The Galaxy S23 series, Samsung Electronics’ flagship smartphone unveiled on February 1, boasts the best and most powerful GPU, which enhances performance by 41% compared to the previous version, and Ray Tracing, which brings true-to-life lighting to mobile gaming, have gained the attention of gamers worldwide.

▲ Ray Tracing technology, which creates an immersive mobile gaming experience, on the Galaxy S23 series, was introduced at Galaxy Unpacked 2023

Samsung Newsroom sat down with the developers of Ray Tracing, recently introduced to the Galaxy S23 series, to understand the story behind how the team upgraded the mobile gaming experience. Read on to learn more about one of the biggest leaps in smartphone gaming graphics in years.

Ray Tracing: Level Up Your Gaming Experience With True-to-Life Graphics

Ray Tracing is the latest rendering method that manifests graphic effects in real time by tracing rays of light. The Galaxy S23 series’ GPU is equipped with special-purpose hardware to accelerate these ray tracing simulations similar to a desktop GPU, displaying shadows and light reflections in mobile games in a much more realistic manner.

▲ (From the left) Jungwoo Kim and Joonyong Park, the developers of Ray Tracing technology from the System Platform R&D Group of Samsung Electronics’ MX Business

System Platform Development Group’s Jungwoo Kim, who managed the GPU development for the Galaxy S23 series, described Ray Tracing technology as “the ultimate graphic rendering method.”

“Ray Tracing is a complex simulation that traces how the optic nerve of an eye receives a ray of light after being reflected, refracted or diffracted by an object,” said Kim. “It’s very similar to how light is actually processed.”

“The previous rasterization technique is limited, resulting in awkward and inaccurate expressions,” said Joonyong Park, who managed GPU technical support and both internal and external cooperation for this new product. “When it comes to the shadow effect, for instance, the previous method used to project an object on a scene to create a shadow map in advance and adjust that on the object again. On the other hand, Ray Tracing simulates the actual effect of how shadows are formed, which appears accurately and realistically onscreen — so users can enjoy more natural-looking graphics.”

Bridging the Gap Between Desktop and Mobile Graphics With the Galaxy S23 Series

Since 2010, Samsung has focused on breaking down the barriers between console, desktop and mobile by expanding the performance and range of its graphics API (application programming interface). By partnering with major industry players, Samsung has led the way in standardizing its latest technology as the common API. In doing so, more companies can easily apply the latest technology to more games and expand their relevant ecosystems.

“In 2016, we standardized the next-generation graphics API called Vulkan released by the Khronos Group and succeeded in commercialization through the Galaxy S7,” said Kim. “But, we’ve been working on advanced GPU development with partners like Epic Games and Unity to optimize the performance of Android games since 2015, before Vulkan was integrated into Galaxy devices. The optimization code we acquired by working together was provided to game developers first and made the successful case for Vulkan and engine optimization. The achievement was presented at various developer conferences.”

▲ Jungwoo Kim from the System Platform R&D Group of Samsung Electronics’ MX Business

In line with the recent rising trends in cross-platform games, Samsung rapidly applied desktop GPU technology to their mobile GPU. “With close cooperation with the AP vendors, we’ve continued to improve the performance of the latest mobile GPU for flagship products,” said Park. “With the rise in consumers demanding that the graphic quality on their mobile devices matches the quality of consoles, we’ve been preparing to offer Ray Tracing technology in mobile game engines since two years ago,” he said, describing his team’s proactive effort to lead this mobile innovation.

Multi-Player Collaboration Driving Mobile Performance

The developers cooperated with Samsung R&D Institute Ukraine (SRUKR) and various partner companies, including Epic Games, the developer of Unreal Engine, to prepare the best graphics.

▲ Galaxy Unpacked 2023 demo content was created in partnership with Epic Games. Compared to the previous rasterization rendering method (right), the Ray Tracing method (left) simulates more realistic graphics.

Kim explained that the demo contents introduced at the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 were a team effort. “This is an area that we’ve been working on in collaboration with a game engine developer and game developers,” said Kim. “We kept making various attempts for efficient rendering. As a result, we were able to overcome challenges by reducing the number of computations while maintaining the same level of quality.”

