It’s nearly Half-Life 2’s 20th anniversary, and if that makes you feel old, you probably are. But good news, Nvidia is giving away a custom Half-Life 2 themed RTX 4080 Super Founders Edition to make you feel better about your own mortality and lack of Half-Life 3.
To celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary in a couple of days on November 16 (it first launched on that day in 2004) Nvidia has added some rust to its second-most powerful RTX 40-series graphics card. That sounds rubbish, but it’s really rather lovely.
There’s also a Gordo’ Freeman over the nameplate and a lil’ Half-Life 2 logo for good measure. As the centrepiece of a Half-Life themed rusty build, it could look pretty superb.
Nvidia has some skin in the game here, too. It’s both celebrating Valve’s crowning achievement and giving it a chance to talk about a game it’s working closely with the developers on: Half-Life 2 RTX.
Orbifold Studios is remaking Half-Life 2 with all-new assets and lighting making full use of Nvidia’s latest RTX graphics cards. It’s a huge project, and the team of modders over at Orbifold have their work cut out for them. They’re usually always looking out for more modders to lend a hand, though they’re also using Nvidia’s RTX Remix toolset to ease the burden.
I spoke to the team over at Orbifold Studios and Nvidia about RTX Remix and Half-Life 2 RTX earlier in the year. So, if you want to learn more about either, I recommend reading the linked article. You can also watch their latest video paying tribute to Half-Life 2.
You can also now wishlist Half-Life 2 RTX on the game’s new Steam page, which suggests the game is edging closer to an actual release. We’ve not heard a firm date for that yet, however.
If you just want a chance at getting your mitts on that graphics card, you can check out the rules and terms and conditions here.