system requirements
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Microsoft releases an improved Windows 11 PC health check app
When Microsoft released the Windows 11 Insider preview earlier this summer, it did so with some confusion around minimum system requirements. It quickly reversed course, saying that more people could install the software update than its requirements originally stated so the company could gather more performance on how the OS performed. After a few months of users testing and providing feedback, Microsoft says that, for the most part, its system requirements from June will stand — but there are a few notable changes.
Far Cry 4 PC system requirements
PC players gearing up for the launch of Far Cry 4 in a few weeks will need an Intel Core i5-750 (2.6 GHz) or AMD Phenom II X4 955 (3.2 GHz) processor and 4 GB of memory. The game also required 30 GB of hard drive space and a video card at least as powerful as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 or AMD Radeon HD5850 (1 GB of VRAM). For optimal performance, Ubisoft recommends either the Intel Core i5-2400S (2.5 GHz) processor or the AMD FX-8350 (4.0 GHz) or better, as well as 8 GB of memory. The game will perform better with at least a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 or AMD Radeon R9 290X or better video card (with 2 GB of VRAM). Far Cry 4 will also launch on Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3 in addition to PC on November 18. [Image: Ubisoft]
Blizzard releases system requirements for Warlords of Draenor
There are a lot of updates on the way in Warlords of Draenor, and with all the updates to models and environments and graphics and UI, a lot of players have been wondering just what they'll need to run the next expansion without a hitch. The good news is that Blizzard has finally released the system requirements for Warlords of Draenor, both minimum and recommended. The bad news is, if you're still on an older system, you might be needing an update to run the next installment in World of Warcraft's ongoing story.
Killer Is Dead: Nightmare Edition due for PC on May 23
Killer Is Dead: Nightmare Edition won't lend PC gamers its dose of quirky Grasshopper Manufacture action until May 23, but fans can check its system requirements right now and plan accordingly. With minimum requirements calling for Windows Vista 64-bit, a 2.0GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, a GPU that can handle Shader Model 3.0 and 13 GB of space, Nightmare Edition shouldn't be too taxing for your gaming rig. Recommended specs jump up a bit, calling for an Intel Core i5-2400 Processor, 8 GB of RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450. The $20 Nightmare Edition adds a difficulty mode, includes the Smooth Operator DLC and offers a theater to re-view cutscenes. Aside from its uncomfortable Gigolo side missions, we'd recommend giving Killer Is Dead's bizarre brand of combo-driven action a shot. [Image: Deep Silver]
Wolfenstein: The New Order PC specs outlined for 'intended' experience
PC owners need fairly burly systems to play Wolfenstein: The New Order the way it was meant to be played, according to Bethesda. The publisher detailed system requirements for MachineGames' soon-to-be-released shooter, but went on to say they're the specs "to deliver the PC game as it was intended to be experienced." So, while the specs are listed as "system requirements," Bethesda stopped short of calling them "minimum" requirements. Make of that what you will. Anyway, the specs in full are: 64-bit Windows 7/Windows 8 Intel Core i7 or equivalent AMD4 GB System RAM 50GB free HDD space GeForce 460, ATI Radeon HD 6850 High Speed Internet Connection Steam account and activation required As for the consoles, PS4 and Xbox One owners need 47GB free for installs, while it's 8GB for installs on Xbox 360 and PS3 - that goes up to 17GB for a PSN download. The New Order remains primed for launch on May 20, when players will see the return of steely hero B.J. Blazkowicz, but in an alternate reality where the Nazis won the war. So, a bit like the movie Sliding Doors, except... nope, let's end that analogy right there. [Image: Bethesda]
Warlords, models, and performance
We all know that Warlords of Draenor is bringing a much-desired and long-awaited feature in new character models, and understandably, there's concern about the impact on PC performance. WoW Insider reported on EU Community Manager Taepsilum's post on the forums, which has since been updated to indicate that there is no requirement to run the game on Low settings to use the old models. Instead, the toggle which has been seen in the Alpha is set to remain. Taepsilum's assertions that you won't need a new computer are, perhaps, bold. Gamespot has picked up on them for an article, and asserts that you "probably" won't need a new machine. This is accurate, with the key word being "probably". If you're currently only able to run the game at 8FPS on Low settings, it's pretty likely that Warlords of Draenor will push your system over the edge. Let's be realistic here. World of Warcraft has pretty amazing performance on older machines. A little while ago I asked on Twitter about players running it on low-spec systems, and it will let you run the game on some pretty archaic specs. Performance is about what you can do with the game, and is subjective. I'm happy with the graphical quality I get out of WoW on my machine, but to friends with higher level systems, it looks awful.