▲ Content demonstration developed by Samsung Electronics. Compared to the previous method of rasterization rendering (below), Ray Tracing technology (above) allows for more realistic graphics with Dynamic Shadow.

▲ Joonyong Park from the System Platform R&D Group of Samsung Electronics’ MX Business

Park also shared an episode from when he was working on the Galaxy S7 product development.

“I remember developing a content demonstration at the Epic Games head office in North Carolina in the U.S.,” said Park. “We successfully rendered a demo game where a chicken character appeared using the Vulkan API for the first time. As soon as the chicken character appeared for the first time after fixing an error, everyone from Epic Games, SRUKR and colleagues from MX R&D team all cheered. Then, we all celebrated with a dinner party, where we all ate fried chicken.” Park thanked his colleagues with whom he had worked so hard to achieve this feat.

Galaxy S23 Series Opens a New Paradigm for Mobile Gaming

So what does the future look like in which Ray Tracing technology is commercialized? “From now on, I expect the pipeline of creating and consuming graphic content to change in a way that is aligned with Ray Tracing,” said Park. “In this process, we expect that mobile devices with both portability and high-performance hardware on par with consoles will contribute to the changes.”

▲ Ray Tracing technology on the Galaxy S23

“You can certainly expect an eye-catching gaming experience,” said the developers of Ray Tracing, speaking to the fans looking forward to the new Galaxy flagship’s gaming performance. The developers also shared their plans to use this technology widely, starting with the Galaxy S23 series.

“Ray Tracing technology is now only starting to go mobile. Since Samsung has been researching and preparing this technology for a long time, our company will lead the industry and quickly expand this technology,” said Kim. “Our next goal is to find the optimal method to apply Ray Tracing in many mobile devices and provide a great gaming experience to the users.”

▲ (From the left) Jungwoo Kim and Joonyong Park from the System Platform R&D Group of Samsung Electronics’ MX Business pose with the Galaxy S23, which introduces Ray Tracing to mobile gaming.

“The mobile games that support Ray Tracing aren’t available in the market yet, but if there’s a game company that shows an interest in new mobile GPU technology, it will be more than welcome,” said Park. When asked about the future of mobile gaming performance, Park replied that they were “working very hard to apply Ray Tracing technology to more mobile games.”

The developers’ long-term vision is to present even more immersive mobile gaming experiences with realistic graphics in the future.

Watch the video below to learn more about Ray Tracing technology on the Galaxy S23 series.

Samsung has been working to expand its gaming ecosystem to make Galaxy devices the go-to platform for gamers. The all-new Galaxy Store, for example, will become the single destination for all digital items related to Galaxy devices, making it easier and more convenient to discover and download everything from new games, to applications, themes, fonts and more.

With developers in mind, the company is enabling high-performance game development through its Galaxy GameDev program, which features exclusive tools and technical support.

• Vulkan API equips developers with the right tools to deliver a high-quality gaming experience. An enhanced iteration of Vulkan announced at Samsung Developer Conference 2018, offers 10 percent improved performance compared to the OpenGL ES, taking user gaming experience to the next level.

• GPUWatch aids developers in their monitoring and measurement of performance between Vulkan and OpenGL ES. It’s now packed with new features, such as overlaid measurement results and real-time information on-screen – all made possible without separate installation or PC connection.

Along with key partnerships with some of the world’s biggest game companies such as Epic Games, Square Enix and Niantic Inc., Samsung has created an unparalleled mobile gaming platform that makes having fun on the go easier than ever. Check out the motion graphic below to see all that’s new with Samsung’s gaming ambitions from Samsung Developer Conference 2018.

Not so long ago, consoles and PCs were the only platforms powerful enough to deliver the best gaming experiences. But as the computing and graphics capability of smartphones continue to improve, the experience of gaming on mobile devices can now rival traditional platforms.

The statistics speak for themselves. There are an estimated 2.1 billion mobile gamers around the world; 56 percent of them play games on their phone more than ten times per week.

