Oculus officially makes it possible for its Rift headset to be compatible with lower-end PC hardware than previously required, thanks to its new ‘Asynchronous Spacewarp’ (ASW) technology available on the latest Oculus 1.10 runtime update.

According to Oculus, its Asynchronous Spacewarp (ASW) is a frame-rate smoothing technique allowing VR games and applications to run at up to half the CPU/GPU time, while still delivering a graphical-intensive experience that is nearly the same performance quality as native 90hz rendering. Typically, it would require a high-end PC to run games at 90 frames per second to ensure a smooth VR experience, but now with ASW enabled it is easier for a PC with lower specs to power the Rift and offer a similar visual experience running at just 45 frames per second.

“The hardware requirements for ASW are modest. This functionality has been enabled on all current-generation AMD GPUs (RX 400 series) and previous- or current- generation Nvidia GPUs (GTX 900 or 1000 series),” Oculus explained.

While Asynchronous Spacewarp helps to reduce the graphical and CPU workload on a PC to enjoy a quality VR experience on the Rift, Oculus makes it clear the feature is more of a solution for users who have yet to upgrade their system to a decent rig. In fact, once you have a more powerful system, you will probably never see ASW in action.

Oculus goes on to note that developers should still aim to optimize their content for smooth 90 fps rendering on its recommended specs over the bare minimum, instead of relying on ASW as a safety net.

For more in-depth information on the new Asynchronous Spacewarp, jump over to the developer section of the official Oculus website here.