Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[System requirements revealed for Champions Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/07/system-requirements-revealed-for-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/07/system-requirements-revealed-for-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/07/system-requirements-revealed-for-champions-online/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Cryptic today revealed the minimum and recommended specs for Champions Online and they contain some happy and interesting surprises. Happy, because the overall requirements are fairly low, especially if you're the kind of person who plays MMOs on any sort of regular basis. Interesting, because for a game coming out a little under two months before Windows 7 hits retail, there's strangely no mention of support for the new Microsoft operating system.

We know that the current beta runs on Windows 7, but that's true of many older games released in the Vista era. Given the low upgrade prices currently being offered and the positive buzz surrounding the new OS, there'll probably be a decent amount of early adopters come October 22nd. Still, beyond that small curiosity, we'd have to say the required and recommended specs for Champions Online are definitely good. As an added bonus, this makes another delay beyond September highly unlikely -- as does the announced open beta, we suppose.

Check out the minimum and recommended system requirements after the break.

Continue reading System requirements revealed for Champions Online

MassivelySystem requirements revealed for Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ataribetabreakingchampions-onlinecrypticcryptic-studiosmicrosoftoctoberopen-betaseptembersystem-requirementssystem-specswindows-7Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: How low do system requirements need to be?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/11/the-daily-grind-how-low-do-system-requirements-need-to-be/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/11/the-daily-grind-how-low-do-system-requirements-need-to-be/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/11/the-daily-grind-how-low-do-system-requirements-need-to-be/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King system requirements were announced earlier this week, and they weren't really much higher than those of The Burning Crusade. WoW's impossibly low system requirements have always been part of its recipe for success -- a recipe past and present competitors would do well to learn. But on the other hand, part of the PC gaming culture is the constant race to new graphical frontiers. Many hardcore gamers upgrade their PCs every year or so to keep up with the latest advancements. Sure, they're the minority -- but they're the base for almost any 3D PC game.

How would you describe the optimal balance? Should MMO developers err on the side of accessibility, or graphical showmanship? How high is too high when it comes to system requirements, and how low do games need to reach to make sure they're accessible enough to the masses?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: How low do system requirements need to be? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessibilityage-of-conandiscussiongraphicshardwareminimum-requirementsminimum-specsopinionrecommended-specssystem-reqssystem-requirementssystem-specstdgtechnologythe-daily-grindvanguardworld-of-warcraftSat, 11 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard releases WotLK system specs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/blizzard-releases-wotlk-system-specs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/blizzard-releases-wotlk-system-specs/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/blizzard-releases-wotlk-system-specs/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


The system specs have just been announced for World of Warcraft's upcoming expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. While the specs are a bit higher than the original game and The Burning Crusade expansion, that's to be expected these days. Will it be enough to deter players, though? Probably not.

As you can see from our comparison chart between the two expansions after the jump below, the PC specs didn't increase by much from The Burning Crusade, but they seemed to make a significant jump on the Mac side. Still, compared to most recent games, these comparatively low system specs will prove beneficial to the continued growth of the game. Besides, if you don't have at least 1GB of RAM in your PC already, you have bigger problems than not being able to play a Death Knight.

Continue reading Blizzard releases WotLK system specs

MassivelyBlizzard releases WotLK system specs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardsystem-specsthe-burning-crusadeworld-of-warcraftwotlkwowwrath-of-the-lich-kingWed, 08 Oct 2008 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Find out why WoW conquered the world]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/find-out-why-wow-conquered-the-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/find-out-why-wow-conquered-the-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/find-out-why-wow-conquered-the-world/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Gamasutra has published an article titled "Why World of Warcraft Made It Big." The article was written by Michael Zenke, a member of the family here at Massively! Zenke argues that there's no one reason WoW was the game to explode into the mainstream in Western markets, instead of EverQuest II or City of Heroes. Accessibility, low system specs, polish, storytelling, fun factor, and yes, timing -- all of these had something to do with it. He also suggests that in the wake of The Burning Crusade, WoW is as strong today as it's ever been.

So, this begs the question -- and this is not one that's addressed in the post -- is there a game coming that will leave WoW in the dust just as WoW surpassed EverQuest? Or will Blizzard reign as kings throughout the foreseeable future? Maybe we'll see an industry like the one Corey Bridges of Multiverse described -- a place where democratization of the MMO development process creates hundreds or thousands of successful, user-generated experiences? As curious as we are, we're smart enough not to make blind predictions. So let's see what happens this year with the big releases like Age of Conan and Warhammer Online, as well as the democratizing experiments like MetaPlace.

MassivelyFind out why WoW conquered the world originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessibilityblizzardeverquesteverquest-iifungamasutraindustrymichael-zenkesuccesssystem-specsworld-of-warcraftMon, 31 Mar 2008 23:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Disney's Mike Goslin stresses importance of low system requirements]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/22/disneys-mike-goslin-stresses-importance-of-low-system-requirements/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/22/disneys-mike-goslin-stresses-importance-of-low-system-requirements/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/22/disneys-mike-goslin-stresses-importance-of-low-system-requirements/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Disney Online's Mike Goslin (of Toontown Online and Pirates of the Caribbean Online fame) said in an interview with Worlds in Motion that it's important for MMO projects to "support as low a minimum spec PC as possible."

PC gaming is often criticized for being too expensive. You can buy an XBox 360 for $350 or a PlayStation 3 for $400, but a desktop PC equipped with the hardware necessary to smoothly run the very latest games usually costs $1,000 or more. That's a barrier to entry for many would-be PC gamers.

Supporting low-end hardware isn't just important for children's and family games. A while back SOE CEO John Smedley told WarCry that "the biggest thing that hurts [Vanguard] is the high system specs." If the MMO genre is carrying PC gaming on its back, shouldn't MMO developers do everything they can to make their games accessible to a large audience?

MassivelyDisney's Mike Goslin stresses importance of low system requirements originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businessconsolesdisneydisney-onlinehardwareindustryjohn-smedleymike-goslinpcpirates-of-the-caribbean-onlinepotcosoesystem-specstoontown-onlinevanguardThu, 22 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST