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The full recommended specs for Star Wars Outlaws on PC have been revealed, and they're pretty interesting. Ubisoft's open-world adventure is set to launch on August 30, and despite some notable flaws, we're still excited for it. So, what kind of computer do you need to run the game?

Now that we know that, the specs don't look too horrible. You don't need a top-of-the-line machine worth a million dollars. However, there is one obvious problem: Ubisoft has assumed that you use the upscaling algorithm at all performance levels.

Ubisoft thoughtfully provides players with multiple target levels, from "lowest" to "recommended", "high" and "ultra high". For each level, Ubisoft provides the target resolution and quality, such as the lowest level 1080p low-quality preset and 30 frames, or 1440p high-quality preset and 60 frames.

Interestingly, all gears specify that the upscaling algorithm be set to "Quality" to achieve these frame rates. If you were looking for evidence that upscaling is the new standard, this is it.

The minimum requirements are fairly modest, requiring only an Nvidia GTX 1660 graphics card to run. However, that's at 1080p low quality settings, with a target frame rate of just 30fps. What's more, according to the official specs, even on the minimum configuration you'll need to enable DLSS, FSR, or a similar upscaling algorithm to hit those frame rates.

In other words, the game is actually running at a resolution similar to 720p, and then upscaling to 1080p. In fact, as we explained before, the recommended settings assume the use of upscaling algorithms at each level. In the world of Star Wars Outlaws, there is no such thing as native rendering. At least not according to Ubisoft's system requirements.

While Ubisoft included an Intel GPU in the minimum configuration, that's probably saying something considering the Intel Arc graphics can't go any higher. It's worth noting that to run at 1440p, an upscaling from about 1080p, the GPU requirements are pretty high, requiring an RTX 3080, RTX 4070, or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, all of which have at least 10GB of VRAM.

In other words, 8GB of VRAM may not be enough for native 1080p rendering. Regardless, while it makes sense for Ubisoft to make the upscaling algorithm the default, we still feel a little uncomfortable with this assumption. There is no doubt that life is simpler when everything depends on plain raw performance.

With all the upscaling techniques, frame generation, and optional features like ray tracing on the horizon, it’s becoming more difficult than ever to draw broad conclusions about comparing performance, the hardware you’ll need for a good experience, and the image quality you can expect.