According to a blog post by producer Gordon Van Dyke, DICE has delayed the PC beta for its upcoming military FPS, Battlefield: Bad Company 2. "With the huge success of the PS3 beta we decided to drastically increase the PC beta's capacity to insure as many people as possible could participate," Van Dyke said. On the bright side, that additional time will allow the developers to further polish the game, making it that much sweeter when it finally arrives. DICE now intends to release the PC beta "very early next year."


Van Dyke's blog post wasn't all bad news, though, revealing new details about BFBC2. The game is now confirmed to support DirectX 11, allows 32 players to battle it out online (24 on consoles), and has a buddy list to keep track of your friends. Other features include dedicated ranked servers, clan and private server support, a PC squad play system, and compatibility with joysticks for flying, Nvidia 3D Vision, Logitech LCD keyboards, VoIP and more.

PC Enhanced Features

Up to 32 Players on PC (24 on consoles) - Play with up to 32 players online in the biggest multiplayer Maps in Battlefield. Each with a different tactical and gameplay focus set across a variety of environments.

Full DirectX 9, 10 & 11 Support - Immerse yourself in the Battlefield world as Frostbite engine brings tanks, helicopters and explosions to vivid life on your PC. The game will fully support Windows XP, Vista, and 7 with new tech that further improves things like lighting and shadows.

Enhanced Gameplay - The PC version also includes wide peripheral support like Joysticks for flying, NVIDIA 3D Vision, Logitech LCD Keyboards and VoIP Support plus a variety of specific features tailored for PC play.

Friend Support - Find your friends online with the new buddy list to see if and who is online so you can quickly join their game.

Dedicated Ranked Server - Everyone gets non-stop action with no connection penalties based on some other player's internet. Ranked Server Provider program will give players opportunity to rent their own server(s) located in professional grade datacenters, ability to modify settings like map rotation, create reserved slots for friends or clan members, kick & Ban players, and custom name your ranked server.

Clan Support & Private Servers - Independent Clan Tag, and ability to rent servers for hosting and controlling private password protected competitive servers with expanded control over the settings from public ranked servers.

PC Squad Play System - Updated from previous Battlefield PC titles now gives control of your squad before heading into combat.