My thoughts on Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty's requirements

This is going to be a post about my thoughts the machine requirements so if you looking for a preview or something this is the wrong place.

I was quite surprised when I woke up this morning, out of the blue—a tweet from the Cyberpunk team about the much-anticipated Phantom Liberty DLC. Here's it straight from the horses mouth: https://twitter.com/CyberpunkGame/status/1667977864577273858

I'll admit, I was caught off-guard. Not by the announcement itself, mind you. What really made me sit up and take notice was that they'd finally come down from cloud nine and started looking at the hardware capabilities at what they wanted to present to the player, not trying to not attempting to please every Tom, Dick, and Harry with the spec requirements this time. It's a bold move, one that not many would dare to make. It's a move that demands respect.

They're now asking for an NVME for storage. About time, I say. Can't say I've seen any other game with this as a requirement. If you have not already I highly recommend upgrading to a NVME SSD.

To me, a game's higher end requirements should always be about pushing the envelope, and once again credit where credit is due Cyberpunk 2077 has been pushing out graphic updates since launch, the recent RTX Overdrive was a nice touch and let's not forget Witcher 3's recent graphic update as well. Seeing the upgraded specs for the DLC? Gave me a bit of a thrill, I'm not gonna lie. I still stroll through Night City from time to time.

But here's the kicker: they've scrapped PS4 from the requirements. A necessary evil, perhaps, but one that's been long overdue. They bit off more than they could chew the first time around, and here is hoping this scaled back requirement has become a lesson learnt.

And before you start making assumptions, let's get something straight—I don't play at 1080p. My rig can't handle RTX on high at 60fps. Not even close. And yes, you it's written there in the requirements, they require DLSS on. They're not just pushing the hardware limits, they're catapulting them into the stratosphere. We're talking about gear that isn't even on the market yet, or if it is, it's not priced for your average consumer.

Starting another hype train so soon, and even going as far as setting a release date? (2023/09/26) That's a dicey move if you ask me. The smart play would have been to keep mum until they had their ducks in a row. But what do I know? I certainly don't want to be taken for a fool this time as well so I am adopting a cynical approach to it.

To put it plainly, let's just hope they've learned their lessons from the fiasco that was Cyberpunk 2077's original release or lack of releases. We all remember that trainwreck, don't we?