You knew it was coming, XP users. Every operating system has to call it a day sooner or later, and 2012 - the year Windows 8 is released and DX11 becomes mainstream - looks like it's the end for perhaps Microsoft's best-loved gaming OS.
I say this now because Call of Duty: Black Ops II won't support the OS. If you're running Windows XP, the game won't run poorly, it won't run at all. Why? Here's the official word:
Since we upgraded the engine to use DirectX11, Windows XP is no longer supported. It requires Windows Vista or later.
So you'll need Vista SP2 or Windows 7. Or Windows 8, by the time this game is out.
Sure, Call of Duty isn't anywhere near as important on the PC as it is on consoles, but it's still the first major game this year to eschew support for Microsoft's ten year-old OS. So others are sure to follow in its wake as their own DX11 support tightens up.
The rest of the game's PC specs are as follows:
OS: Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core2 Duo E8200 2.66 GHz or AMD Phenom X3 8750 2.4 GHz
Memory: 2GB for 32-bit OS or 4GB for 64-bit OS
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512 MB or ATI Radeon HD 3870 512 MB
If you're still using XP...it's OK, you can let go now. As awful as Vista was, Windows 7 is just fine.
PC Specs [Black Ops II]