Watch Dogs Steam pre-orders live, recommended specs detailed
Who watches the Watch Dogs? You can, right now, when you pre-purchase the game on Steam. Those who put down their money in advance of Watch Dogs' May 27 release date will receive the Blume Agent Pack, which comes with the Blume Agent Outfit and Blume Weapon Effect, which reduces the recoil of weapons. You can also upgrade to the Deluxe Digital Edition and receive more bonus content, including extra missions, costumes and gameplay tweaks. Curious to know if your modern-day computing machine can handle the near-future hacker tech of Aiden Pearce? The game's Steam page recommends an Intel Core i7-3770 processor running at 3.5 GHz or AMD FX-8350 X8 processor running at 4 GHz, 8 GB of RAM, an Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 ti or AMD Radeon HD 7850 graphics card, and 25 GB of available hard drive space. You can check out the Blume Agent Outfit above, or click through for an image of what comes in the Deluxe edition. [Image: Ubisoft]
Character models and their impact on system requirements
One of WoW's greatest strengths, in my opinion, is that it will run on a toaster. It will launch on an old laptop I have with a really terrible processor and 1GB of RAM. When I say it will launch, I mean it won't play, I can't use it, but it will launch. I've played it on that laptop in the past, and it's worked. And now, while I have a more powerful machine, I've had to play a bit on the interim laptop, a 2GHz AMD laptop with onboard graphics and 4GB of RAM. And it works. I got this laptop in 2009, and WoW runs on it. Not just that, but it runs raids. Sure, my framerate isn't brilliant, and I'll sometimes have to point my camera at the floor, but it runs, and I can perform in whatever role I'm in. But with graphical upgrades come greater strains on older machines. And Community Manager Bashiok has weighed in, addressing player concerns on the official forums. The answer to the questions raised, as you can see after the break, is that the devs just don't know the full impact of these upgrades just yet. You can tell the difference between Cata and Mists as far as the performance of older machines goes, and Warlords may be another step away from "backwards compatibility" for older machines. But bear in mind what else will run on these old, old machines. My interim laptop, as I call it, will run WoW and little else. What can you play WoW on? Hit the break for Bashiok's full post.
Call of Duty: Ghosts demands 64-bit OS, 40GB hard drive space
Activision has revealed the final system requirements for the PC version of Call of Duty: Ghosts, a game that requires a large chunk of your hard drive, a sizable amount of RAM and most crucially, a 64-bit operating system. As with all "minimum requirements" lists, those who have hardware that exceeds the specifications laid out by Activision will see improved performance. That said, those who meet the following list of requirements should find the game playable (if not stunning) on their computer: Minimum System Requirements: OS: Windows 7 64-Bit / Windows 8 64-Bit CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8200 2.66 GHZ / AMD Phenom™ X3 8750 2.4 GHZ or better Memory: 6 GB RAM Hard Disk Space: 40 GB Video: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTS 450 / ATI® Radeon™ HD 5870 or better Sound: DirectX compatible sound card DirectX®: DirectX® 11 Internet: Broadband Internet connection for Steam and Online Multiplayer. Alongside this hardware list, Activision also states that Call of Duty: Ghosts "is set to be one of the best Call of Duty experiences ever." Whether or not that claims holds up will remain a mystery until the game's debut on November 5.
