Mirror's Edge Catalyst - the reboot/remake of critically acclaimed adrenalin-fuelled first-person parkour-em-up Mirror's Edge that's being developed by EA DICE - will enter Beta on April 22nd, and to ensure that everyone is on the same page both minimum and recommended PC specifications have been released. Those with an eagle eye on videogame releases in the past year should be unsurprised to see familiar hardware on the recommended list, although they may raise half an eyebrow at disparities between NVIDIA and AMD GPU suggestions (this time benefiting the Red Team).



The most important fact is that Mirror's Edge Catalyst requires at least 4 logical CPU cores to run, which will immediately rule out older dual-core CPUs that don't feature hyperthreading or similar tech. Most Intel and AMD desktop models will be sufficient in theory, but driver overheads in particular may hamper certain underpowered configurations. Unsurprisingly systems with as many as eight logical core are the recommendation, even if Intel Ivybridge and AMD Bulldozer aren't at the current cutting edge.

NVIDIA's GTX 970 continues in its role as the GPU recommendation of choice for publishers in 2015 and 2016, but few would view AMD's R9 280X as a match. Then again, plenty of time was spent optimising the Frostbite 3 engine for AMD GCN hardware and this investment appears to continue to pay off. Either way, if you have an NVIDIA or AMD-powered gaming rig from the past few years, Mirror's Edge Catalyst's system requirements should hold few concerns.



The Mirror's Edge Catalyst Beta runs from April 22nd to 26th (sadly signups are closed), so listen out for reports this weekend on the pre-release performance of various hardware configurations. Release is scheduled for May 26, however Origin Access subscribers should see it pop up ahead of time under their Play First Trials initiative. Digital distribution of the game is likely to be exclusive to Origin for the time being.