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The Force Unleashed PC requirements prompt trip to Tosche station
Remember when Star Wars: The Force Unleashed failed to make an appearance on the PC platform last year, and LucasArts claimed it would only be able to run on gaming rigs equipped with futuristic cybertechnology mankind had yet to invent? Somehow, Aspyr Media has found a way to bring the Sith Edition of the game to your personal computer without requiring you to install tachyon holophase relays or warpsteel heat dissipators. However, the game's minimum requirements, which are posted after the jump, do suggest you need something called a "3D Hardware Accelerator Card." Yeah, sure. Let us just hop in our time machine and we'll pick one up at the Future Best Buy.
GameStop reveals minimum specs for Modern Warfare 2 PC [update]
Update: We spoke with an Activision rep and they passed along the modern minimum specs needed for Modern Warfare 2 PC. Check it: OS: Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported) Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processor or better supported Memory: 1 GB RAM Graphics: 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT or better or ATI Radeon 1600XT or better DirectX: Microsoft DirectX(R) 9.0c Hard Drive: 12GB of free hard drive space Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card Internet: Broadband connection required for Multiplayer Connectivity. Internet Connection required for activation Original post: When you're not busy signing internet petitions about Modern Warfare 2, you're likely fretting over your system's innards and whether or not they have the ability to run Infinity Ward's upcoming shooter. Does it have enough gigglebits? Are the processing cores processy enough? When was the last time you fed the CPU's brain squirrel? It's okay -- we're doing the same thing! Thankfully, GameStop has stepped in to reveal the back of the game's packaging, along with the minimum system requirements for the game: OS: Windows Vista/XP Processor: AMD 64 3200+ or Intel Pentium 4 3.0Ghz or better Memory: 16 GB free hard drive space / 512 MB RAM (XP) / 1 GB RAM (Vista) Video Card: Shader 3.0 or better 256 MB nVidia Geforce 6600GT / ATI Radeon 1600XT or better We've contacted Activision for the recommended specs and to confirm that these are indeed the finalized requirements for the game. In the meantime, you can head past the break for the full image (it's a "phenomenon"!).[Thanks, Jeff!]
WoW Rookie: A computer to love WoW with
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic, and be sure to visit WoW.com's WoW Rookie Guide for links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's.WoW Rookie has already answered the first question asked by so many new players when they realize "You know, I think I'd like to have my own characters and my own account -- but will my computer run WoW?" This week, we'll burrow into the next level: "We've been engaged for months now. I'm in love, I'm committed, I'm of legal age (level 80, baby!) and I'm ready to drop some cash. What should I be looking for in a computer system to settle down in?" If you're not into PvP, you may have missed PvP specialist Zach Yonzon's excellent series this summer on gearing up for PvP. But wait -- this is no in-game gear guide. Surprise! It's a look at the best hardware for running World of Warcraft. Whether you enjoy PvP or PvE content, here's a look at the gear that'll deliver the eye-popping, mind-blowing, mouse-clicking madness you crave for endgame WoW performance.
EVE minimum system requirements raised for Dominion expansion
CCP Games periodically raises system requirements for EVE Online when they feel those minimum requirements are holding the game back. This is going to happen with this winter's Dominion expansion when players will need Windows XP Service Pack 2 to run the EVE client. The game will be getting a graphics update that includes a new look for some of EVE's planets and the Chromium powered in-game browser will require that XP users step up to at least Service Pack 2. No hardware system requirement increases have been announced, just the need for players to update to Service Pack 2. This will only affect 0.4% of the game's Windows XP users, according to EVE dev CCP Explorer in his latest dev blog. CCP Games will also officially begin supporting Windows 7 with Dominion.
