"Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age" is finally coming to PC, though at quite a big cost, as the Microsoft Windows version of the game reportedly has steep system requirements.
This is quite bad for people with modest hardware expecting to run the game well on their PCs due to the fact that it is actually a remake of a 2006 PlayStation (PS) 2 game. By logic, it should actually be able to run on any machine past 2007, but in actuality, even the most robust PC hardware of 2017 are having a hard time maintaining stable frame rates for the graphically outdated game.
The Steam page of the game listed its minimum processor requirement as Intel Pentium G3260 or an Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) equivalent and a graphics processing unit (GPU) of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD equivalent paired with 4 gigabytes (GB) of system memory. While its recommended requirements for full graphical fidelity is an Intel Core i5-4460 or AMD equivalent for the processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 or AMD equivalent, and 8 GB of system memory which puts the game on par with today's AAA games that have significantly better graphics.
Recent tests with an Intel Core i5-8600K processor and a $1,000 NVIDIA GeForce Titan X GPU reveal that the game struggles to run with 60 frames per second (FPS) at a 4K resolution even with the calibre of the hardware. This is worsened by the fact that the game is just a remaster of the 2006 version.
This was all chalked up to developer Square Enix enabling intense graphical effects for the game that are present in today's graphically demanding PC titles hence the hardware requirements. In order to fully enjoy the 12-year-old remastered game on 4K, players must turn down some of the settings of the game such as anti-aliasing and ambient occlusion. Those playing at resolutions lower than 4K need not worry too much about what settings to compromise for smoothness.
Other than that, PC owners can hope for updates from Square Enix addressing the game's performance and optimization.
