Hazelight Studios returns once again with a co-op adventure, titled Split Fiction. The formula remains the same – players take control of two distinct characters in a mesmerizing co-op adventure with a focus on traversal and puzzle solving, with cooperation being key to survival here.
The game is set to launch for both consoles and PC, and as such has received a set of extensive system requirements. Interestingly, the minimum PC system requirements seem to be astonishingly low, which could indicate a rather optimized port.
Split Fiction PC system requirements are a breath of fresh air
The official PC system requirements for Split Fiction are live, and they seem to demand rather modest specs for the ‘recommended’ sheet. Interestingly, the minimum requirements are on another level, warranting the following hardware combinations:
- Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit or newer
- CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K or an AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
- RAM: 16 GB
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 or an AMD Radeon RX 470 (4 GB VRAM in either case)
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 85 GB; a fast SSD is recommended
As is obvious from the list above, these requirements are shockingly low. In particular, the inclusion of the Nvidia GTX 970 is a nice surprise, given that the card is over 10 years old at this point.
The list of recommended CPUs also seem to be rather reasonable, with the Ryzen 2600X being one of the first major Zen CPUs from AMD (a 6-core 12-thread beast at the time, but severely outclassed in modern times), released back in 2018 for AM4 socketed motherboards.
The only outlier here would be the rather bloated 85 GB install space – which indicates a lot more high-res textures (among other assets) in play here. Still, the size is rather standard for a modern AAA release. One should expect the game to mandate a fast, NVMe based SSD as well.
The minimum specs seem even more impressive when we take into consideration that it is the baseline for 1080p gameplay – with no upscaling, albeit at 30 FPS Low. It’s an impressive port for sure, and it will be even more interesting to see how well the game scales off from the High to Low preset, and of the visual sacrifices taking place to achieve the same.
Optimized titles are becoming a rarity in the PC gaming space
PC gaming is in a very peculiar state right now. On one hand, the space has seen an unprecedented growth, with what used to be console-only titles making their way over.
On the other hand, ports have been a lot worse than they have ever been. The industry’s over reliance on upscaling and frame generation techniques means that modern titles never truly run at native resolutions, using smoke and mirrors to boost perceived performance.
It should be reiterated that techniques such as DLSS and frame generation are most definitely not substitutes for game optimization. The situation is even worse when we take into account the ever increasing price of PC hardware (especially GPUs), and the marginal improvements seen per generation.
As such, having a heavy, co-op focused title such as Split Fiction taking down the PC system requirements to a much lower level (than industry norms) is very much appreciated. More PC gamers can access the game, and this is a rarity in the PC gaming space.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
