Population: One is the latest battle royale release to hit the gaming market. Developed by the crew at BigBox VR Inc., the game is gaining a lot of traction among virtual reality enthusiasts. However, there are still players wondering if there’s a Population: One non-VR option. Do you need VR to play, or can you enjoy the game with more traditional displays?
Do you need VR to play Population: One?
Yes, a VR headset is required to play Population: One. The game is a battle royale experience designed specifically for virtual reality hardware. You’ll need either a Valve Index, HTC Vive, or Windows Mixed Reality VR headset to be able to play.
Luckily, the VR requirements for Population: One are fairly open. All of the major PC-based virtual reality platforms are supported, including the often-neglected Windows Mixed Reality hardware. Of course, you’ll also need tracked motion controllers for input, but that shouldn’t prove to be much of an obstacle. Otherwise, you’ll be able to enjoy the game either seated, standing, or with full room-scale setups.
Given how much grunt VR games typically ask for, it’s also worth double-checking the system requirements to make sure your machine is up to the task. Here’s a look at the game’s minimum and recommended requirements:
- CPU: Intel i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X (Core i7 recommended)
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 / AMD Radeon R9 290 (or greater)
- RAM: 8GB (16GB recommended)
- HDD: 8GB available storage space
- Windows 10 64-bit
- DirectX Version 9.0
- Broadband internet access
It may be a bit disheartening to learn that Population: One doesn’t feature a non-VR option. However, there is a silver lining here: The game was developed exclusively for VR, meaning every part of its design has gone into the virtual reality focus. That may keep it out of the hands of more casual players, but it means VR fans have another great exclusive to enjoy. The game has just been released, so feel free to check it out over on Steam.