System requirements revealed for Champions Online
Cryptic today revealed the minimum and recommended specs for Champions Online and they contain some happy and interesting surprises. Happy, because the overall requirements are fairly low, especially if you're the kind of person who plays MMOs on any sort of regular basis. Interesting, because for a game coming out a little under two months before Windows 7 hits retail, there's strangely no mention of support for the new Microsoft operating system.We know that the current beta runs on Windows 7, but that's true of many older games released in the Vista era. Given the low upgrade prices currently being offered and the positive buzz surrounding the new OS, there'll probably be a decent amount of early adopters come October 22nd. Still, beyond that small curiosity, we'd have to say the required and recommended specs for Champions Online are definitely good. As an added bonus, this makes another delay beyond September highly unlikely -- as does the announced open beta, we suppose.Check out the minimum and recommended system requirements after the break.
Fallen Earth stress test begins this Tuesday, June 23rd
A stress test for Fallen Earth will begin on Tuesday the 23rd of June, giving the masses a chance to get into the game -- that is, if they're Fileplanet subscribers. Participation is only available to Fileplanet subscribers and subscribing does cost money, so it's not exactly an "open" test, but it should let a lot more people into the game than the closed beta before it.The game client can be pre-loaded ahead of the stress test launch, and computer specification info has been provided so that you can make sure that your rig is up to scratch:Minimum Specifications: CPU: Intel P4 2.8 GHz or equivalent RAM: 1 GB for XP, 2 GB for Vista Video Card*: nVidia GeForce 6600/ATI Radeon X1300 RAM (dedicated): 256 MB Recommended: CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33 GHz or equivalent RAM: 2 GB for XP, 3 GB for Vista Video Card*: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS/ ATI Radeon 3870 RAM (dedicated): 512 MB Now the question remains for those who aren't already Fileplanet subscribers but want to try out Fallen Earth: are you willing to fork up the cash?[Thanks Brian!]
Nvidia Quadro FX 4800 requires 10.5.7, which should be out soon
Sunday night on the Talkcast, we approached the rumors of a 10.5.7 release coming soon, and all pretty much agreed that yes -- whatever is in it, it's very likely coming soon. Here's another rumble of thunder that hints at the storm: Nvidia announced a brand new card recently for Macs, called the Quadro FX 4800 -- it offers "ultra fast performance," "realistic effect," and tons of triangles and all of the other things that comes along with a video card that looks more like a Flip Mini than an actual set of circuits.But most importantly, under "Drivers and Downloads," you can see that the Mac drivers require Leopard 10.5.7. Combine that with all of the other speculation flying around, and odds are that we'll see a new version of the OS in Software Update as soon as later today.Thanks, Daniel N!
Minimum specs and new screens for Jumpgate Evolution revealed
With the month of March behind us and April in full effect, June continues to creep closer and closer. This is of deep significance for anyone awaiting the release of NetDevil's Jumpgate Evolution, as is today's announcement of the game's minimum hardware requirements.If this was a game of limbo, we'd have to say that NetDevil just won this month's tournament by creating one of the most technically limber MMOs we've seen in quite some time. How will the game actually look at lower setting has yet to be seen, although space games tend to scale down pretty well. We're also interested to see what the recommended specs look like, but for now you can consider us very impressed.Check out the minimum requirements just beyond the cut.%Gallery-18375%
WoW Rookie: Will my computer run WoW?
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the resources they need to get acclimated. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic.Playing WoW is no fun at all if your system doesn't cut the mustard. If you've just started playing on hardware of questionable power, you may believe you're clicking along just fine -- only to watch your frame rate come to a grinding halt the first time you're faced with a raid or Battleground full of players moving, casting and otherwise wreaking havoc (to both the game environment and your system). Lots of players start out playing WoW on hand-me-down computer systems. In fact, the spouse who starts playing on an old hunk o' junk, only to become hooked and then upgrade to a hotter rig than that of the established player, has become something of a gaming cliché. The thing to remember here is that a system that will run WoW will not provide the same enjoyment as a system that runs it well.
