Bethesda needs to release a demo that will simply let us see how our PC's will handle Skyrim. Through this we'll know how our computer will handle it and if we need to get it for console. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a means of seeing how our respective PC's will run the game. The last thing we need is to be sitting there scratching our heads wondering if our PC's can handle it and if so how well. The solution is a small demo available that will let us TEST the game, not enjoy it, just TEST it. There doesn't even have to be any fighting involved.

Good luck with that. :goodjob:

what they should just do is put out the minimum specs.

We will know if our PCs can run the game when they release the minimum/recommended specs.

Can it run any game from the past 3 years?

There is your answer.

Seriously, till there is a new console, any computer that could play games decently 3 years ago can play games decently now. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't know squat about computers.

Skyrim will have the ability to output better graphics on PC, which will up the recommended requirements, but the simple and undeniable FACT is that if you were able to play games decently along side the current gen console, your computer will be able to handle ANY game will the next gen console.

Oh really? I looked at the GTA 4 specs and considered my PC to be one that could handle it easily...so I bought the game and it runs like garbage. Specs give you an idea but it's not hard for Bethesda to do us that small favor. And @the other narrow minded people, those threads are asking for a DEMO. This thread is asking for a TEST. Get your heads around it.

Yeah,and I also need a demo,so I know that'll run on my 360...

I believe Pete already announced there will be no demo.

They will announce the specs eventually. Given that the game will run on the same consoles as Oblivion and Fallout 3, I don't think that Skyrim will be impossible to run on computers that can run the same games. Will people be able to tweak settings for pc? Probably.

LOL? No, they will not do that, and they don't need to do that. Skyrim isn't a graphics hog. You'll be fine.

GTA 4 was, and still is an extremely poorly optimized game. Most other games have fairly accurate minimum requirements. What hardware are you running?

Evidently you forgot to read the part where I say IT'S NOT A DAMN DEMO! It's a testing device to see what level our PC can run it at!!!!!!! Low detail? Med? High? Maybe these are things we'd like to know BEFORE WE PURCHASE THE DAMN GAME!
Kinda frustrated with people posting before they read. They just see the word demo and "oh! there's no demo...blah blah blah..."
READ!

A test device? Like What?

And of course people reacted as they did,you initnaly asked for a small demo,not a 'testing device'.

Read it again. :brokencomputer:

Hi jay_Paul, you still haven't actually specified how or what this "testing device" is to be. Is it a small part of gameplay, is it the loader when the game is first run that automatically selects the appropriate settings for you, etc? It's all very well and good to say "I'm saying a TEST not a demo" (well technically it isn't because you should be able to realize this yourself) but you actually need to specify how such a test will take place. Unfortunately there is no magical testing device that tells us how well a game will run which is why people are assuming that you a calling for part of the game to made playable which is really the only way of knowing how well or poorly it will run.

How about this: a small patch of land to walk on and ONLY see if your computer lags it's mechanic @$$ off doing that. Of course the real game is bigger but to give us an idea what level we'd be running the game on.

Your asking for a demo. Call it what ever you want, but allowing you to play a small part of the game before you buy it is....... a demo. So don't get mad at people when they make an accurate observation about your request. Anyway, most game minimal/recommended specs are pretty accurate, and require no demo (its a demo) to know if you can play it or not. You picked one of the worst optimized PC ports in recent history as an example to try and prove your point, but your "example" was hand picked and is not representative of how accurate System Requirements are as a whole. Hell I have a great PC and GTA4 had trouble on it.

Side Note: When you buy a game that you end up not being able to play.... companies still make money of you. Its not profitable to let you know ahead of time that you are unable to play the game. Granted, I still think this is a "I WANT A DEMO!" thread attempting to hide itself as something else.

They need a demo to make sure that there are not any huge problems with computer configurations that they did not test. There could easily be a glitch with a motherboard, graphics card processor, or any combination of these and operating systems (XP, Vista, 7, 32-bit, 64-bit). I seriously doubt that they can test all combinations. A demo released just after the game goes gold could revleal some of these problems and allow them to get a head start on an early (maybe even lauch day) patch to fix these issues instead of having angry fans for a month.

Edit: Deliberatly trying to sell someone software that they cannot run is probably not legal. Even if legal it would definately be immoral.

theyre called minimum specs. because those are the minimum system requirements. to run the game. not run it on high settings not run it beautifully. just to run it.
also
Test: the trial of the quality of something
Demo or demonstration: an explanation, display, illustration, or experiment showing how something works.
essentially they are the same thing.
so by asking for a "test" you are indirectly asking for a "demo" in fact. you wouldnt want a test. because you arent testing the quality of the game. your trying to see how it works.

basically you want a "demo" to "test" the quality of your system.

You know, a benchmark tool is not really unreasonable. Just a flythrough of a generic dungeon or something. I'll be able to run it no probs, but it would be nice for people who want reassurance.

You're actually expecting them to release a PC demo when they undoubtedly have PCs of varying hardware configurations and operating systems designed to test just such a thing? Do you know anything about how games are tested?

Do you have any idea that I said this test should be available on the net so that everyone can try it? Do you have any idea how you shouldn't post without knowledge? Do you have any idea that I have experience in these things and I'll be laughing the day this game comes out all bugged and not working on half the OS's out there?

I personally enjoy it when any company releases a game demo, especially for PCs, to see how games run on respective PCs. Truly, it's the best way to find out first-hand, and when you have a really low-end PC such as my own, it's crucial, in the case of anything post 2005. I do know I can run Crysis on low settings thanks to a demo, but that was mostly just for the heck of it.

Anyway, I know this PC can't handle anything as well as my PS3 can, so I won't be getting Skyrim (or any multiplatform games) for this PC, but I agree demos are a very nice feature that are highly useful for determining one's speculated PC performance with any given game.

I'm pretty sure we all want a PC demo.

A fly through of a dungeon would be pretty bad since obviously interiors will run better than exteriors.

F.E.A.R. had a benchmark test with various bits of action going on and visual effects shown on surfaces while a camera moves through a corridor. It would tell how your hardware fared at the end. Something like this would be nice to have.