Virtual reality video games need relatively powerful PCs to run the way they should. With that in mind, Nvidia took CES 2016 by storm and laid out the minimum system requirements needed.
At this year's CES, Nvidia is focusing a lot on driverless cars, much like every other company. However, the company's GeForce division is also at the show, and it is all about graphic cards and VR.
Recently, the company announced a new program called GeForce GTX VR Ready Program. It's basically a branding badge that will be placed on desktop and laptop computers that are deemed by Nvidia as VR-ready. According to the graphics card maker, it feels the need to make it clear to consumers which components and systems will be suitable for playing VR content.
This is also a move by Nvidia to build on its VR ecosystem and other head-mounted displays. As expected, the company views VR as a catalyst to sell more high-end GPUs in 2016 and the years to come. By branding computers, this could work out very well.
What are the system requirements? Well, we can tell you from the get-go that it won't be cheap, which means VR might not experience mass market adoption for quite some time. Furthermore, the system requirement is similar to the demands of the Oculus Rift.
- Desktop GPU: GeForce GTX 970 or better
- Mobile GPU: GeForce GTX 980 or better
- CPU: Intel Core i5- 4590 equivalent or greater CPU
- A PC with USB 3.0 support,
- 8GB+ RAM of Memory/RAM
- 2x USB 3.0 ports and HDMI 1.3
- Windows 7 SP1 or newer
Some might be surprised at the hardware requirements, but we need to point out that this is the norm. Bear in mind that the GPU is supplying graphics for essentially two computer monitors at the same time. Furthermore, the refresh rate requirement is higher than most desktop-based video games.
Surprisingly enough, Nvidia is endorsing the lower tier GeForce GTX 970. In the past, the company had recommended the more expensive, GeForce GTX 980 or GeForce GTX 980 ti for those who want 90 frames per second VR gaming at full HD, which is a must.
Nvidia's new program does not mention its rival, AMD. However, according to Oculus, the Radeon 290 should work just fine.
So far, the likes of MSI, Asus, HP and Falcon Northwest, have all come onboard the Nvidia VR train, so we should expect great things in the future, especially if VR takes off in a meaningful way.