Massively interviews Champions Online's lead designer Randy Mosiondz
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Massively_Interviews_Lead_Designer_Randy_Mosiondz'; Massively recently had the chance to speak with Champions Online's intrepid lead designer, Randy Mosiondz. Topics included are the game's unique brand of action-combat (and how it differs from other games), a substantial achievement system, new mission structure and even what new and exciting travel powers would be featured come launch time.We hope you enjoy the interview, and be sure to watch Massively for even more great Champions Online information in the near future!%Gallery-17946%
CCP Games not abandoning older hardware users in EVE Online
CCP Games definitely had a few EVE Online players up in arms last week, with their announcement that they'll be dropping the Classic graphics client as of the next expansion. While Machariel battleships no longer being that gorgeous black is clearly the only serious issue with that decision (only half-kidding), the fact that they were considering dropping support for older hardware drew a substantial amount of response from the player community. CCP's proposed two part plan was to:1. Drop Classic (and ShaderModel 1) with the Apocrypha expansion launch on March 10, making ShaderModel 2 the minimum system requirement to run the game with "Premium Lite" graphics.2. As of the Winter expansion 2009, drop ShaderModel 2 support, making ShaderModel 3 the minimum spec to run EVE, with full Premium graphics. Well, the players have spoken, and based upon this response CCP is moving ahead with step one -- dropping Classic, ShaderModel 2 will be the minimum needed as of March 10th -- and NOT step two. That is to say, CCP is holding off on phasing out machines that can't handle ShaderModel 3.
Masthead Studios CEO discusses Earthrise's sandbox philosophy
It looks like the sci-fi MMO genre is going to experience quite an influx of new titles in the months and years to come. Beyond the more standard sci-fi MMOs we've reported on in the past, one that's caught our attention at Massively is the upcoming post-apocalyptic title, Earthrise. It seems that beta testing is going to begin "in autumn", as confirmed by Masthead Studios CEO Atanas Atanasov in an interview with Polish MMO-centric gaming site The Art of MMO. While the interview brought to light some interesting revelations about Earthrise as a sandbox MMO, it also nailed down some details such as the system requirements to run the title: minimum requirements are 2 GHz CPU, 1024 MB RAM and 256 MB VRAM video card supporting shader model v3.0, according to Atanasov. But the interview also gives confirmations about guild-based PvP (which Atanasov refers to as 'Guild-vs-Guild' or 'GvG'), character advancement, and the roleplaying opportunities he sees being available to players in the Earthrise sandbox. Check out the entire English version of the interview over at The Art of MMO for more on this title.
Valve lowers system requirements for Left 4 Dead
While it still won't operate on our trusty Macintosh Performa 5200, PC gamers with less-than-stellar rigs will be pleased to know that Valve recently lowered the previously announced system requirements for Left 4 Dead. Well, okay -- the only thing they lowered was the video card memory requirement from 256 MB to 128 MB, but we imagine that this will allow access to a much larger number of casually outfitted PCs. To find out if you'll be able to join in all the zombified reindeer games upon Left 4 Dead's Nov. 18 release, check out the full list of requirements we've posted after the jump.
The Daily Grind: How low do system requirements need to be?
The World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King system requirements were announced earlier this week, and they weren't really much higher than those of The Burning Crusade. WoW's impossibly low system requirements have always been part of its recipe for success -- a recipe past and present competitors would do well to learn. But on the other hand, part of the PC gaming culture is the constant race to new graphical frontiers. Many hardcore gamers upgrade their PCs every year or so to keep up with the latest advancements. Sure, they're the minority -- but they're the base for almost any 3D PC game. How would you describe the optimal balance? Should MMO developers err on the side of accessibility, or graphical showmanship? How high is too high when it comes to system requirements, and how low do games need to reach to make sure they're accessible enough to the masses?
Fallout 3 goes gold, PC requirements detailed
Good day, Vault inhabitants. We're happy to report that Fallout 3 has gone gold for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. For those of you currently not stealing the game -- yup, it's up on torrent sites according to many tips, which can stop being sent now, thank you -- the actual release will be the week of Oct. 28.Console owners can obviously just pop in the disc (PS3 has no install, we asked), but we've placed the PC system requirements after the break.
