Final Fantasy XIV talks about the new features of its Stormblood benchmark

Have you downloaded the Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood benchmark yet? “No,” you say, “because I already know my computer can handle it and who the heck uses benchmark software any more?” But you’re missing out if you haven’t, because as the developers are frequently wont to do, there’s stuff included in the benchmark to serve as both a preview of coming attractions and to make it easier to gauge your computer’s actual performance.

The benchmark’s character creator allows you to play around with the two new hairstyles coming with the expansion as well as giving you the option of several different gear sets to try out. You can also directly import your in-game settings to the benchmark, allowing you to gauge your machine’s performance using your actual setup instead of a pre-selected set of variables. And, of course, there’s the actual video of the benchmark… but you can watch that just past the break if all you care about is a glimpse at the expansion. (Or if you’re on console and can’t really run the benchmark.)