During a thorough presentation looking at Battlefield 3’s massively hyped graphics engine, the game’s rendering architect, Johan Andersson, has explained exactly which graphics options will require what hardware.

He also made a comment that would make any PC master-race enthusiast giggle with pride, saying that the console version of Battlefield 3 is equivalent to the PC version running at its lowest graphics settings.

Here is Andersson’s breakdown of the various graphics settings available in Battlefield 3:

Low = “lowest possible”

•    Similar visuals to consoles, lots of stuff disabled
•    Still contains the essential visuals not to be unfair in MP
•    Minimum: GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB RAM

Medium = “good performance”

•    Most important visual features enabled

High = “what the game is designed for”

•    All major features on except MSAA (if you have DX11 card)
•    Recommended: GeForce 560 TI or better

Ultra = “highest possible”

•    Intended mainly for multiple GPU machines for 60+fps

“The shadows are a little bit sharper, the terrain is a little bit more tessellated. And also a big setting we have on Ultra is anti-aliasing. We use our multi-sampling there which is really memory-consuming and performance-consuming in general.

“It looks better but it’s not a giant step in visual quality. So if you have a multi-GPU machine, like a dual 580 or a dual 560 for that matter, you can run Ultra at 60fps.”

Battlefield 3 hits local retail shelves this Friday, 28 October, and will be available on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

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