Got Game? He Can Tell
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Four years ago, John Hussey bought a powerful PC and the car racing game Need for Speed. He expected to have big fun but instead suffered big headaches when his purchases didn’t get along. From a casual gamer’s frustration, a new online business surfaced.
Today, his System Require-ments Lab in El Dorado Hills, Calif., scans the innards of between 60,000 and 70,000 PCs daily via the Internet – judging whether they are capable of committing Grand Theft Auto or helping Lara Croft raid tombs.
His system is licensed by game publishers and hardware makers in the multibillion-dollar PC game industry – and linked to thousands of game blogs and fan forums.
“The technology has gotten so complex that people just don’t know what they have in their computer these days,” Mr. Hussey said.
The longtime software entrepreneur recalled that it took hours of back-and-forth with the auto racing game’s tech support staff before they figured out his computer lacked a crucial hardware feature.
“I live and breathe this stuff, and if I didn’t know, how is anyone else supposed to know?”
At www.canyourunit.com, gamers can select from among 450 game titles and then run a free diagnostic tool to see if their PC meets such technical requirements. Mr. Hussey said his system has run about 17 million tests since it launched in 2005.
After asking the user’s permission, the site scans the PC, reporting back on a dozen or so specifications and whether the computer passed or failed. If it fails, the analysis details what upgrades will fix the problem.
The software doesn’t scan or record any identifying information, Mr. Hussey said.
Anyone can use Mr. Hussey’s system – it’s free. His revenue comes from game and hardware makers that pay a licensing fee to link from their Web sites to his service.
Mr. Hussey’s privately held company, Husdawg LLC, doesn’t disclose financials, but he said some clients pay in the six figures for licensing.
Originally published by McClatchy Newspapers.
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