re: Witcher 3 Next-Gen Update will be available on 12/14

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I get it, though. It was a truly great game. I know people whine about remasters, but if it’s an all time great game, I’ll take a remaster every five years or so.

Still waiting to have my heart broken by the KotOR remake…

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Oh no doubt. I can't wait. I already had the PS4/PS5 version but went ahead and picked up the PC version since I now have a capable PC.

A good KotOR would be money.

I'm fine with remasters when they are done with care and are an attempt to make the game better.

I know it's not the most popular Elder Scrolls but I would personally love a proper remake of Morrowind. But instead we will probably get Skyrim Super Duper Special Anniversary Blue Moon Edition with 2 special helmets and 10 minutes extra gameplay. Skyrim is a GOAT game but it's time to move on.

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This game released May 18, 2015.

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And I beat the game on release. Will be fun to play through it again after so long, and with a much better PC than I had years ago.

I’m not an expert on laptop parts, but my knee jerk is that laptop would be slightly more powerful than a PS5. With that said, each system will have their own benefits. The PS5 is going to have less system overhead and more active dynamic resolution scaling, which might make the game feel smoother. On the other hand, the laptop will have access to far more robust graphics settings, as well as a nearly infinitely larger pool of game mods.

Honestly, I would try both to see if the PS5 feels markedly better. If it doesn’t, I would go PC due to the significantly higher capacity for customization.

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Just remembered that I never got around to finishing the DLCs for this so I’m pretty stoked about diving into that when the update drops.

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Oh damn, you're in for a treat. Both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are among my favorite DLC all time. Really good shite.

Pushsquare

New Content
This is entirely new content that has been added in The Witcher 3 PS5.
A new quest based on The Witcher Netflix show
A new (optional) appearance for Dandelion, based on The Witcher Netflix show
A new armour set for Geralt based on The Witcher Netflix show
New (optional) armour design for Nilfgaardian soliders based on The Witcher Netflix show
New weapons, armour, and items
A fully integrated photo mode, complete with editing tools and filters

Graphics
These are the ways in which The Witcher 3 PS5 has improved the game's visuals.
Higher resolution textures throughout the game
Improved character models
Improved environmental assets
More varied NPC (non-playable character) models, especially in cutscenes
30fps 'Quality' mode which has ray tracing support (resolution currently unconfirmed, 4K is expected)
60fps 'Performance' mode (resolution currently unconfirmed, although The Witcher 3 on PS4 Pro ran at a checkerboard 4K, so we're expecting similar here)
Better draw distance
More foliage, denser grasses
Improved lighting effects and illumination
Additional and more varied weather conditions, like fog

Technical
These are the ways in which The Witcher 3 PS5 is improved on a technical level.
Much improved load times, both when fast travelling and loading / reloading a save
Improved sound effect audio quality
Improved voiceover audio quality
3D audio support on PS5
Gameplay Additions
These are the gameplay additions featured in The Witcher PS5.
New 'Quickcast' system allows players to cast signs without having to open the radial menu — instead, you simply hold down a trigger and press the corresponding face button
New (optional) camera setting places the camera much closer to Geralt, over his right shoulder, which applies both in and out of combat
New (optional) movement settings for Geralt, where slow walking / sprinting is mapped to how far you're pushing the left stick
A 'hybrid' minimap option has been added, making the minimap and user interface fade away during gameplay until you press the focus button
Map filters let you customise how much information you can see on the map screen
You can now pause the game during cutscenes

Gameplay Adjustments
These are the adjustments to gameplay in The Witcher 3 PS5. Numerous gameplay adjustments (to be detailed in full patch notes ahead of the game's release)
Rebalanced enemy scaling (when enemy scaling is turned on in the options)
Fall damage has been reduced
Rats are no longer ridiculously deadly when level scaling is enabled
Other
These are other additions and enhancements that don't necessarily fit into previous categories.
Full cross-save and cross-progression support for all platforms
Full DualSense controller support, with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers
Subtitles can now scaled
Simplified Chinese voice acting and localisation added
Korean voice acting added
Improved localisation for other languages

Good breakdown of the release video. Still looking forward to seeing the patch notes to see what other gameplay improvements have been added.

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Full DualSense controller support, with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers

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Hmm, I was planning on playing it on my Series X, but now I'm wondering if it'd be worth getting it on PlayStation instead.

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I’m really excited to play this on my new OLED and home theater system. Not trying to brag I just played it last time on a small TV with so surround sound ha!

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I game with a 34” ultrawide gaming monitor in my face, so no judgment from me

They talked about raytracing during the original video, but Nvidia has exactly what's being added in that respect broken down nicely in text form in this press release:

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt DLSS 3 & Ray Tracing Upgrade Arrives December 14th

On December 14th, all The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt PC players will receive a free update that adds various gameplay changes, new quest content, and new graphics features that take full advantage of the latest PCs and laptops.

Here’s what to expect:

RTX Global Illumination (RTXGI) adds more immersive and realistic outdoor ray-traced lighting
Ray-traced ambient occlusion improves shading around objects occluding light
Ray-traced shadows improve the fidelity, clarity and visibility of shadows
Ray-traced reflections increase the accuracy and quality of reflections on bodies of water and other suitably reflective surfaces

On top of that, Ultra+ settings increase draw distances, foliage density, background character detail, asset quality, and more. Texture resolutions are increased and environments gain new geometric detail. The list goes on!

To accelerate your performance when all of these features are enabled and maxed out, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s next-gen update also introduces support for NVIDIA DLSS 3, enabling GeForce RTX 40 Series gamers to multiply performance. All other GeForce RTX gamers can accelerate their frame rates with NVIDIA DLSS 2. And everyone can reduce system latency with NVIDIA Reflex.

To get these next-gen upgrades, simply download and install The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. On December 14th, CD PROJEKT RED will launch the free update, and your game will be automatically enhanced. Stay tuned to their social media pages for further updates and the complete set of patch notes.

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The graphics mods are playable now on PC. I don't get it either. As a dedicated console player, i am excited, and i want to play the expansions. If you're on PC, what all is really changing?

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As someone who plays a relatively heavily modded version of TW3 on PC, I can tell you that they span so many years that it's an absolute chore to get them all to play nicely with one another, even when they should have zero problems in theory. Bringing a unified version of the game into the present day, and getting a resurgence of interest in the game and likely the modding community, will likely push the entire experience forward.

Beyond that, even with mods, the game's lighting was easily, in my opinion, its weakest graphical link. No matter what mods I installed, I still thought the lighting looked like shite. Getting a fully native overhaul of lighting is going to be huge. Frankly, I would have paid $9.99 just for that alone.