Sony has confirmed the requirements for The Last of Us Part I, and has listed a total of four different configurations that not only chave equivalence errorsbut above they list a component that doesn’t even exist. We will talk about this topic later, since it deserves a separate explanation, and we will also talk about the issue of inflated requirements.
The Last of Us Part I is, in case anyone doesn’t know, a remake of the original game that debuted on PS3 and later had a remastered version on PS4. Uses the graphics engine from The Last of Us Part II, and this is noticeable in its graphic finish in general, although for some unknown reason Sony decided not to release it on PS4, when it would have been perfectly possible. Perhaps he did it to give it a “next gen” air that it certainly does not have.
The Last of Us Part I requirements for PC
Minimum requirements
- Windows 10 64-bit.
- Intel Core i7-4770 or Ryzen 5 1500X processor (four cores and eight threads).
- 16GB of RAM.
- GeForce GTX 970, Radeon RX 470, or GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics card. There are two equivalence errors, the closest to the GTX 970 are the RX 570 and GTX 1060 3GB.
- 100 GB of free space on SSD.
With the minimum requirements the game will theoretically run in 720p with low quality and 30 FPS.
recommended requirements
- Windows 10 64-bit.
- Intel Core i7-8700 or Ryzen 5 3600X processor (six cores and twelve threads).
- 16GB of RAM.
- GeForce RTX 2070 Super or RTX 3060 8 GB, AMD Radeon RX 5800 XT 8 GB or Radeon RX 6600 XT 8 GB graphics card. In this case there are not only equivalence errors, but also the Radeon RX 5800 XT doesn’t even exist. The GeForce RTX 2070 Super is also more powerful than the 8GB RTX 3060, so Sony has messed itself up here. The correct thing would be GeForce RTX 2070 or Radeon RX 6600 XT.
- 100 GB of free space on SSD.
With this configuration the game would run in 1080p with high quality and 60 FPS.
Recommended requirements for 1440p
- Windows 10 64-bit.
- Intel Core i7-9700 or Ryzen 5 5600X processor. The first has eight cores and eight threads and the second six cores and twelve threads, as well as a higher IPC.
- 32GB of RAM.
- GeForce RTX 2080 Ti or Radeon RX 6750 XT graphics card. Here, the equivalence is correct.
- 100 GB of free space on SSD.
This configuration will allow us to play in 1440p with high quality and 60 FPS.
Recommended requirements for 2160p
- Windows 10 64-bit.
- Intel Core i5-12600K or Ryzen 9 5900X processor. The former has six high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, and the latter has 12 cores and 24 threads, so there is a clear equivalence error. The closest would be a Ryzen 5 5600X.
- 32GB of RAM.
- GeForce RTX 4080 or Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics card. Here’s another mismatch, as the closest thing to the first is the Radeon RX 7900 XTX.
- 100 GB of free space on SSD.
At this level we could play in 4K with ultra quality and 60 FPS.
Are the requirements that Sony has given inflated?
Without a doubt, and on top of that they are full of errors and even list, as I said, a graphics card that does not exist. In addition to the equivalence errors that I have indicated there are Two other manual errors:
- We don’t need more RAM if we increase the resolution.
- Nor does it make sense to increase the CPU requirement by raising the resolution, in fact the opposite occurs, that the processor loses importance because it is the GPU (graphics card) that assumes the greatest workload by raising the pixel count.
I have said that the requirements of The Last of Us Part I for PC are inflated, and I couldn’t help but remember the Returnal requirementsa “next gen” game that will help us fully understand what is happening.
According to Sony, said game was going to run at 720 with 60 FPS and low quality on a Radeon RX 580 of 8 GB and that, however, it works at an average of 34 FPS with said graphics card in 1080p and epic quality. You also don’t need an 8 core 16 thread processor, as it works perfectly with a 4 core 8 thread processor, and works fine with 16 GB of RAM, so having 32 GB is useless.
I know you’re wondering why Sony would inflate the requirements this way, and the answer is very simple, marketing. By listing such inflated requirements you generate a positive image for your console, PS5 in this case, and you imply that it has such powerful hardware that its games require a disproportionate PC when it really does not.
That Sony said that Returnal needed a GeForce RTX 2070 Super to run at 1080p with high quality and 60 FPS, and that actually this game moves to that level on a GeForce GTX 1080is an indisputable proof of what I just said, and as if this were not enough, said game not only works perfectly with 16 GB of RAM, but even can be moved with 8 GB of RAM. Yes, we will have minimum peaks marked, but it will be playable.
The truth is that these things seem to me to be disrespectful towards PC gamers, and it does a disservice to Sony’s strategy of approaching this sector in an attempt to make its “no longer so exclusive” more profitable. A powerful gentleman is a gift of money, as Quevedo said, but in this case with a touch of marketing even though you may harm the user.
