Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.
TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.
In a nutshell: Two of the PlayStation 5's biggest exclusives launch on PC this week. While their system requirements (and enormous storage footprints) have been public for some time, Sony, Nvidia, and others have published some extra information on which features the ports support, with some surprising omissions.
Final Fantasy XVI is now available on Steam and the Epic Games store, with God of War Ragnarok following on Thursday, September 19. Sony released a final rundown of Ragnarok's PC feature set, and modders have already begun adding functionality to Final Fantasy.
Sony revealed Ragnarok's system requirements in August, and they broadly resemble its 2018 predecessor aside from its demand for 190 GB of SSD space. However, this week, the company revealed that the option to reduce the frequency of puzzle hints will debut in the PC version before coming to PlayStation, addressing a widespread complaint. Developers will also add audio descriptions for cinematic events.
Customers should note that Ragnarok requires a PlayStation Network login, even on a PC. Although the stipulation had disastrous results with Helldivers II, Sony has continued bringing PSN features like trophies and a new overlay to PC with games. Ghost of Tsushima is a fine example. So players should expect the same or more in future titles, like The Last of Us Part 2, which developers have reportedly finished but is sitting on ice.
Additionally, Nvidia shared some internal benchmarks, using Ragnarok to showcase The GeForce RTX 4000 GPUs and DLSS 3 frame generation. With DLSS set to performance mode in 4K at maximum graphics settings, an RTX 4070 can average a more than decent 105 frames per second.
Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XVI's free demo has already given players a taste of its performance. Still, Nvidia advertised the performance of the final release (which requires 170 GB of storage space) alongside Ragnarok. All mid-range and high-end RTX 4000 cards manage frame rates above 90fps in 4K with super-resolution and frame generation enabled. Analysis from third-party outlets will likely provide a more complete picture, factoring in other GPU lineups, FSR 3.0, and upscaling without frame generation.
Surprisingly, Square Enix's flagship action RPG doesn't support ultrawide aspect ratios or FOV adjustments on PC. Thankfully, a helpful mod adding those and other features has appeared in time for Final Fantasy XVI's launch. Lyall's FFXVIFix, available on GitHub, enables cinematics with uncapped frame rates and frame generation, high-quality screenshots, and improved HUD scaling.
Another game Nvidia highlighted is an upgraded version of Capcom's 2006 zombie action game Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. It launches on Thursday with DLSS 3 support.