Census regarding 64-bit requirement for FFXIV

[FinaSel]

I already use a 64 bit OS. Have been for several years.

[Enkidoh]

Although I still play using a 32-bit version of Windows (and XP to boot! Yes, I am still running this game under XP - the Direct X9 client runs perfectly under XP, and I should know, I tested it in the Alpha and Beta when XP was still the minimum requirement for the game), I do understand Yoshi's way of thinking, and I do accept that 32-bit OSes are sadly living on borrowed time.

One fact that does need to be remembered though, is that the fundamental aspect of this game, as a game that is meant to be accessible to as many players as possible, including those who are not running a high-end gaming rig but a cheap $300 department store special PC that is good for browsing the internet and doing office work/school work on and not much else, many such PCs still running 32bit versions of Vista and Win 7 because that was how they were installed, thus cutting off support for 32bit OSes would only be cutting off a significant portion of this player base for a negligible benefit - ending 32bit OS support won't suddenly turn the game into Second Life-crossed-with-FFXI.

Given that Yoshi hasn't actually firmly committed to ending 32-bit OS support but instead stating along the lines of "we'll wait and see", it's clear that he's not rushing into this and is wisely and thoughtfully taking everything in account. Whatever the outcome, I trust he will make the best choice for the game's future.

[BunnyChain]

Was the only thing mentioned about minimum PC specifications going up the 32/64 bit thing?

Also, wow, you still use XP? I remember fiddling around with a Windows XP 64bit OS...

SE should really do those surveys that Steam does.

[MistakeNot]

32 bit OSes have major ram allocation issues, if I'm correct it can only "see" 4 gigs of RAM total, not above per application. So if you have 16 gigs and a 32 bit OS, you're literally not using the RAM resources of the system.

Not quite. There are certain hardware "tricks" (PAE) that allowed even processors as old as the Pentium Pro to access up to 64 GB of RAM, and Microsoft Windows (and other OS like Linux or FreeBSD) does know how to utilize that.
Many Windows editions are artificially limited though in how much memory they can use (Starter editions have lower limits than normal consumer editions which in turn have lower limits than Server editions is the usual sequence)

A single 32-bit program cannot see more than 4GB at once though, no matter how much memory the machine may have. Under Windows 32-bit programs are usually limited to 2GB, but there is an OS flag one can use to let them use up to 3GB although that can lead to compatibility problems with certain device drivers and stuff.

[Canadane]

I don't think I've used a 32bit OS since Windows XP.

[KarstenS]

There are certain hardware "tricks" (PAE).

The issue with PAE is, that every driver and also software must be compatible to it or the system will crash. Thats the reason it is disabled by default. As far I remember, it only got used in server environments.

[Culfinrandir]

64bit Windows OS have been in use for over ten years. There's no reason to stick to 32bit when it's greatly inferior in so many aspects when used for gaming. As others have said, it's also possible to upgrade from a 32bit version of Windows to the comparable 64bit for free so there's no need to worry about cost. If you have a system that is capable of running FFXIV at a decent rate then it's likely to be 64bit compatible.