How Graphics Technology Actually Evolves
Every few years the industry announces a graphical revolution, and every few years players are right to ask what actually changed. The truth is that rendering technology advances in layers, and the most important improvements are often the least photogenic. Understanding those layers helps separate genuine leaps from marketing bullet points, and it explains why some games age gracefully while others look dated within eighteen months of release. The current era is defined by three interlocking shifts. Real-time ray tracing has moved from tech-demo novelty to a standard tool for lighting, reflections, and shadows, and as hardware budgets grow, developers …
