We’re starting to see more virtual reality (VR) titles make use of NVIDIA’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) technology which began last month with the likes of No Man’s Sky and Into the Radius. At the end of this week another will be added to that list, Firesprite’s procedural horror The Persistence. In doing so players will also gain access to an experimental feature, ray-traced reflections.

All part of a larger update called The Persistence Enhanced, Firesprite is adding a bunch of lighting and particle improvements alongside quality of life and UX/UI refinements for both VR and non-VR players. With the addition of full DLSS support for NVIDIA RTX graphics cards – which uses AI to boost a PC’s graphical performance – players can unlock the experimental ray-traced reflections feature to make their gameplay experience look even better.

And when Firesprite says experimental it means it, saying: “we are not going to develop this any further, but we want to include this for those that want to tinker.” The studio does recommend using one of NVIDIA’s higher-end RTX cards like the 2080 Super – or an RTX 30-Series if you can get hold of one – so The Persistence maintains the necessary VR framerate.

If you have the hardware capable of running the new features then all you have to do is: “head to the “Raytracing” menu to turn it on along with configuring a DLSS profile,” the developer advises. However, it’s worth noting that: “Realtime Global Illumination and Ray-traced Shadows unfortunately cannot be enabled whilst in VR as the game does not boot.”

Originally for PlayStation VR back in 2018, Firesprite brought The Persistence to multiple platforms including PC VR headsets in 2020. Finding yourself onboard a doomed deep space colony starship in the year 2521, you play a security officer who wakes up to find the crew have been turned into horrific monsters. All the levels are procedurally generated so every time you die it’ll change, offering an everchanging labyrinth to explore and survive through.

Firesprite will be releasing The Persistence Enhanced update this Friday, 11th June as a free enhancement for current PC owners via Steam. Take a look at the new ray-tracing reflections in action below and for further updates on the latest VR videogames supporting ray-tracing and DLSS, keep reading VRFocus.