PC Patch For 'Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour' Demo Adds Support For Older CPUs, Optimizes HBAO+

The frightening Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour demo has been out on PC for a week, but Capcom added a new patch that addresses a graphical issue as well as support for older CPUs.

Specifically, the graphics issue is in regard to HBAO+, Nvidia’s ambient occlusion feature that creates more realistic shadows. Capcom was a bit vague on the issue, but it did say that the feature’s overall performance was optimized with the new patch.

In terms of CPU support, the demo now works with processors that don’t have the SSE4.1 instruction set. This includes Intel’s Core 2 series and AMD’s Phenom lineup. However, it’s unclear if the support for older CPUs will extend to the final product. At the moment, the game’s official specs show that the minimum CPU requirement is an Intel Core i5-4460 (Haswell, 3.2GHz) or an AMD FX-6300 (Vishera, 3.5GHz).

The patch also included a fix for an issue that caused the game’s screen size to change when the game switched from full-screen to windowed mode. Also, the purchase button in the game now correctly directs you to the full game’s store page. If you're terrified to play the demo, you can always read about my experience with the PlayStation VR version of the demo from E3.

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NameResident Evil 7
TypeHorror, Survival
DeveloperCapcom
PublisherCapcom
PlatformsPC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR, Xbox One
Release DateJanuary 24, 2017
Where To BuyPlayStation StoreAmazonBest BuyGameStop
  • Jeff Fx
    This game really captures the feel of Resident Evil, with the huge improvement of shifting to a first-person perspective. It's just a shame that they agreed to make VR a Playstation exclusive for a year, when PS VR is so terrible for anyone who's used a Vive or Rift with Touch.
    Reply
  • Sleepy_Hollowed
    I don't see how a Core2 QX9770 couldn't handle this if you have a beefy enough video card, although it would have to be at very low settings. That being said, it is very weak for the newer physics intense games.
    Reply