As the Galaxy smartphone is the world’s largest platform for Android games, Samsung is in a unique position to shape the future of mobile gaming. Our aim is simple – create immersive and unique experiences for gamers across the globe.

Our commitment to push the boundaries of mobile gaming led to the establishment of Galaxy GameDev in 2016 – a program dedicated to supporting global game developers and partners.

Since the program was announced at SDC 2016, it has helped over 50 partners, including Unity and Epic Games, optimize their offerings. By providing cutting-edge tools to developers, such as 64-bit and Vulkan API, GameDev set a new standard in the quality of mobile gaming. The launch of Fortnite for Android with Galaxy Note9 is just one of many examples of the program’s enormous influence on the gaming landscape.

Building on the progress made to date, we are ready to take mobile gaming on Galaxy to the next level. At the core of our vision are three principles – help game developers to create best games, help users discover great games, and help the game industry to grow its great ecosystem.

To turn this vision into reality, we are taking steps to provide the best support for the game development industry and game developers.

In the coming year, Galaxy GameDev will expand to include even more cutting-edge tools, including GPUWatch and GameSDK with Android P.

To help our gaming partners easily deliver their latest creations to their fans, we are launching the Galaxy Store Seller Program. For users, the brand-new Galaxy Store, the only store in Galaxy, will simplify the steps to find new games on Galaxy phones and more exclusive benefits.

And finally, we are strengthening Samsung IAP by enhancing the fraud detection system, settlement system and the seller dashboard. Our partnership program called Made4Samsung that started in the US will also expand globally, providing more opportunities for developers to commercialize their games.

The future of mobile gaming is limitless and now is the perfect time to join the world of Galaxy. Together with the developer community, let’s become the game changer.

Smartphones have given us the ability to easily transition between work and play, and the Galaxy Note7 is no exception. Equipped with HDR streaming capabilities, which make video content look more vivid and lifelike, best-in-class gaming with new titles supported by Vulkan API, and advanced camera technology, the newest Galaxy Note smartphone provides a rich entertainment experience that’s as mobile as we are. Furthermore, an enhanced Gear VR headset, which now supports expanded compatibility, offers an even more immersive virtual experience.

Truer Colors, A Clearer Picture

To provide a better viewing experience, the film industry has continually improved video resolution—from HD to Full HD to Ultra HD. Most recently, the UHD Alliance, a consortium of production studios, content networks, tech companies and TV manufacturers—including Samsung—shifted their focus to High Dynamic Range (HDR). Equipped with Super AMOLED Display, HDR video streaming technology enables a cinema-like experience including brighter colors and a deeper black, to ensure users get the full experience that the filmmaker intended.

Now Galaxy Note7 users can stream HDR video in HDR10 format, a standard that denotes a color depth based on a 10-bit signal. Therefore, they can experience the same HDR color and quality on their mobile device as they can on a television.

Samsung was able to bring this extraordinary technology to the Galaxy Note7 by utilizing Mobile Digital Natural Image Engine (mDNIe) technology and the Super AMOLED display.

The powerful mDNIe chipset, which was designed by Samsung, is the most advanced image processing engine to date, and ensures that dark and bright colors appear the way they do in real life. It also makes use of the Galaxy Note7’s 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED display—which exhibits the largest range of colors and brightness among smartphone displays—to vividly and clearly express the colors intended by the content developer.

The chipset also allows the smartphone to seamlessly process streamed HDR content without straining the battery, meaning users can stay immersed in their favorite TV shows and movies for even longer.

All Fun and Games

In February, Samsung set a new industry standard with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, which were the first smartphones to support Vulkan, an API that brings more robust and responsive performance and power efficiency to gaming.

Samsung once again incorporated Vulkan into the Galaxy Note7, giving gamers the ability to play high-performance, graphic-intensive games for even longer, and also giving developers an unprecedented tool to create unique gaming experiences.

With the Galaxy Game Pack, available through Google Play, users can access top game titles, an easy redemption process and new user benefits.

Virtual Reality Gets Real

Since the launch of the first Gear VR in 2014, Samsung has continued to innovate in the VR space by offering a robust VR ecosystem with the Gear 360 as well as an enhanced Gear VR headset.

