It seems that Genshin Impact will not be receiving ray-tracing.
It has been revealed that Genshin Impact will not be receiving ray-tracing. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, technical director Zhenzhong Yi spoke about avoiding pouring effort into a graphical overhaul for the game. He states that developer MiHoYo has instead chosen to maintain the highly stylized look seen across all versions of the game. This included not implementing ray-tracing into Genshin Impact, as the feature would take away from the game's current art style.
"Ray-tracing on PS5 can help create more realistic rendering images," Yi stated. "However, adding it into Genshin Impact will take huge efforts from both our artists and devs if we want to stay with our current art style to present the authentic look of Teyvat. So given the efforts required versus the actual level enhancement it may provide in player experiences, we decided to bring out some other features which may greatly improve player experiences first."
Last week it was announced that Genshin Impact's next big update, version 2.0, will release on July 21st. The update will add a new area for gamers to explore: Inazuma. Players will fins ephemeral beauty everywhere on the island, and will experience sudden changes in the weather. The landscape could change between a strong sea breeze, flickering light and shadow, and raging thunderstorms in the blink of an eye. Inazuma is made up of six main islands, though only three of them will be unlocked next week. There will also be three new companions: Ayaka, Yoimiya, and Sayu. Ayaka will be a familiar face to those who participated in Genshin Impact's closed beta testing, and will wield the power of Cryo and a sword. Yoimiya will be a five-star Pyro archer. Finally, Sayu will be a four-star ninja who wields an Anemo Vision.
Genshin Impact is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and mobile devices.
