We are big fans of taking retro games and adding new graphics features to them so you should know that when [Sultim Tsyrendashiev] released his beam-tracked Doom engine, then we had to cover it. Now this breaks with tradition – instead of running Doom on every platform imaginable, this version requires an AMD or Nvidia ray tracing card. On the other hand, the spirit of Doom is definitely alive, as the ray track Doom has already been demonstrated on Steam Deck. Watch the video below for a demo and return after the break for more information.
The most exciting part of this graphical achievement may be the RayTracedGL1 library, which “simplifies the process of transferring fixed-line pipeline applications with real-time path tracking.” In addition to Doom, there have also been demos of Serious Sam and Half-Life 1. There is even experimental Linux support! We managed to compile and test it on our system by running a 6700 XT and Fedora 35 with bleeding Mesa. There are a few visual flaws that need to be fixed, but it’s an excellent project so far. The only complaint we have is that it is based on prboom, not the still maintained GZDoom, however with enough attention, who knows where the project will go. If this leaves you hungry for more, check out more retro upgrades or Doom on more devices.