Ray tracing is a technology that is gaining popularity in the gaming industry. The technology allows the calculation of light and shadow in real time and allows players to more realistic and immersive experiences close.
However, sometimes this technology is so hardware-hungry that it’s not worth turning on ray tracing. Of course, it depends a lot on the game and the graphics card.
And nevertheless: According to Nvidia, even gamers with the first generation of ray tracing graphics cards (Nvidia RTX 2000 series) use ray tracing very often. At yesterday’s launch of the RTX 4070, they showed us data.
We have one below Survey prepared for you. We would be happy if you take part.
Realistic light when gaming – ray tracing is so popular
The first RTX graphics card came onto the market in 2018. User behavior has changed significantly since then.
The use of ray tracing and DLSS has changed over time. Nvidia’s numbers show that during the reign of the Turing architecture, these features were initially much less popular than they were in 2023. A table shows the clear trend across generations.
Note that the February 2023 RTX 20 and RTX 30 numbers are in fine print below the RTX 40 headline (and the image to the right). Nvidia collects all of this data through the GeForce Experience software, so it doesn’t track everyone using these GPUs.
The latest data comes from February this year:
| graphics card generation | RTX On | DLSS |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 20 | 37% | 68% |
| RTX 30 | 56% | 71% |
| RTX 40 | 83% | 79% |
RTX On is less popular in the first generation of graphics cards that support real-time ray tracing in hardware. DLSS then came along later and became much more attractive a few years after the launch of the RTX 20 line.
DLSS usage is increasing with new generations. This is probably because more and more games support them and the implementation is constantly improving.
In this graphic, Nvidia shows how many graphics features have been developed and implemented since 2018.
Also interesting: Players with the RTX 40 series turn on ray tracing even more often than DLSS. Which is probably a bit unusual, because the upscaling technology usually helps the game run smoothly, especially when ray tracing is activated.
Nvidia states on the slide that the number of games and apps supporting this real-time ray tracing technology has grown from just four RTX On titles in 2018 to 400.
This graph shows the percentage of features and setups used with one of the Nvidia RTX 40 series.
The last slide shows that people with the latest graphics cards from the RTX 40 series are most likely to want the features. This is not surprising considering that someone would spend a lot of money to enjoy this gaming experience.
Important: It’s unclear how the GeForce Experience counts a user as someone who has RTX and DLSS turned on. It’s probably best to look at the numbers with some skepticism overall. Organizations tend to present their data positively to “prove” that their technologies are successful.
Poll: what do you use?
We want to know from you and have prepared a survey for you. Do you even use an RTX graphics card? If so, do you use ray tracing? Please let us know:
Now it’s your turn! Are you surprised by the figures that Nvidia has published? Would you have expected such numbers for RTX On and DLSS? And what experiences have you had with ray tracing? Indispensable, nice gimmick and unnecessary frills? Write it to us in the comments!