Brought to life by the Samsung Galaxy smartphone, Gear VR provides engaging content, putting users in the center of the action for a more immersive experience. By pairing the Galaxy Note7 with the new Gear VR powered by Oculus, the latest version now supports USB Type-C and micro-USB port connections, giving even more users access to the world of VR.

Furthermore, with improved lenses and ergonomics, the updated headset lets users more comfortably view 360-degree videos and create Gear 360 content. These memories can then be shared with friends via platforms including YouTube 360 and Facebook, and can be relived through the ultra-immersive Gear VR. Together with the Galaxy Note7, the new Gear VR is a gateway to new experiences and great adventures.

Picture-Perfect

The Galaxy Note7 is equipped with the advanced camera that debuted on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, allowing users to capture important memories in true-to-life colors. Dual-pixel technology, a wide aperture and fast autofocus work together to capture sharp images, even in low-light conditions, so that users never miss a shareable moment.

While the camera of the Galaxy Note7 boasts the same great specs, it has been updated to provide a more streamlined, intuitive user experience.

For more product information, please visit www.samsung.com/galaxy

*All functionality features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

With this video, you can see for yourself the increased possibilities Vulkan brings to the gaming world. In EA’s Need for Speed: No Limits, Nexon’s Heroes of Incredible Tales (HIT), and Super Evil Megacorp’s Vainglory, each game is noticeably more detailed and responsive, so gamers can enjoy them all at a deeper level.

OpenGL has been an important standard in the industry for more than 25 years. But changes in technology—in particular the rising power of GPUs—have created the need for a new API with more flexibility and portability, which led to the release of Vulkan 1.0 in February. With simpler drivers, Vulkan reduces CPU bottlenecks, allows the use of multiple CPUs for increased performance, and reduces hitches and other surprises.

Compared to OpenGL ES, the Vulkan API increases GPU performance while lowering CPU load. The result is more detailed graphics and more responsive gaming, making games more immersive and engaging for users.

In order to making gaming on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge as exciting and engaging as possible, Samsung has worked actively with its partners, helping them understand the smartphones and Vulkan API.

“Samsung has been a great partner for us in importing our games to Vulkan,” said Tommy Krul, Chief Technology Officer at Super Evil Megacorp. “We actually had engineers from Samsung right here in our office helping us port Vainglory to Vulkan and really squeeze out all the performance we can.”

Together with Samsung and the Vulkan API, Super Evil Megacorp was able to create games with 30 percent faster performance, increased rendering of images on the screen and improved battery life.

“Microsecond fidelity on our devices is essential, because we need players to be able to perform at their max capacity,” said Stephan Sherman, Chief Creative Officer at Super Evil Megacorp. “It’s essential that they have a device that is going to be able to keep up with them. Vulkan and Samsung devices are built for performance. They’re built for lightning fast, blinding speed, that perfect alacrity between touch and action.”

And to take that relationship to the next level, this year Super Evil Megacorp teamed up with Samsung at the E3 to present the Samsung Galaxy Vainglory Invitational tournament Four of the best competitive Vainglory teams from around the world competed in front of a live audience in the 2-day competition. The matches between Team Solomid from USA, G2 esports from Germany, Hunters from China and Invincible Armada from Korea were very intense. In the end, Invincible Armada took home the victory, with Team Solomid coming in at second place.

In addition to the many advantages of using the Vulkan API, Samsung has a wide range of technologies and approaches it is using to further improve the gaming experience for users. The company has introduced several useful features such as the Game Launcher and Game Tools with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, and it provided the Galaxy Game Pack, a package of more than 40 games and special bonuses that are available only for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge users through Galaxy Apps. With Game Pack, it is easier than ever to experience all the fun and immersive excitement of many of the best games.

Samsung Electronics invites game enthusiasts from around the world to enjoy an immersive on-site gaming experience at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), one of the largest game events in the world.

