As a gamer with a rig that meets the recommended specs for most new games, I’ve noticed that some titles still struggle to run smoothly. This raises the question: are game developers not optimizing their games properly, or is it time for me to upgrade my hardware?
I recall my first computer, a Commodore Amiga 500, which had a mere 512KB of RAM. To play the best games, I needed to upgrade to 1MB of RAM. One game that still amazes me is SWIV, a shoot-em-up that rivaled modern indie titles despite being released in 1991. The developers, The Sales Curve, achieved this by thinking outside the box and using innovative techniques such as sprite-based level editors and adaptive difficulty levels.
Compare this to modern games like Gotham Knights, which requires a powerful CPU, GPU, and 16GB of RAM to run smoothly. Despite meeting these specs, I experienced CPU optimization issues and frame rate drops. Other games, like Starfield, have also been plagued with optimization issues, with some players experiencing inconsistent frame rates and micro stuttering.
Even big-name developers like Bethesda have struggled with optimization. Starfield, one of their newest open-world MORPGs, has been criticized for its poor optimization. Players have reported issues despite meeting the recommended specs, and the game’s high dependence on CPU power has been cited as a possible cause.
Poorly optimized games can be frustrating for players, and it’s not just a matter of meeting the recommended specs. Developers need to prioritize optimization to ensure that their games run smoothly on a variety of hardware configurations. As a gamer, I hope that developers will take this issue seriously and strive to create games that are both visually stunning and well-optimized.