Most likely due to the potential for piracy on the platform, Capcom has seen fit to schedule the PC versions of its multiplatform releases to trail their console brethren significantly. Such is the case with Street Fighter IV, which leads off Capcom's new focus on delivering its AAA titles to PC gamers. Bionic Commando, Dark Void, and Resident Evil 5 are slated to follow during calendar 2009.
The features and options Capcom is offering point toward this being a "no brainer" purchase.
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The obvious question in PC gamers' minds is what they will receive to justify having to wait almost five months longer than their console counterparts to play Capcom's long-overdue sequel to its flagship fighting series. Thankfully, the answer is significant. Headlining Street Fighter IV's feature set is its integration with Games for Windows Live. PC players will have the far-too-rare abilities to improve their Microsoft gamerscore through achievements, use their Xbox 360 arcade sticks or fighter pads, see and manage their friends list, and potentially access downloadable content, all on their PCs.
A feature exclusive to the PC version of Street Fighter IV is the inclusion of three shader options. "Watercolor," "Poster," and "Sumi-e ink" allow the player to change the look of the characters fairly significantly, as demonstrated below. Paired with the all of display options native to PC gaming, this represents a nice bonus for players willing to wait for this version or perhaps add it to their existing console purchase.
Click on the image to for a comparison of the different Street Fighter IV PC shaders
Street Fighter IV's options don't end in the code. Capcom will offer three ways to purchase the game. Digital distribution will be available via Capcom.com's e-store, Steam, Impulse, Direct2Drive, Metaboli, Gametap, nVidia.com, GamersGate, and others to be named later. For those that prefer retail packaging, two options are already available for preorder: the stand-alone game with a MSRP of $39.99 and a bundle, which includes a Mad Catz Street Fighter IV pad, carrying a MSRP of $59.99.
The features and options Capcom is offering point toward this being a "no brainer" purchase, but a key piece of information for every PC release is the system requirements. By 2009 standards, they are fairly modest:
Minimum
OS: Windows XP
CPU: Intel Pentium4 2.0 GHz or higher
RAM: 1 GB or higher
HDD: 10 GB of free space or more
Video Card: DirectX 9.0c/Shader 3.0 or higher compatible, nVidia GeForce 6600 series, ATI Radeon x1600 or higher, VRAM： 256 MB or higher
Sound: DirectSound compatible, DirectX 9.0c (or higher) compatible
Recommended
OS: Windows Vista
CPU: Intel Core2Duo 2.0 GHz or higher
RAM: 2 GB or higher
HDD: 10GB of free space or more
Video Card: DirectX 9.0c/Shader3.0 or higher compatible, nVidia GeForce 8600 series or higher, ATI Radeon x1900 or higher, VRAM： 512 MB or higher
Sound: DirectSound compatible, DirectX 9.0c (or higher) compatible
Click on the image to for a comparison of the different Street Fighter IV PC shaders
