Windows 11 TPM 2.0 could affect other software as well
Microsoft didn't really do a good job of communicating the minimum system requirements it set for Windows 11. It has botched that job so bad that it even had to pull out its own utility for checking a PC's eligibility. Some requirements, however, are already set in stone, like the TPM 2.0 security technology that's already present on many computers in the past five years. This Windows 11 system requirement, however, might soon become a standard among third-party software that will rely on the crytoprocessor for added security and anti-cheating measures.
Microsoft justifies the TPM 2.0 requirement as a key element in improving Windows 11's security on a deep hardware level. The fact that most PCs, particularly laptops and pre-built desktops, already has TPM 2.0 installed and enabled almost makes that requirement a given anyway. It goes along with the requirement that only Intel 8th-gen processors and their AMD equivalents are officially supported.
With Windows 11 requiring TPM 2.0 right off the bat, some other software developers might also adopt it for their own security requirements. Riot Games' popular shooter game Valorant, for example, was spotted as requiring TPM 2.0. It isn't clear, however, if that requirement applies to both Windows 11 or even Windows 10.
Valorant has started to enforce both TPM and Secure boot if YOU are playing on Windows 11 to ensure a trusted platform when playing Valorant. @RiotVanguard team yet again leading the anti-cheat industry in the right direction for competitive integrity pic.twitter.com/qgTM1yNqdA
— Anti-Cheat Police Department 🕵️ (@AntiCheatPD) September 3, 2021
That Valorant would use a TPM-based solution to implement its anti-cheat mechanism isn't exactly out of the ordinary, but the same line of thinking could be applied to anything that would require a secure unique ID of sorts. It could even be used to implement some sort of DRM to foil pirates.
While that wouldn't pose a problem for eligible Windows 11 PCs, not all PCs will be able to meet Microsoft's minimum requirements. The company is even making it possible for computers that don't meet those requirements to install Windows 11 at their own risk. That, however, doesn't mean those will be able to play their favorite Valorant if it's missing TPM 2.0, or any other software that decides to embrace the security module for its own use.