Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart will be the first game with Direct Storage 1.2 to support GPU decompression, which will enable faster loading of high-resolution textures
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart for PC will be released on 26th July, and given that the game was originally released for PlayStation 5 to demonstrate the console's power, many were worried about how big the PC system requirements would be.
Yesterday, on 13 July, the No surprises: Sony has published system requirements for the PC version of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. To play in 1080p and 60 fps, you will need RTX 2070 and 16 GB of RAM and it should be noted that the required configuration for the minimum settings is very "mild" - the game does not even require an SSD (which is very strange, because Sony has repeatedly emphasised that it was possible to launch a project of this magnitude on the PlayStation 5 not least because of the "fast SSD"). However, Nixxes Software, which is responsible for the PC port, has used other technologies to handle streaming and downloading, such as Direct Storage.
Here's What We Know
In a recent Steam post, which has since been deleted for some reason, the developers explained that Ratchet and Clank on PC will be the first game to feature Direct Storage 1.2, which will support GPU decompression to help increase the bandwidth for streaming resources from storage to the graphics card:
"To enable quick loading and instant transition between dimensions, the game needs to be able to load assets quickly. DirectStorage ensures quick loading times and GPU decompression is used at high graphics settings to stream assets in the background while playing. Traditionally, this decompression is handled by the CPU, but at a certain point there is an advantage to letting the GPU handle this, as this enables a higher bandwidth for streaming assets from storage to the graphics card. We use this to quickly load high-quality textures and environments with a high level of detail."
When We Can Expect It
As mentioned above, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart on PC will be released on 26 July and will be available on both Steam and the Epic Games Store. Pre-orders are already available.
Sources: GamingBolt, ResetEra