World of Warcraft's evolving engine
Some people say that World of Warcraft's visuals are outdated. The game's graphics haven't been updated since launch, they say. In terms of some older art assets, I would agree, but the overall picture is a different story. The system requirements when WoW launched were a meager 800MHz CPU with 256MB RAM and a 32MB graphics card. Today, the bare minimum requirements are a dual core CPU with 2GB of RAM and a 256MB graphics card. Mists of Pandaria requires an expensive computer to run smoothly at the highest possible graphic settings, and yet it will still run on hardware from 8 years ago. Do you know of many other games with a spread like that?
Rise of the Triad out this summer, here's what you'll need to play it
The release window for Apogee Software and Interceptor Entertainment's revival of Rise of the Triad has been narrowed from sometime this year to sometime this summer, it was announced on the game's official blog today. Also unveiled, in addition to the homage cover artwork above, was the fact that RotT will be available simultaneously on Steam, GOG and Green Man Gaming upon launch. In order to run it, first-person nostalgia aficionados will need a minimum of two gigs of RAM and either a Radeon HD 3870 or an NVIDIA 8800 GT, plugged into the same motherboard as a 2.4 GHz dual-core processor running Windows XP or newer. For the best experience, double the RAM, bump up to the 64-bit version of Windows 7 and drop in a Radeon HD 6950 or GeForce GTX 560.
Firefall hits 500k member milestone, reveals system requirements
Red 5 Studios has announced today that its MMO-ish shooter Firefall has reached the milestone of 500,000 registered members just after its first exclusive beta test. Red 5 CEO Mark Kern comments on the improvements the team is making to the game following that first beta test: "We're treating Firefall as a service, which means it's critical that we're continually adding value and fun for players. Having a large and growing community lets us know that we're on the right track. But more importantly, their feedback helps us stay on the right track." The studio also released the game's official system requirements, which you'll find after the cut. [Source: Red 5 Studios press release]
Mass Effect 3 PC system requirements blasted open by BioWare
With the announcement that the highly anticipated Mass Effect 3 demo will be hitting on February 14, BioWare has also revealed the PC system specs for the final chapter of Shepard's story. The system requirements (found below the jump) are surprisingly modest, and very similar to those of Mass Effect 2. You might notice that the list shows a low hard drive space requirement (a measly 2.5 GB), but the line probably refers to how much space the demo will need. So, it looks like PC gamers probably won't have to upgrade to defend the galaxy from destruction... but it certainly couldn't hurt. After all, the Reapers won't be holding back, so why should you?
World of Warcraft no longer compatible with Windows 2000 in Mists of Pandaria
Community Manager Bashiok made an interesting announcement this morning -- as of the upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion, World of Warcraft will no longer run on machines using Windows 2000 as an operating system. Microsoft itself ceased supporting this version in 2010. Those who are currently using Windows 2000 should upgrade before Mists is released, if you'd like to continue playing WoW. One of the big benefits to playing World of Warcraft has always been that it can be played on a variety of systems, from the exceptionally small and outdated to the current, top-of-the-line models. I always found that a fascinating phenomenon, and it made good sense -- after all, if you want the max number of players able to play your game, you want to make it available with the widest software and technology possible. Yet there's a drawback to this; if you want to continually make that content available for older systems, there's only so far you can go updating content. As a game that just celebrated its seven-year anniversary, WoW absolutely needs to keep updating in order to remain competitive. With new MMOs coming out all the time, a game that is seven years old starts to lose its shine. Continuous updates make sure that it stays just as fresh as it did in 2004. You can't keep those updates rolling if you're trying to support an operating system that is now 12 years old. I think, however, we're safely in the territory where most people have moved beyond Windows 2000, so this shouldn't affect a huge majority of players, particularly when Microsoft itself has already phased out support for the operating system. What this does do, however, is make me look forward to Mists of Pandaria and what it has in store.