System requirements posted for WotLK
Blizzard has been putting off posting system requirements for Wrath of the Lich King for a while, but they've finally made a commitment, posted on the official forums. As one might expect, they're fairly forgiving given modern hardware, but they are significantly bumped from the BC requirements (which were not updated from classic WoW, aside from nominally requiring a broadband connection). Here are the minimum and recommended requirements for Wrath: PC: Windows XP SP3 or Vista SP1 (Windows 2000 no longer supported) Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1.5 GHz (up from 800 MHz Intel/AMD). Dual-core recommended. RAM: 512 MB/1 GB for Vista, doubled from same as previous. 1 GB/2 GB recommended. Video: GPU with hardware transform and lighting and 32 MB VRAM, same as before. Recommended 128 MB VRAM. Mac: Mac OS X 10.4.11 (10.3 no longer supported) PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz or Intel Core Duo. Big change here: G4s are no longer supported. This one actually affects me, since I do have some G4 machines hanging around the house. Intel 1.8 GHz recommended. RAM: 1 GB, up from 512 MB. 2 GB recommended. Video: Hardware transform and lighting, 64 MB VRAM. On the face of it, this rules out the integrated graphics found on MacBooks and Mac Minis, but there's been no official word on it yet. 128 MB VRAM recommended.
Brack clarifies graphical update plans
We heard just last week that J. Allen Brack said Blizzard was definitely considering a graphical overhaul for WoW in the future (something players have been asking about for a while), and now WorldofWar has asked Brack to clarify exactly what's going on with the game's graphics. And he's answered. He says that Blizzard's approach to updating the game's graphics will likely be very different than other games' attempts -- they want to do it organically and iteratively rather than all in one go.Which follows with what's happened already -- Burning Crusade got a few tweaks and upgrades, and Wrath has its own. Not only will they implement that shader system we heard about way back, but the shadows for each model ingame will be updated (and real-time, very cool), and Blizzard is increasing the view distance (to help out with vehicular combat, we hope?). But other changes, Brack says, will come in waves, not all at once.He does mention an upgrade of how the water in the game looks, though of course he doesn't say when that might happen, only that Blizzard is looking at it. But it seems like a pretty sure bet not to expect an upcoming content patch to be "the graphical update patch." Blizzard is improving the way the world looks, but they're doing it one step at a time.
Far Crysis: PCs will weep at Far Cry 2's system reqs
Ubisoft has revealed the minimum and respectable suggested system requirements for its upcoming FPS / wildfire simulator, Far Cry 2. Let's just say that if your current rig had trouble running Crysis well, it's a far cry from being able to handle FC2. Oh, and just because previous series-dev Crytek is currently designing Crysis Warhead to run well on $600 systems doesn't mean that its new caretakers at Ubisoft are giving up the war against two-week-old PC components. You'll find the full shopping list rundown of requirements after the break. [Via Big Download]
Warhammer Online minimum system specs revealed
Do you like graphics wot be shiny? If so, then you're in luck! Mythic Entertainment has just released the minimum system requirements for running Warhammer Online when it (supposedly) releases sometime this September. They don't look to be very high, although the minimum two gigabytes of RAM for Windows Vista users isn't very surprising. All of the newer games on Vista seem to be asking for that, so if you're running that operating system we hope you've got the RAM already. If you don't have sufficient robot algae memory (that's what RAM stands for, right?), at least buying some more of the stuff shouldn't break your bank or anything.The only thing left is the recommended requirements, which probably aren't going to be too shocking. We're expecting to see a 256MB videocard or better recommendation and probably a mid-level dual-core CPU. You can check out the entire list after the break, if you're so inclined.
EVE Online sale on Steam, this weekend only
Steam is having a weekend sale which includes the sci-fi MMO EVE Online, now offered for $9.99. The Steam sale pricing ends on Monday, June 9th. If you're interested in giving EVE Online a go, then grab it on Steam now. That's not a bad way to burn $10 and 6 gigs of hard disk space, take it from a convert to the game. And of course you'll get the free Empyrean Age expansion that CCP Games is rolling out on June 11th. Check out Steam's EVE page -- where they're also offering a free 21-day trial -- and who knows, maybe we'll see you in the galaxy of New Eden soon. Just don't get too attached to that ship... Via Gaming Today
