Developer shows off RT64, a ray tracing plugin for N64 emulators that adds in RT shadows, reflections, and lighting to classics like Ocarina of Time

Developer Dario Samo recently announced RT64, a work-in-progress plugin for N64 emulators that will enable a host of ray traced effects, alongside DLSS and per-object motion blur. Dario explained what RT64 was and the plugin's current state in a lengthy Twitter thread.

The plugin is based on the path tracer from SM64RT, a ray-traced unofficial PC port of Super Mario 64. While there is no ETA for a public release, RT64 currently works in a handful of emulated N64 titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Paper Mario 64, and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. 

Dario's teaser video showcased RT64 in action, with dynamic shadows and lighting, as well as ray-traced reflections. It's important to note here that RT64 is quite a ways away from being a plug-and-play addition for N64 emulators. Modders will need to create ray-tracing compatible materials and other assets for the effects to work as intended.

In Ocarina of Time, for example, RT64 currently doesn't add much to the scene barring dynamic lighting and shadows. Once texture mods come out with high-quality materials like we've seen in NVIDIA's Quake II RTX remaster, RT64 could be a great way to experience N64 classics with real-time ray tracing.

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