Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartwill be the first ever game to launch on PC with day-one support for Microsoft’s DirectStorage 1.2, making it a milestone release for the platform. What’s particularly notable about it, though, is that the game previously enjoyed the status of being a seminal PS5 exclusive and was used to highlight the console’s fast SSD storage and powerful hardware. The curious bit, however, is that it doesn’t seem likeRift Aparton PC actually requires an SSD, which is precisely what much of the game’s marketing focused on.
When it was announced thatRatchet and Clank: Rift Apartwas coming to PC and would require only a regular HDD,gamers mocked Sony for the upcoming portand the pre-release claims about the SSD requirement. However, the fact that the game is leveraging cutting-edge technology on PC suggests that there may be something to its early marketing hype after all.
RELATED:Bloodborne on PC Could Follow Another Unexpected PlayStation Port
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartis the first-ever PC game to support DirectStorage 1.2 with GPU decompression, meaning that it will buffer data from slow hard disc drives and leverage graphics cards to decompress game assets on the fly. Loading high-quality textures and environments is therefore made both quick and easy, depending on one’s hardware configuration, and likely would’ve been way more difficult without DirectStorage 1.2.
Insomniac’s creative director, Marcus Smith, said in an early interview that the game’s rapid-fire loading of different levels, dimensions, and situations would “not have been possible without thesolid-state drive of the PlayStation 5.” Given that the game relies on DirectStorage 1.2 on PC to do the same job, the implication is that the features have been reconfigured with GPU decompression technology in mind, explaining why the port was viable in the first place.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartwasone of PS5’s key exclusive titles, and its release on PC is a big deal. Not only willRift Apartbe used as a benchmark for a variety of important new gaming technologies, but this is also the first time theRatchet and Clankfranchise has officially made its way to PC, with many fans hoping that it’s just the first of many to come.
AnewRatchet and Clankgame is years away, however, with Insomniac Games working on several other high-profile franchises in the interim. It’s possible that Sony might opt to port the 2016 franchise reboot over to PC, too, but there’s no telling whether that will pan out or not. For the time being,Rift Apart’s technical prowess will be more than interesting enough on its own, however.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartis available now on PS5 and will release on PC on July 26
MORE:Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart Seems Lonely on the PC
