NVIDIA is about to drop free tools to remaster retro games

NVIDIA has unveiled plans to open-source its RTX Remix toolset this month. But what is it and who is this AI tool for? The core set of AI-assisted tools and assets designed to help game modders, previously exclusive to the NVIDIA Studio suite of tools for creators, will now accessible to all, for free.

This means that, using the best laptops for game development paired with NVIDIA's RTX Remix toolkit, modders now have the power and freedom to remaster classic games with full ray tracing, new content, improved visuals, and enhanced textures.

Your favourite old-school titles from the catalogue of best retro game consoles (specifically old Microsoft DirectX 8 and 9 games) can have a new lease of life thanks to impressive modifications and a sprinkle of generative AI texture tools. Total gameplay conversions can help expand audiences and introduce new generations of gamers to older titles as advanced GPUs are released.

NVIDIA has said, "Coming later in June, NVIDIA will be open-sourcing the RTX Remix Toolkit, allowing modders to streamline how assets are replaced and scenes are relit, increase supported file formats for RTX Remix’s asset ingestor, and bolster RTX Remix’s AI Texture Tools with new models."

In human words, this means that the visuals in classic games can now be improved thanks to help from some of the best graphics cards for gaming, and by enhancing the existing materials within a game using highly detailed assets, DLSS 3.5 technology, and physically accurate materials. This can and should result in impressive community-made RTX remasters of popular games, as we've already seen with titles like Half Life 2.

We can also expect NVIDIA's RTX Remix toolkit to be compatible via REST API with 3D apps like Blender, modding tools like Hammer, and generative AI applications like ComfyUI - we saw in a test how an RTX GPU laptop optimised for Stable Diffusion rendered quicker than an M3 MacBook Pro.

Since launching earlier this year, NVIDIA reports that 20,000 modders have already experimented with the toolkit, with over 100 RTX remasters under development in the RTX Remix Showcase Discord.

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The company hopes that by making its Remix platform open-source, modders across the globe can become inspired to create even more remasters without any limitations in accessibility or tools. We can also see how indies and game devs can make use of this tech to bring to life old games, particularly with growing love for retro gaming Until we know more about an exact release date, you can access and download NVIDIA's RTX Remix Beta right now.

Beth is Creative Bloq’s Ecommerce Writer. An avid music photographer and previous staff writer for Digital Camera World, Beth has a keen eye for content and knows just how to create it. Her background working as a tester for CeX has provided extensive knowledge surrounding the latest tech and gaming trends, and she studied Music Journalism too, so you'll probably find her at a gig. Basically, she's a total nerd with a Snorlax tattoo and a Master's degree in Photography, forever wishing she was Peter Parker.