Samsung will demo the company’s latest technologies to provide off-the-charts experiences for thrill-seeking gamers. The technology on display includes:

• Vulkan API Game Experience –try the Galaxy S7 equipped with the Vulkan API that enables game developers to deliver amazing graphics and a high-quality gaming experience. Get the chance to play the first games leveraging the technology, Need for Speed No Limits, HIT and Vainglory.
• Gear VR Skateboarding– through a Gear VR headset, users will experience what it’s like to take a leap of faith on a 4D skateboard experience.
• Intuitive Tools– the Galaxy S7 comes with a game pack valued around $200 to kick-start your mobile gaming adventure. The Samsung Game Launcher and Game Tools let you control everything that can record gameplay, prevent from hitting and conserve battery.

“At Samsung, we always aim to provide new, diverse and fun ways for people to enjoy our technologies,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “We’re excited to couple one of the most cutting-edge graphics technology with the most advanced Samsung devices to bring a better gaming experience to gamers around the world.”

The Samsung booth will be open from June 14 – 16, and will also include a look at celebrated musician Lil Wayne’s new Sqvad Up mobile skateboarding game, along with an appearance and opportunity to meet the four-time Grammy Award winning rapper. During his time at their booth, Lil Wayne will also unveil a VR experience inspired by Sqvad Up 360, which was shot using Samsung’s Gear 360 camera.

From left to right Joon Won Park, Taehoon Kim, Jungwoo Kim and Ted Choi

Cross-functional Team of Experts

Recognizing the growth of the mobile gaming industry and increasing influence of millennial mobile users, Samsung launched a Task Force Team (TFT) dedicated to gaming in 2015.

“Our task force team was not formed under the decision by management,” said Principle Engineer Dong Kyung Kim. “People who really love games came together voluntarily.”

The team was comprised of experts from different groups across Samsung – from Technology Strategy and Service Product Management to Graphic R&D and UX to Product Planning and Marketing. Together, the team members used their different expertise to create synergies and solve various challenges throughout the development process. As a result, they bolstered the new Galaxy S7 and S7 edge with specialized features for mobile games – demonstrating the company-wide move toward providing a more convenient and comfortable gaming experience for users.

Subtle Features That Make a Huge Difference

The more notable gaming features of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are the Game Launcher and Game Tools. While the Game Launcher allows you to be immersed in the game by showing every mobile game related feature in one screen, the Game Tools increases concentration by offering on-screen buttons for game-related functions.
These two apps are pre-loaded on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge but not activated automatically. Since these features are not essential for non-gamers, interested users need to activate them in ‘Settings > Useful features > Game’.

The ‘Do not disturb’ feature of the Game Launcher is receiving positive response from avid gamers. When it is activated, the phone blocks notifications and calls and disables some basic buttons.

“Locking the back button during a game may seem insignificant for non-gamers, but for gamers it’s a massive change,” said Senior Designer Joon Won Park. “Every gamer has probably experienced a loss in game progress from an unintentional touch of the back button.”

The team also added a live-stream feature that records games and provides live-streams using the Game Tools, without the help of a separate app.

“The number of people who watch live stream of the final game for ‘League of Legend’ is more than the number of people who watch the final game of American professional baseball,” said Senior Manager Taehoon Kim. “Millennials who record games as they play are likely to live-stream the game as well. The boundaries within the gaming experience keep expanding.”

Samsung offers a Galaxy Game Pack to Galaxy S7 and S7 edge users through the Samsung Galaxy App Store. Packed with more than 40 of the world’s favorite games, its monetary value is more than $200.

“We created the Galaxy Game Pack because we wanted a way to let more Galaxy users know about the Galaxy S7’s gaming features,” said Manager Junsik Kim. Offering the games to users was a first step for the developers in getting user feedback and finding out their satisfaction levels with the gaming features.

Creating a Mobile Gaming Ecosystem

Beyond the improvement of graphics and the addition of enhanced gaming features on the new Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, the developer team aim to build a mobile game ecosystem. To achieve this goal, the team recognizes the need for collaboration with other companies and game developers, and demonstrated its efforts at the Game Developers Conference 2016 (GDC), the largest game developer conference.

