Ubisoft reveals the minimum and recommend PC specs for The Division, also announcing several PC-only features such as an unlocked frame rate and keyboard and mouse support.
In less than a week, Ubisoft will kick off The Division beta. Following a successful round of alpha testing that took place in December, the game's beta should give players a better taste of what they can expect once the MMO-inspired third-person shooter is released in full. It should also ease any concerns stemming from the game's lengthy development period and multiple delays.
However, with The Division beta taking place on both PC and consoles (on PC the beta is over 26GB), those on PC will need to get their hardware in working order ahead of time. To help PC players do that, Ubisoft has now revealed The Division's minimum and recommended PC specs, along with some features that are only available on PC.
The minimum specs for the game are as follows:
Supported OS: Windows® 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only).
Processor: Intel Core i5-2400 | AMD FX-6100, or better.
RAM: 6GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 with 2 GB VRAM (current equivalent NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760) | AMD Radeon HD 7770 with 2 GB VRAM, or better
DirectX: Version 11
Hard Drive Space: 40 GB available space.
Optical Drive: DVD-ROM Dual Layer.
Peripherals Supported: Windows-compatible keyboard, mouse, headset, optional controller.
Multiplayer: Broadband connection with 256 kbps upstream, or faster.
And here are The Division's recommended PC specs:
Supported OS: Windows® 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
Processor: Intel Core i7-3770 | AMD FX-8350, or better.
RAM: 8GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 | AMD Radeon R9 290, or better
DirectX: Version 11
Hard Drive Space: 40 GB available space.
Optical Drive: DVD-ROM Dual Layer.
Peripherals Supported: Windows-compatible keyboard, mouse, headset, optional controller.
Multiplayer: Broadband connection with 512 kbps upstream, or faster.
The publisher also notes that the game does support "laptop models of these desktop cards", as long as they are "on-par in terms of performance with at least the minimum configuration". Players are also encouraged to visit Ubisoft's support portal (support.ubi.com) for more info.
As for The Division's PC-only features, players will be glad to hear that the game's frame rate is unlocked, confirming a list of leaked graphical options from earlier in the week. Additionally, The Division can be played either with a keyboard and mouse or with a game controller, and the game's inventory and map have all been designed for navigation with either control input. The title's user interface is also customizable, there is text chat for those who prefer that over voice chat and the game supports three monitors as well.
While these additional features may seem small and are unlikely to encourage many more PC gamers to buy the title, they are still incredibly significant. Over the past few years, Ubisoft has caught plenty of flak for its treatment of PC gamers. Last year, Assassin's Creed Syndicate was released on PC almost an entire month after it was released on consoles and upcoming title Far Cry Primal is also coming to PC a week after Xbox One and PS4. And that's not to forget the company's controversial stance on DRM (Digital Rights Management) a few years ago, either.
The company's poor track record with PC gamers has left many on the platform upset and frustrated. However, the recent Tom Clancy Humble Bundle (which offered The Division beta PC codes) and these PC-exclusive features could be the first step towards Ubisoft making amends.
Are you excited to play The Division beta? Do you think Ubisoft will ever get back into PC gamers' good books? Leave a comment and let us know.
The Division is set to release on March 8, 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.