Rise of the Tomb Raider trailer showcases PC graphics technology

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Rise of the Tomb Raider will be here soon, and based on our review it's pretty good stuff: not revolutionary in any way, but “an incredibly competent action-platformer.” And as this new “PC Tech Feature” video demonstrates, it's also been improved in a number of ways from the Xbox One edition that came out last year.

“Lara's epic journey becomes even more immersive on the PC version of Rise of the Tomb Raider, as Crystal Dynamics and Nixxes introduce several new technical features to the game, and push the boundaries of next-gen visuals,” the smooth-voiced narrator intones in the video. Those features include HBAO+, 16x anisotropic filtering, hardware tesselation, high-velocity muffler bearings, dynamic foliage, and a significantly improved level of detail.

One of those terms I just threw out may not actually be a real thing, but the point is that if you have the hardware, Rise of the Tomb Raider will deliver a dramatically improved visual experience when compared to the Xbox edition. And as we noted in our review, there's a large number of other graphical options on the table as well, including depth of field, bloom, screen space reflections, motion blur, and, most importantly, PureHair.

Rise of the Tomb Raider hits the PC tomorrow.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.