With Nixxes revealing it was working on a PC port of the previously only possible on the PS5 title, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, things have started to get heated across the internet. A PS5 game on the PC? Why is this thing and why is this happening, and is this the end of the world? Well, it’s a good thing, and it was going to happen eventually, and it’s a good thing.
Let’s take a trip back in time, back to when Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart was first announced for the PlayStation 5. A time when everyone was going gaga over the console and its ability to load games faster than cheese could be cut. Sure, we were all amazed at the trailers and gameplay that showed us how Ratchet & Clank could seamlessly be pulled into a multitude of rifts, all to new worlds. It was great stuff and, at the time, showed off the power of the PlayStation 5.
Except when others would ask if this would be possible on other platforms, for example, the PC. They were met with those who would exclaim that the PC couldn’t do this because the storage devices were much too slow, despite there being a new technology called PCIe 5.0 that would double PCIe 4.0 read (and write) speeds and could be taken advantage of by new M.2 SSD drives were getting close to being released. We’re talking about read speeds that were on par or faster than that of the NVMe SSD found in the PlayStation 5. Of course, those who clung to their consoles like it was the most important thing in the world didn’t want to hear that. It was almost like they felt threatened. But why?
Granted, the PS5 has a custom SSD controller created by Marvell, enabling it to be blistering fast. But if we’ve learned anything, it’s that what’s new soon becomes old, and new tech will arrive to surpass it. You just have to love technology, right?
Where was I? So, it was determined that this simply couldn’t happen on the PC. Ok, let’s take a take back into the future, but not quite where we are today. Suddenly, we’re seeing games made to run on the PS5 debut on the PC. Now, I’m going to single out Returnal, as it’s actually the only other “Only for PS5” game that has been released that takes advantage of the hardware. Returnal was terrific on the PS5, with nearly null loading times. Reaching new levels, or even dying and respawning after an untimely death, was as fast as snapping your fingers.
This was yet another title that could only happen due to the PS5’s unique architecture. Of course, this eventually made its way to the PC and was better in every way. Unlike the PS5 version that ran at a native 1080p, which was then reconstructed to 1440p, the PC version could be ran at multiple resolutions alongside Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR, both are upscaling technologies, as well as Raytracing. It flat-out looked better and played better if you had the hardware. And as documented, this didn’t matter if you had the top-of-the-line SSD or the worst, as load times were just as speedy on the PC. Yes, it did suffer from stuttering, which has been resolved due to multiple updates. Simply put, Housemarque did a fantastic job.
So, let’s head back to the present. Nixxes has revealed it’s working on a PC port of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. The game was once PS5-exclusive due to its SSD, and the game couldn’t be played on any other platform. Except, now it’s headed to the PC, and now people are getting frustrated about it. Now, PC gamers that were once laughed at due to their choice of platform are now making jokes about this game was apparently only possible on the PS5’s magically SSD. Insomniac Games’ creative director, Marcus Smith, stated this game was only possible on the PS5 because of the SSD. I wonder what he’s thinking to himself about this recent development right now.
It’s not just headed to the PC but is also coming with some significant updates, including DLSS, FSR, ultrawide and multiple monitor support, and Raytracing. It’s coming loaded, and you should love to see it.
However, it would seem that some PS5 fans are not happy, as seen on that Bird app.
How can this game run without the Majestic, Magical PS5 SSD?! Nah couldn't be, Playstation wouldn't lie to us to sell products https://t.co/nXrdvLZJom
— 👑Uni Sensei👑 (@UniDaSensei) May 30, 2023
u won't believe this but did u know the ps5 ssd.
is the exact same SSD most people have in their PCs https://t.co/epu91fvUyG pic.twitter.com/GwcFeEEcuY— Sarah Burssty (@SarahBurssty) May 30, 2023
As for how this space magic is happening, well, Nixxes knows its stuff. After multiple PC ports before it was acquired by PlayStation for its PC expertise, and after with the releases of Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. They are suited to do the port, and I can’t wait to see how they pull this off.
To be honest, I hate this line being drawn in the sand for various reasons. When people cling to a specific platform and ridicule others because their platform is the only one that matters is beyond annoying. As such, I’m happy to see yet another PS5 game is headed to the PC to show that it is possible. PS5 fans shouldn’t feel threatened that a game that didn’t even sell that well is making its way to another platform to get another shot at life and more money for PlayStation. It’s dumb and old, and I’d prefer it to stop. Let gamers play what they want, where they want.
Regards, I’m all ready to play Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart again on the PC, if only to see how the port turns out.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart heads to the PC on July 23, 2023, on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
