In a remarkable twist of fate, the critically acclaimed game Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, renowned for its groundbreaking utilization of the PlayStation 5’s lightning-fast solid-state drive (SSD), has managed to shatter expectations by not requiring the same level of storage prowess on the PC platform.
In a now-vanished blog post on Steam, Sony, Insomniac, and the esteemed port developer Nixxes collectively unveiled the PC system requirements for Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. Surprisingly, these specifications indicate that players can still enjoy the game’s immersive experience even if they opt for the standard mechanical hard drives found in traditional gaming systems, albeit at minimum specifications (720p at 30 frames per second), reported Verge.
However, before critics lambast this revelation as evidence of the PS5’s SSD being an unnecessary feature, it is crucial to acknowledge another technological breakthrough responsible for this achievement: Microsoft’s DirectStorage. The recent release of version 1.2 of DirectStorage introduced a groundbreaking capability to buffer data from slower hard drives, subsequently expediting the decompression of in-game assets by seamlessly transferring it to the GPU.
In the aforementioned blog post, Nixxes proudly proclaimed that their port of Rift Apart was the pioneering game to incorporate DirectStorage 1.2. Alex Bartholomeus, the principal programmer, elaborated on the inclusion and its correlation to the compatibility with traditional hard drives:
“For Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC, we introduced adaptive streaming that is based on real-time evaluation of the available hardware bandwidth. This innovation enables us to tailor the texture streaming strategy to achieve optimal results on any system configuration. The integration of DirectStorage, in conjunction with a high-speed NVMe SSD and GPU decompression, facilitates remarkably responsive texture streaming even on the highest graphical settings.”
While DirectStorage was primarily developed to harness the full potential of fast PCIe NVMe SSDs, the technology also extends its compatibility to SATA SSDs and even traditional hard disk drives. Consequently, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC can harness the same cutting-edge technology for data loading, irrespective of the storage device implemented within the user’s system.
In June 2020, Marcus Smith, the creative director at Insomniac, emphatically stated that Rift Apart “would not have been possible without the solid-state drive of the PlayStation 5.” He further elaborated on the SSD’s exceptional speed, which facilitated seamless world transitions and near-instantaneous gameplay experiences. Smith highlighted the transformative impact of the SSD by emphasizing the absence of loading screens and the introduction of exhilarating new adventures.
However, as time progressed, it became apparent that Smith’s statement might have contained a degree of hyperbole. In September 2021, a thorough investigation revealed that the PS5 exhibited satisfactory performance when running the game on the slowest compatible SSD available on the market.
Nonetheless, the article demonstrated that developers can achieve remarkable load times on the PS5 when optimizing their games for SSDs, irrespective of the specific SSD model utilized. As evidenced by conducting repeated level loads in Final Fantasy VII Remake, the loading time was reduced to a mere 10 seconds on the PS5, whereas it required a painstaking 43 seconds on a PS4.
Moreover, it is essential to acknowledge that fully harnessing the hardware capabilities of a gaming console often takes developers years of experience and optimization. A prime example of this is Naughty Dog’s astounding achievements on the PlayStation 3, which debuted in 2006 but continues to showcase impressive visuals even by today’s standards, surpassing the capabilities of the PS4-level hardware found in the Steam Deck.
At the time of writing, Sony has not responded to a request for comment regarding the recently removed blog post. Nonetheless, this unexpected revelation regarding Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart’s compatibility with traditional hard drives through DirectStorage 1.2 has sparked excitement within the gaming community, as it demonstrates the potential for groundbreaking advancements in game optimization and storage utilization across various platforms.
