Starfield will be optimized for AMD hardware and PC gamers are furious
Out(rage) of this world
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Bethesda has announced thatAMDis its exclusive partner forStarfieldon PC - a move that has caused controversy in the PC gaming scene online. The title is scheduled for a 6 September launch.
Starfieldis one of the biggestupcoming gamesof the year with the hotly anticipated open-world space exploration RPG awaited for years now.Announced via AMD’s YouTube channel, the latest Bethesda-developed epic is made with some of Team Red’sbest graphics cardsin mind which hasNvidiasupporters concerned.
The performance ofStarfieldhas been controversial as the game has been confirmed to be running at 30fps on theXbox Series Xwith no performance mode to speak of at release. Considering thatMicrosoft’s current-generation console runs on AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture, the fears that some PC gamers have is not entirely unfounded.Starfield’s AMD exclusive partnership means that there could be no support for DLSS 3 leading to struggling performance from Nvidia graphics cards and drivers.
The PC system requirements forStarfieldare fairly taxing for a title that’s running on an engine as old as the Creation Engine 2, which made its debut withThe Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimandFallout 4. Theofficial Steam listing pagesites recommended hardware of an AMD Ryzen 5 3600X /IntelCore i5-10600K paired with an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT / Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, so we’re talking a fairly up-to-date machine all around here.
The proposed lack of DLSS 3 support, which is exclusive to the Ada series of graphics cards such as theRTX 4090andRTX 4080, means the title could be entirely reliant on Team Red’s A.I. upscaling technology. AMD’s FSR is open-source and can be used across all recent AMD Radeon graphics cards, and even Nvidia and Intel cards. The trade-off, however, is that Nvidia’s A.I. accelerated tech, combined with specified driver support, means that the PC games supporting DLSS tend to perform more consistently across the hardware it is optimized for. It also calls into question exactly how extensiveray tracingoptions could be in the game - if any will come to the platform.
Judging by thefalloutthat’s followed this decision, people on both sides of the hardware spectrum appear angry. You don’t have to look far to see the ire from even seasoned supporters of Team Red. The announcement on ther/AMD subreddithas received a strongly mixed reception. With a total of 636 upvotes and over a thousand comments, the post has been ratio’d to quite a degree.
One of the top comments reads: “I have zero faith it will run well regardless of what side sponsors it”. Another says: “At this point, I expect any game that has the AMD Rewards sticker to be completely broken at launch and many months after that. I,Forspoken,The Last of Us Part 1, andStar Wars Jedi: Survivormade a very lasting impression in this regard”.
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I am unsure if Starfield will run well on my machine, and fearful for how the game could come across in its launch state
Things aren’t much better when turning your attention to Twitter either.The official AMD Gaming accountpost has concerned PC gamers worrying about the performance woes ofStarfield. One response says: “My excitement for the game has dropped massively. Went from a guaranteed day 1 buy to hunting for a sale in the future”. Some gamers were blunter. “Please stop sponsoring titles” surged through a litany of concern around DLSS support. “Do not block DLSS”, “Welp, there goes the official DLSS support”, and “How about allowing DLSS to work too” received many likes.
As someone who currently uses an Nvidia graphics card and enjoys the benefits of DLSS to make the most out of higher framerates and high resolution, the news that the tech may not be supported has me worried. I am unsure ifStarfieldwill run well on my machine, and fearful for how the game could come across in its launch state given Bethesda’s track record. Time will tell if, despite all potential technical issues,Starfieldcould be considered one of thebest RPGson the PC.
You can gear up for the game with our encompassingStarfield pre-order guide. If you’re after a console to play it on cheap then we recommend keeping an eye out on thePrime Day Xbox Series X deals.
Aleksha McLoughlin is an experienced hardware writer. She was previously the Hardware Editor for TechRadar Gaming until September 2023. During this time, she looked after buying guides and wrote hardware reviews, news, and features. She has also contributed hardware content to the likes of PC Gamer, Trusted Reviews, Dexerto, Expert Reviews, and Android Central. When she isn’t working, you’ll often find her in mosh pits at metal gigs and festivals or listening to whatever new black and death metal has debuted that week.
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