Sea of Thieves.... Potato mode waffles

I like games that have cross platform play. And despite my thoughts on some games dropping their VR element, I like the idea of 'mixed reality' play (VR, non-VR 'traditional'?!? And augmented). The more inclusive a game the better.
I only wish Star Trek Online PC players were able to play with both their PS4 and Xbox brethren.... And that Eve Valkyrie looked to be more responsive in aiming your ship without the VR.

However this post isn't about those it's about the Sea of Thieves low end specs.... and my waffling.


It seems Rare has taken those low end specs and gone limbo dancing. Potato mode is real 540p mode and 15fps lock.

          "At launch Sea of Thieves will have wide FOVs and will support 4K and 60fps, says the game's executive producer Joe Neat, however those playing on less powerful machines will be considered too. "

          " "We've actually added a 540p mode, so you can go below HD. We've also added a 15 fps framerate lock because when we were talking to the community some people were like: I'm actually happy playing 15 frames per second. We were like: that's actually really cool, we should support that."

It'll be interesting to see how that all works when the game is released. Plenty of development time yet.

Time to waffle!

A lot of gamers balk at a bare bones setup but I really do like games that run on bare bone specs. While I have a gaming laptop for stays away form home I also have a smaller non gaming laptop that once did a great job over 10 years ago. It's been updated and patched with many OS versions but I've also kept it up to speed with some games. For times where I need something lighter and "expendable", quick weekend breaks et al.
Some games run with no noticeable difference, Enter the Gungeon still looks like an 8-bit game. Democracy 3 still looks like a bubble chart.

Other games you think would work, don't. Like the 8-bit looking Domina and the blocks of Minecraft, they don't work with an Intel integrated graphics mode at all.

That's where my appreciation for modern game potato mode really comes in. Take Eve Online. While it was more important to check skills on a daily basis in the past. Enter Eve Potato mode on the go. Not a mode I'd engage in PvP with and not a mode I'd even contemplate anything beyond a level 2 in PvE. But some things in the land of space spreadsheets are the same no matter what mode your in. So it can be useful.