Valorant enforces TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on Windows 11 PCs

[Tabbykatze]

Is there a place in Redmond where the sun don't shine ? Cause thats where they can shove Win 11 as far as I'm concerened. I bought the hardware and built my PC's and will load what I want and do what I want with it without interference from big brother M.S. Windows is supposed to be an opperating system not a damn ruling body.

This, specifically, is nothing to do with MS in so far as they're jumping on the bandwagon that MS is mandating TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. This is Valorant and Riot games.

I'm not sure I'm technical enough that I understand what that means so can't really answer. I do know I turn Secure Boot off in the BIOS as it used to (haven't checked for some years if it still does,) interfere with dual booting into Linux.

Oh lordy it still does, so annoying. A couple of our Linux guys need a bitlocker key once a week or so.

[Rubarb]

I still see no real benifit for TPM.

[Corky34]

You might own the pc, but you don't own the software.

True but the software could/can prevent you from using the hardware as you see fit, or more specifically using uncertified software on your hardware.

TBH I'm not sure what would happen if you turned off TPM and secure boot in order to run whatever software you want on your hardware only to enable them again if you wanted to boot into Windows.

I'm not sure I'm technical enough that I understand what that means so can't really answer. I do know I turn Secure Boot off in the BIOS as it used to (haven't checked for some years if it still does,) interfere with dual booting into Linux.

From what i understand not so much as it used to, although the pre built binaries need to be certified by whoever the developer is and they need to do that through Microsoft.

[Iota]

Well this is a slippery slope to go down. I'm all for making online games fairer by removing those whom wish to cheat and make other peoples gaming experiences poorer, I'm fairly certain this isn't the way to go about it.

Not something I support.

[aniilv]

So what I gather from this is that in W11 companies will be able to track you even if you reinstall OS and change all your logins/credentials. hmm...

[kalniel]

So what I gather from this is that in W11 companies will be able to track you even if you reinstall OS and change all your logins/credentials. hmm...

They can in windows 10 and previous versions too

[Spud1]

I don't play Valorant, but I am constantly impressed with their anti cheat, and I really wish more F2P games would take this approach. I assume the TPM is used as part of the hardware ban (another essential aspect of anti cheat!) and that this makes it harder to spoof.

Warzone is plagued by cheaters at the moment - it has an anti cheat, but very much the "classic" style and Activision is constantly in a cat and mouse game with the cheat providers - and they have well and truly lost the war.

We're sadly at the point now where "kernel level" anti cheat is becoming a requirement to protect your games and gamers...Valorant proves that it works well (in comparison), and I really hope Activision are watching this closely and that this is the approach they are taking with their new anti cheat that's coming wtih Vanguard..

[Corky34]

I don't play Valorant, but I am constantly impressed with their anti cheat, and I really wish more F2P games would take this approach. I assume the TPM is used as part of the hardware ban (another essential aspect of anti cheat!) and that this makes it harder to spoof.

I don't think hardware bans will be its primary use, i think you can just reset the TPM effectively changing the primary key so banning based on that could be circumvented fairly easily (at least as easily as making another free account and changing a setting in your BIOS). If i had to guess they'll probably use to it ensure no one's tampered with the binaries and/or packets being sent to the servers, much like how you can MITM an http connection but https is much harder intercept and alter.