PC Specifications for BioShock Infinite Announced!

Fifteen years ago, Irrational Games got its start making PC games, and the PC gaming experience has always been near and dear to our hearts. But it’s been a long time since we released the original BioShock, and PC gamers have come to expect a lot more for their money. So it’s understandable that you might be wondering: Will BioShock Infinite treat you right? Read on to find out what’s in store for the PC version, and you be the judge.

Controls

One of the big differences between PC and console gaming is the availability of a mouse and keyboard. You expect it, so we’re happy to confirm that the PC options screens let you remap all the default action bindings, with both primary and alternate bindings available simultaneously. Speaking of mice, we’ve made sure not to alter the sensitivity of high-end gaming mice by applying artificial mouse smoothing, and you can control sensitivity or toggle mouse acceleration in the options screen.

What’s that you’re mumbling to yourself? You prefer a console controller? Don’t worry, traitor, your secret is safe with us. There are three separate controller layouts (Default, Marksman, and Retro), each of which support loads of configuration options. You can tweak aim assist, sensitivity, vibration, and look inversion. Are you a left-handed player? Go ahead and revel in your genetic superiority because all controller layouts support multiple analog-stick configurations: Default (Look on right stick, Move on left), Southpaw (opposite of Default), Legacy (for those GoldenEye fans), and Legacy Southpaw. And for those who truly yearn for an old-school feel, or who use special controllers for medical reasons, we even let you swap the left or right analog stick with the D-pad.

All UI’s in the game are controllable via either keyboard and mouse or the console controller, and you can switch back and forth between the two input paradigms without ever pausing the game.

Graphics

I know, I know. Why discuss Controls first when we all know that Graphics Options is the first place you’ll be visiting? Because patience is a virtue. And it’s worth the wait.

This time around, we’ve fully embraced widescreen gaming. With our implementation of “horizontal plus” widescreen support, the wider you go, the more you’ll see of Columbia’s gorgeous vistas. And for the true aficionado, we support multi-monitor gaming with AMD Eyefinity, NVIDIA Surround, and Matrox TripleHead2Go. You’ll also have separate controls for aspect ratio, resolution, and display mode (fullscreen, windowed, and fullscreen windowed).

We have six different graphics presets, from “Very Low” to “Ultra,” providing a wide range of quality-versus-performance options. Gamers who want to tweak those further can switch to a Custom configuration, which gives you control over anti-aliasing, texture detail, texture filtering, dynamic shadows, post-processing, light shafts, ambient occlusion, and object level of detail. Many of these options have setting levels that are only available under DX11.

That’s right—BioShock Infinite is a DX11 game. Though you only need DX10-compatible hardware to play, having a DX11 graphics card gives you access to contact-hardening dynamic shadows, diffusion depth of field, high definition ambient occlusion and optimized antialiasing. Each of these features was developed in close collaboration with AMD’s graphics experts to take maximum advantage of modern DX11 hardware.

Finally, to show off all of that glorious PC pixel-pushing power, we’re shipping with unadulterated, full-resolution textures right in the box. You may not enjoy the three-DVD install, but we hope you will appreciate the jaw-dropping detail our amazing team of artists lavished on the game.

Gaming Wherever, Whenever

So you have a sweet gaming rig at home, but what about when you’re on the road for work, taking a break between classes, or visiting your relatives? We know that you appreciate being able to bring your gaming with you and may not always have a beefy machine available. We’ve worked hard to include graphics options that scale both up and down, so you can play BioShock Infinite even on less powerful setups with integrated graphics.

Speaking of bringing your gaming with you, did I mention that the game is on Steam, with Steam Cloud support? You’ll be able to get your BioShock Infinite fix no matter where you are, and your saved progress travels with you.

Likewise, if you just bought an 80-inch TV and prefer to take your PC gaming to the couch (or is it a “love seat”?), we’ve got you covered with support for Steam’s Big Picture mode. Heck, with a wireless controller and a good insurance plan, you can even play from your Jacuzzi.

Requirements

Will BioShock Infinite run on your gaming setup? We certainly hope so! So, without further ado, here are the PC requirements for BioShock Infinite:

MINIMUM

• OS: Windows Vista Service Pack 2 32-bit
• Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO 2.4 GHz / AMD Athlon X2 2.7 GHz
• Memory: 2 GB
• Hard Drive: 20 GB free
• Video Card: DirectX10 Compatible ATI Radeon HD 3870 / NVIDIA 8800 GT / Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics
• Video Card Memory: 512 MB
• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

RECOMMENDED

• OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 64-bit
• Processor: Quad Core Processor
• Memory: 4 GB
• Hard Drive: 30 GB free
• Video Card: DirectX11 Compatible, AMD Radeon HD 6950 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
• Video Card Memory: 1024 MB
• Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

OTHER REQUIREMENTS & SUPPORTS

Steam account required for game activation and installation. Initial installation requires one-time broadband internet connection for Steam authentication and Platform Update For Windows Vista (KB 971644 required on Vista only for DirectX 11); software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, Microsoft DirectX Runtime, Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2008 SP1, and Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2010 SP1.

Conclusion

If I have any regrets, it’s that there are always more features that we wanted to add than we had time to implement. For example, some of the most requested PC features these days are in-game V-Sync and FOV adjustment controls. Unfortunately, given our tight sc—wait, never mind. We added those too!

Still have questions? Then send them to community@irrationalgames.com and I’ll have answers in a separate post next week!

We’re incredibly excited about the quality of BioShock Infinite on the PC platform, and we can’t wait for you to experience it for yourself on March 26^th. Secure your copy at www.preordernow.com!

—Chris Kline, Technical Director, Irrational Games