CCP Explorer has announced in a dev blog entry that the release of Dominion, EVE Online's 11th expansion, this winter will boost the minimum system requirements needed to run the game to Windows XP Service Pack 2. Also, CCP will officially begin supporting Windows 7 with the launch of the expansion.

Explorer compiled a list of technical dev blogs that have been written since 2007 to demonstrate just how often EVE Online is updated (it's a lot). "We update EVE because EVE needs to be fresh, vibrant and cutting-edge. EVE should be immortal, just as you, the pod pilot," Explorer said. Dominion will include the game's third graphics update and will update the in-game browser.

Even though Windows 7 won't be available for general retail until Oct. 22, 8.8% of EVE players are already using it. "The majority of our Windows users are still using Windows XP, or 49.5%, with 41.7% using Windows Vista but the increased Windows 7 usage has been at the expense of Windows XP," Explorer said.