“When I was at the GDC conference, I felt that people were wondering why Samsung was here,” said Principle Engineer Jung Woo Kim. “Once they understood our vision and saw our efforts, they understood Samsung’s commitment to enhancing the gaming experience.”

The company upgraded the smartphone’s graphics module in order to run high-spec games on it. That’s how the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are equipped with the next-generation graphic API, Vulkan. Cooperation with other companies was also vital during this process.

“Although we have the capability in-house to develop the product and service based on the new API, we could more effectively work together with others under the same goal,” said Principle Engineer Ted Choi.

Vulkan is the first graphics tool that supports desktop, console and mobile devices with a single API. It significantly reduces CP workload, which helps to reduce power consumption while still creating great graphical effects. Vulkan also has the potential to unify and expand the game eco system across various platforms and will contribute to the accelerated adoption of open standards.

As expected, many gamers found interest with the Vulkan games. “We will try our best to release as many Vulkan games as we can within 2016,” Jung Woo Kim said.

Experience powerful gaming features of the Galaxy S7 with Game VJ Sojung Im at below video.

As smartphones grow ever more integrated into our lives, people expect to be able to use their phones for a wider variety of activities and experiences, such as playing games. And, as the performance of mobile devices continues to improve, more and more users are able to do so like never before.

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, however, take mobile gaming to an entirely new level. With their optimized hardware, enhanced UX and Vulkan API, these smartphones have finally become full-fledged gaming machines, able to handle the toughest of specs. And with the new Game Launcher app, people now have the ability to simultaneously take control of their phones and maximize the gaming experience.

Optimized for Better Performance

With a more than 30 percent faster CPU speed,  a more than 60 percent faster GPU speed and 4GB of RAM, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have the power needed to satisfy the most demanding players, in the most intense games. With a very thin thermal spreader cooling system, these phones can run fast and cool.

The result is smoother graphics and longer playing times, as the entire phone is optimized to maximize the gaming experience. And now that these new Galaxy devices both have bigger batteries—3,000 mAh for the Galaxy S7 and 3,600 mAh for the Galaxy S7 edge—users have the power to keep on playing for longer than ever.

Game Launcher is a Game Changer

With the unveiling of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, Samsung is also launching a new, pre-loaded gaming app called Game Launcher. Equipped with a varied suite of tools, Game Launcher aims to make gaming even more fun and convenient on your mobile device.

Game Launcher allows you to maximize game-playing time through instant downloads, shortcuts and power-saving options. You can also turn off all your notifications while you’re playing to ensure you never get interrupted at a key point in the game. You can lock the Recent and Back keys, so you don’t accidently exit a game during a particularly frenetic part of the adventure. In addition, you can take screenshots, record your game, scores and rankings, and share them with your friends. With Game Launcher, the way you play will never be the same again.

Vulkan API Boosts Gaming Efficiency

Samsung’s latest advances in graphics set a new industry standard, as well. That’s because the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are the first smartphones to utilize Vulkan: the next generation graphics API. With Vulkan’s focus on handling 3D graphics and games, it helps deliver higher performance while distributing the workload among multiple CPUs. In short, you can play all your favorite graphics-intensive games for even longer.

Games and Game Pads Put Users in Control

To show its commitment to offering the very best and most dynamic mobile gaming experience, Samsung took things one step further by giving Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge owners access to the Galaxy Game Pack, an exclusive package offering unique and exclusive in-game benefits. Packed with loads of some of the world’s most loved games from companies such as EA, Blizzard, Gameloft and KABAM, the package is worth over $200 US in value. All benefits are available via Samsung’s Galaxy App Store.

Users can get the most out of these games with optional Game Pads such as the Micro C.T.R.L.r, a compact, Bluetooth-connected controller optimized for smartphones; S.U.R.F.r, which boasts true gamepad controls with features specific to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge; and Gamevice Controller, which allows for undetectable latency in gameplay due to its direct connection.

Micro C.T.R.L.r

S.U.R.F.r

Gamevice Controller

Because the gaming experience is so important to so many people, Samsung is committed to making the best mobile devices for gaming on the market. The result is the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, two mobile devices that clearly put consumers first for an unparalleled gaming experience.

*All functionality features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.