Saints Row: The Third PC system requirements revealed
Volition passed along the Saints Row: The Third PC system requirements to Destructoid and the recommended specs are kinda beefy. Not Crysis 2 at max settings beefy, but you'll need a GeForce GTX 400 series or better, or ATI Radeon HD5000 series or better graphics card, and a quad core processor under the hood -- you know, if you're looking to really soak in the visual symphony that is watching a man in a feathered hat kill a helpless citizen on the streets of Steelport with a gigantic dildo bat. The required specs are a bit more forgiving. On top of that, Volition also posted about some specific PC features over on the Saints Row site, including "AMD Eyefinity support, DX9, DX10, and DX11 support, Crossfire enabled, SLI enabled, advanced depth of field, reflections, and ambient occlusion quality, and, of course, God Rays." Perhaps the platform's best feature, however, is the Saints Video Record Mode, which allows you to save specific gameplay clips and upload them to your preferred video hosting service. Or we guess you could just hold on to the clips as a personal, secret reminder of that one time you did a barrel roll in your Mercedes through a crowd of people. Entirely up to you. Saints Row: The Third launches on November 15 on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
Batman: Arkham City PC system requirements detected
We may have to wait until the eighteenth of November to get our WASD-lovin' keyboard claws on the PC version of Batman: Arkham City, but the extra weeks have given us ample time to make sure our beefy rigs are up to snuff. Not that we're that worried, mind you: Nvidia has released the minimum and recommended system requirements for the caped crusader's latest romp (after the break), and all told the spec aren't totally outrageous. Maybe we didn't need to spend forty thousand dollars on a replica of Batman: The Animated Series' Batcave supercomputer after all.
Battlefield 3 beta system requirements
Given the proximity of the Battlefield 3 launch, the beta system requirements shouldn't differ much (if at all) from the final game. Don't throw out your GTX 560 between now and October!
EVE Evolved: The day that EVE Online died
I think it's safe to say that this week has been an unmitigated disaster for CCP Games. Following last week's $99 license fee fiasco for third-party developers, CCP Zulu managed to claw back some player support with a segment addressing the issue during the alliance tournament. This week CCP followed up with the release of Incarna 1.0 and its long-awaited captain's quarters. Players logged in to walk around their private rooms and check out the various cosmetic items available for purchase in the new microtransaction store. It didn't take long for people to realise that something was fundamentally wrong with the prices on the Noble Exchange. At around $40 for a basic shirt, $25 for boots, and $70 or more for the fabled monocle, items in the Noble Exchange were priced higher than their-real life counterparts. As players made some noise about the ridiculous prices, an internal CCP newsletter all about the company's microtransaction plans was purportedly leaked. In it, plans to sell ships, ammo, and faction standings for cash were revealed, plans that strictly contradict previous promises on gameplay-affecting microtransactions. Shortly afterward, all hell broke loose as a private internal memo from CCP CEO Hilmar was leaked to the press. In the past few days, I've been contacted by dozens (if not hundreds) of concerned EVE players who are afraid that the game they love is coming to an end. I've even been in contact with an insider who is scared of the risks CCP is taking with the jobs of over 600 employees in four countries, scared enough to leak internal documents and emails. In this week's colossal EVE Evolved, I delve into EVE's latest controversy and shed some light on the biggest community flashpoint since the T20 developer corruption scandal.
Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition coming to Steam
Capcom canned plans to release vanilla Super Street Fighter 4 for PC due to piracy concerns, but then the company announced SSF4: Arcade Edition for the PC back in April. And so Arcade Edition will be released for PC this July, but today we also learn it'll be on Steam. The digital retailer is currently accepting pre-orders for the latest edition of SF4, priced at $40. While it can't be purchased as DLC for the super vanilla Street Fighter 4 (which was released for PC and apparently sold well), Steam owners of the original game will be granted a 10 percent discount on Super Arcade Edition (bringing the price down to $36). Hit the jump for Arcade Edition's system requirements.
Darkspore open beta client now available for download
It's been far too long since you've played god with the genetic makeup of poor, defenseless cryptozoological monsters -- why not dip your toes into Maxis' dark, action-RPG followup to Spore, obviously titled Darkspore? The game recently entered open beta, allowing players to dungeon delve through the first few levels until the beta client goes kaput on April 22. The retail release is scheduled to follow on April 26. You can download the beta client on our sister site Big Download, but you might want to check out the minimum system requirements posted after the jump before you spend all of that precious bandwidth. It's the currency of the future, you know? Like dirt and paper in Waterworld.
