Minecraft is getting a massive visual overhaul without Ray Tracing

Minecraft is finally getting a massive overhaul called ‘Vibrant Visuals’ that aims to improve the visual areas of the game including Lighting, volumetric fog, and other elements. Revealed during the Minecraft Live, the update is coming to the Bedrock edition first and there’s a significant change in everything. One would think it’s done via a shader.

“Vibrant Visuals is a visual graphics upgrade that will transform the way players experience Minecraft. Initially releasing for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, it is our developer’s vision for what Minecraft looks like with improved visual elements such as directional lighting, volumetric fog, and more,” the official blog wrote.

Check out the reveal video below

Minecraft Ray Tracing without Ray Tracing

While the Minecraft Vibrant Visuals update is big in scope, it does not add anything new apart from bringing a complete overhaul to the game. However, sometimes, a simple change in visuals is enough, and mods/shaders are a great example of this. The visual update also does not add ray tracing, but a shift towards softer lighting will feel like it.

What’s even better is that players don’t need to worry about losing their worlds as the update is backward compatible and runs locally, meaning two players don’t necessarily need to have Vibrant Visuals active to play together. As of now, there’s currently no specific release date but Bedrock players should keep an eye out for the next few months. Following that, the update will also come to the Java version.

Also Watch: Final trailer for Minecraft Movie ahead of April release

No plans to make Minecraft free-to-play

Minecraft’s success is no joke as the game sits at over 200 million sales and is still going strong. However, some people may wonder if there are any plans to make the game free with microtransactions. The answer is no, as per the executive producer of Minecraft Vanilla, ‘Ingela Garneij’ during an interview with IGN.

As per Garneij, Minecraft is supposed to be a one-time purchase for players to enjoy and isn’t meant to have a free-to-play model. This is quite understandable as in-game purchases can often lead to degradation in the quality of the game.