Microsoft Joins with Intel to Optimize Gears Tactics for PC
Summary
- Throughout the development of Gears Tactics, The Coalition worked with Intel and the Xe-LP architecture to optimize the game.
- Gears Tactics will look amazing on high-end PCs and runs perfectly on laptops and lower-spec machines to help bring the franchise to a broad new audience of PC gamers.
- Gears Tactics will be available with Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta), Windows 10 PC, and Steam on April 28.
Soon, you can experience the next chapter of the acclaimed Gears
of War series built from the ground up for PC. Combining deep, tactical
turned-based gameplay and a powerful story of leadership and sacrifice, Gears
Tactics will send you back to the front lines at
the dawn of the Locust War.
In Gears Tactics, you’ll step into the boots of Gabe Diaz
as he recruits, equips, and commands his squad on a desperate mission to hunt
down the relentless and powerful leader of the Locust army: Ukkon. Against all
odds and fighting for survival, you must outsmart the enemy in brutal,
turn-based tactical combat in an immersive and character-driven story.
Experience the intensity of one of the most-acclaimed gaming sagas in an
exciting new way when it comes to Xbox Game Pass for PC, Windows 10 PC, and
Steam on April 28.
While previous Gears games started with the console as a
fixed reference point, the development teams at The Coalition and Splash Damage
had to consider an incredibly wide range of processors for Gears Tactics.
Not only did the game have to live up to series expectations as a graphics
showcase, it had to seamlessly scale across thin and light notebooks,
ultra-powerful desktops and device configurations yet-to-come, including those
featuring the Xe graphics architecture debuting this year.
Throughout the development of Gears
Tactics, The Coalition worked with Intel and the Xe-LP architecture to
optimize the game. New to Gears on PC is support for Variable Rate Shading
(VRS). Async Compute capabilities have been improved, and content has been
built to scale across a wide range of devices. VRS, a relatively new
technique, reduces the pixel complexity of a scene to effectively give Gears Tactics a performance boost
without sacrificing visual fidelity. Async Compute allows for certain graphics
workloads to be run in parallel, allowing the game to perform more back-end graphics
processes to keep your session running smooth. And with new Intel hardware
compatibility, that translates to fantastic performance across the upcoming Intel
Xe architecture.
In short, Gears Tactics will look amazing on high-end PCs
and runs perfectly on laptops and lower-spec machines to help bring the
franchise to a broad new audience of PC gamers. You can see this represented
across the official hardware spec requirements outlined below:
Gears Tactics will be available with Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta), Windows 10 PC, and Steam on April 28, and with select Intel hardware bundles later this year. Pre-order customers and Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) members who play before May 4 will receive the Thrashball Cole Character Pack which includes Augustus Cole as a recruit in addition to the Thrashball Armor Set complete with rare abilities.
For even more details on Gears Tactics, check out our recent hands-on preview here on Xbox Wire. And Gears fans will want to check out “Gears of War: Bloodlines,” the official prequel novel by New York Times bestselling author Jason Hough available on April 21.
Gears Tactics Pre-Order
* Offer available with (1) pre-orders/purchases of Gears Tactics digital game made by April 28, 2020 OR (2) play Gears Tactics with an active Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) membership by May 4, 2020. Content requires internet to download. May take up to two weeks to receive content in-game.
Gears Tactics is the fast-paced, turn-based strategy game set 12 years before the first Gears of War. Cities on the planet Sera are beginning to fall to the monstrous threat rising from underground – the Locust Horde. With the government in disarray, a squad of survivors emerge as humanity’s last hope. Play as Gabe Diaz, recruiting, equipping and commanding your squads on a desperate mission to hunt down the relentless and powerful leader of the Locust army: Ukkon, the evil mastermind who makes monsters. Against all odds and fighting for survival, outsmart your enemy in uniquely brutal, turn-based tactical combat. Experience the intensity of one of the most-acclaimed video game sagas in an exciting new way.
Immersive and character-driven story: Play as the defiant soldier Gabe Diaz, rescuing and building your troops in a journey of leadership, survival and sacrifice.
Customizable squad and equipment: Prepare your troops to face tough enemies, upgrading their skills and outfitting them with loot collected in challenging missions.
Aggressive gameplay: Command your squad in fast paced, turn-based battles, advancing and surviving intense and visceral encounters with the unstoppable, swarming enemy.
Massive boss battles: Defeat towering deadly bosses that defy your strategies and completely change the scale of the battle.
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This Week on Xbox: March 20, 2020