By Ava Harper
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is about to begin its Beta testing and is set for an official release in October. This 21st installment in the Call of Duty series is highly anticipated by many players as a potential turnaround for the franchise’s recent decline.
Since its announcement, it has garnered significant attention. I know you might be ready to jump into the Beta test, but before you do, let me bring up 3 potential issues that Black Ops 6 might have, which could help you prepare in advance.
New Technology
In a recent announcement, Activision mentioned some client adjustments and a new technology for this installment. Here’s what they said:
“Call of Duty 21: Black Ops 6 will have a significantly smaller download and install size at launch compared to its predecessor, Call of Duty 20: Modern Warfare 3. This improvement is mainly due to a major update in our strategy: players will no longer automatically download and install Call of Duty: Warzone when they download and install Call of Duty 21.
Additionally, besides separating the Warzone download, Activision will expand the use of texture streaming technology, allowing players to avoid downloading all content directly to their hard drive. Developers will cycle less frequently used content into a streaming cache, reducing hard drive usage.
However, Activision reminds players that this technology may cause some content to display at lower quality until fully loaded. To this end, the game will offer various settings to balance performance and visual quality.”
One benefit of this technology is the reduced client size, meaning you won’t have to spend as much time downloading. However, this also means that if your network is unreliable, the game’s visual quality may significantly drop, which might be hard to accept for a game known for its graphics.
Moreover, as the constant data streaming (uploading and downloading) will occupy bandwidth, your Black Ops 6 ping in multiplayer matches may rise sharply or fluctuate, which can greatly affect your gameplay experience, especially if you enjoy multiplayer modes.
While it’s hard to evaluate the pros and cons of this feature, you’ll need to find some workarounds to avoid these potential issues.
Online Experience
What is the core of the Call of Duty series? You might think it’s the excellent storyline, and indeed, that is a major selling point. However, what supports Call of Duty’s dominant position in the shooter genre is its multiplayer online mode.
Whether it’s competitive mode or cooperative Zombie mode, these have provided Call of Duty with a stable user base and continuous revenue growth. But its online mode experience is not without flaws.
Due to Call of Duty’s server distribution and its global matchmaking mechanism, based on past installments, Black Ops 6 lag is almost inevitable, and your ping may be unstable, especially in non-core cities.
Aside from hoping Activision optimizes their servers, the only solution to this problem is using software like a game booster to improve server connection stability and reduce latency. This is crucial for players who enjoy Black Ops 6 multiplayer.
Hardware Requirements
Many have long marveled at the performance of EA’s Battlefield series and the Frostbite engine. In fact, Call of Duty also delivers top-tier visual quality in shooter games. However, this means if you want the best experience, you need to invest in some high-end hardware. Here’s a look at the recommended specs:
Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
Memory: 16 GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 / AMD RX 5700XT or higher
Video Memory: 8 GB
Storage: At least 175 GB SSD
While these specs may not seem too high, they don’t represent the best visual quality. Moreover, in multiplayer competitive modes, both visual quality and frame rate are crucial. If your setup doesn’t meet these requirements, you’ll be at a disadvantage in matches.
If your system meets the recommended specs, you can disregard this. If not, I suggest prioritizing upgrades to your graphics card, memory, and hard drive for a quick performance boost.
These are the three main issues almost every Black Ops 6 player might face. Aside from the uncertainty of the first point, the other two can be addressed with appropriate solutions. So, if you encounter these problems during the Beta testing or after the official release, this article might be of help.
What's your reaction?
