Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

[Sep 04, 2009, 3:13 pm ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

The minimum system requirements for Need for Speed: SHIFT are now posted on Needforspeed.com, though they don't have recommended specs for the upcoming racing sequel. The specs say a wheel is optional but an internet connection is required, so we contacted EA to see if this internet requirement was related to DRM, and were told that it is not, and that in spite of what these requirements specify, an internet connection is not mandatory. For DRM the game will use SecuROM for a disc check with no online component at all, though if players do choose to play online, there will be an online authentication for software updates and online play. Having settled that, we move on to the minimum system requirements:

Required – Internet Connection
OS - Windows XP (Service Pack 3) or Windows Vista (Service Pack 1) / Windows 7
Processor – Intel Core™2 Duo 1.6 GHz or faster
Memory – XP: 1 GB RAM; Vista/Windows 7: 1.5 GB RAM
Hard Drive – 6 GB
DVD Drive - 8 SPEED
Video Card – 256 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 3.0*
Sound Card - DirectX 9.0c compatible
DirectX - DirectX 9.0c compatible
Online Multiplayer – 512 Kbps or faster; 2-12 Players
Input - Keyboard, Mouse
Optional – USB Steering Wheel / Dual Analogue Gamepad

*Supported Video Cards: ATI Radeon X1800 XT 512MB or greater; NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT 256MB or greater. Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.

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13.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 6, 2009, 01:54

tuddies

If there is adware in the game it must be defeated and removed.

12.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 5, 2009, 19:27

StingingVelvet

Yeah, not all PC games have had disc checks. Just the overwhelming majority. And I agree that disc-checks are pretty worthless, as they get cracked immediately upon release. Copy-protection really should just disappear entirely but if having a basic disc-check means more games for the PC, I'm willing to compromise. Exactly. Would I rather no disc-check? Of course. Does it impact my buying decision? Not at all. Can't say that about online activation and install limits.

11.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 5, 2009, 14:39

Jerykk

It still stands, though, that not all PC games have/had disc checks. Yeah, not all PC games have had disc checks. Just the overwhelming majority. And I agree that disc-checks are pretty worthless, as they get cracked immediately upon release. Copy-protection really should just disappear entirely but if having a basic disc-check means more games for the PC, I'm willing to compromise.

10.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 5, 2009, 12:30

Razor

I only have patched versions of the 2 so I can't verify this, but if that's the case so be it, and I stand corrected. It still stands, though, that not all PC games have/had disc checks. The music industry, a dinosaur of industry, has largely abandoned DRM. Hopefully the software industry will eventually realize how futile DRM is. It doesn't work, and any system can be hacked or cracked. All DRM does is annoy legitimate customers. Pirates have no such worries.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 5, 2009, 11:15

FreonTrip

^^^ The initial releases of System Shock 2 and Unreal both had CD checks. Unreal's was incredibly easy to circumvent - it literally involved copying an 18-byte file called "data.tag" from the CD, then re-routing the CD Path in Unreal.ini to point to the directory where you stored it on your hard drive. System Shock 2's was trickier... there was a layer of SafeDisc protection that had to be fooled (the crack basically appended a file on the CD onto the end of the executable), and then a CD crack program had to be applied. Disc checks are an unfortunate but long-term part of the PC gaming experience.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 5, 2009, 10:21

Razor

Way to show how silly you are... every freaking PC game ever made has had a disc check, other than online activated games (which are worse). Way to show how little you know. Plenty of PC games never had disc checks. Quake and Quake II spring to mind immediately. Same with Unreal, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadows of Chernobyl and System Shock 2. None of those games had online activation. Despite what you might think, disc checks have not been around forever. There was an era where disc checks did not exist. I miss it. You have been duped into believing this is the norm and that, as a consumer, you should just accept it. That's fine if you want to. I however, do not.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 5, 2009, 04:36

nofb

The issue here is not so much the DRM as the adaptative in-game advertisement system, from Massive (Microsoft). System that EA refuse to confirm even though the deal was made public days ago (granted, it wasn't a press release so perhaps it wasn't supposed to be known - unless I missed it). I keep wondering why we have to buy the game and open the box before knowing it is an adware, not even sure this is really legal, but as long as there are buyers... It's just disgusting.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 5, 2009, 01:22

StingingVelvet

SecuROM? Sorry, not happening. Even the "simple" offline CD check is quite effective at breaking itself and refusing to let you play your game. Way to show how silly you are... every freaking PC game ever made has had a disc check, other than online activated games (which are worse).

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 4, 2009, 19:37

Icewind

* REMOVED * This comment was deleted on Sep 5, 2009, 11:37.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 4, 2009, 18:13

DangerDog

No activation limits, standard disc check sounds reasonable. I do wonder how much content is held back for DLC sales padding though.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 4, 2009, 17:46

Frode

SecuROM? Sorry, not happening. Even the "simple" offline CD check is quite effective at breaking itself and refusing to let you play your game.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 4, 2009, 16:35

Bone43

The shiny car drive 200 mph into a wall and get right back in the race games never really did it for me.

Re: Need for Speed: SHIFT Specs & DRM

Sep 4, 2009, 16:11

Geico Caveman

This series has gone way downhill. They'd have to pull off a miracle to get me to be remotely interested in this.

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