You know how Microsoft keeps saying every year that they will totally start taking PC gaming seriously and then do precisely nothing of the sort? Well, I think they might have actually been genuine this time around.
According to today's announcement Quantum Break will be the latest in a series of games that are going to launch simultaneously on both the PC and Xbox One. Here's the trailer, system requirements and a bit more info:
The system requirements they've listed are quite steep and far above the power level the Xbox One can muster which could mean two things: either Quantum Break is going to be one of the most visually beautiful games on the PC or its port is currently in shambles hence the increased requirements in order to get it to run. I really do hope its the first option in which case simply tweaking settings will allow those on less powerful rigs to still play through it at a comfortable frame rate.
The minimum system requirements are:
OS: Windows 10 (64 bit)
DirectX: DirectX 12
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460, 2.70GHz or AMD FX-6300
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 or AMD Radeon R7 260x
VRAM: 2GB
RAM: 8GB
HDD: 55GB available space
And the questionably high recommended system requirements are:
OS: Windows 10 (64 bit)
DirectX: DirectX 12
CPU: Intel Core i7 4790, 4GHz or AMD equivalent
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 980 Ti or AMD Radeon R9 Fury X
VRAM: 6GB
RAM: 16GB
HDD: 55GB available space
See with I mean with the recommended configuration specs being absurdly high, a 980 TI, really? With the release date for Quantum Break set in April it is completely possible these are still "conservative" placeholders and that the recommended specs for the launch version of the game will be much lower but for now seeing Quantum Break exclusive to very expensive rigs and Windows 10 does worry me ever so slightly.
On a positive note, anyone who preorders Quantum Break through the Xbox One store from February 11th to April 4th will also receive a Windows 10 version of the game for free. Save files between the two versions will be fully compatible though don't expect any cross-play functionality as Quantum Break is a single player game after all.
Despite the promotion ending on April 4th Quantum Break will be officially released on the PC & Xbox One this April 5th and more than anything else I look forward to seeing what DirectX 12 can do with a game that's built alongside it from the ground up.