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.