If you're not rocking the latest GPU, CPU, and RAM combo these days, it might be a risk to buy the latest releases on the Steam Store. Intel Arc users found they couldn't play Crimson Desert at launch, for example. However, Valve may be looking to change the risk involved in buying brand-new games, by letting you know how well your rig should be able to run them.
As spotted by TheGamer, a new system developed from data collected by users opting in to share their framerate data could show you the framerates of other Steam users with similar rigs and GPUs. It's seen as a "framerate estimator," allowing you to see what kind of performance you can actually expect, even if your rig hits the minimum or recommended specs on a game's store page.
This isn't going to be a cure-all for performance estimations, as even if someone is running the exact same hardware specs to you, things like game settings, background applications, and more can hinder or assist the performance of a PC. Still, this is going to be incredibly useful for anyone wondering if their rig can really run a Black Myth: Wukong, Crimson Desert, or Cyberpunk 2077.
As of the time of writing, the FPS data collection is only available in the Steam beta. There's no set release date for the FPS estimator, but speculation points to it perhaps being a feature included in the highly anticipated Steam Machine, set to launch later this year.
