If you like, you can read the full information here.