The Star Citizen Holiday 2017 Livestream is happening at 3 p.m. EST, and the focus will be on Squadron 42. The space narrative’s initial PC requirements have been posted ahead of impending reveals and the official site lists all the critical details we’ve posted below.
PC Requirements
- Windows 7 (64bit) with Service Pack 1, Windows 8 (64bit), Windows 10 - Anniversary Update (64bit)
- DirectX 11 Graphics Card with 2GB RAM (4GB strongly recommended)
- Quad Core CPU
- 16GB+ RAM
While still fairly general, the oddest thing about the mandate is the massive gulf between GPU and RAM requirements. A DX11 2GB tier generally applies to hardware produced over the past five years or so, but the minimum threshold of 16GB RAM is far from standard even on some high-end gaming PCs. So, what we’re seeing here is a low-spec GPU setup that’s very attainable for those who backed Star Citizen in 2012, with a RAM requirement that’s mostly above average.
While we’re purely speculating ahead of the stream, that discrepancy is suggestive of the fact that the current state of Squadron 42 might be very unoptimized. It’s likely the development team at Foundry 42 will support lower-spec machines in the future, but the current build just isn’t there yet.
Since we are getting a piece of the system requirements today, however, it seems somewhat likely that backers will be privy to a playable portion or demo very soon. The intent was originally to have the first batch of missions ready for backers last year, but, between switching engines and addressing problems with Star Citizen’s long-delayed 3.0 alpha, that promise never came to pass. Fans were furious that Squadron 42 wasn’t shown during last year’s Holiday Stream. It looks like it will be coming back in a huge way over the next few hours.
These system requirements arrive in tandem with the IGN First reveal of a Squadron 42 teaser featuring The Last Jedi’s Mark Hamill as the hard-nosed Steve “Old Man” Colton. We’ll likely see much more from him during the stream.
Squadron 42 and its Star Citizen parent project have no release date. Squadron 42 is earned by offering a $45 pledge at the source link.
How do you feel about these basic system requirements for Squadron 42? Is your PC beefy enough to handle the load? Tell us in the comments section!
