game installs - "not a bug, it's a feature"

[inertianinja]

i was just noticing - about the NXE's game installs.

when the playstation required partial game installs, people freaked out and said it was beacuse the PS3 was an inferior machine, etc.

now the NXE gives the option, and the reviews are great about how the games run faster, the box runs quieter and cooler, and it saves wear on the DVD drive.

so it's gone from WORST BUG EVER to WHAT A GREAT FEATURE.

fanboyism. wtf.

[gerak]

Theres a big difference there, its optional.

Its a choice the user can make which will benifit but they don't need to, unlike the ps3 where you have to sit for 20mins rather than just do when you don't want to play it.

[sushicombo]

Plus I'm not going to want to load all my games. Just the one or two that I'm spending a lot of time on at the time that do a lot of heavy lifting. In this case Fallout 3. But I'm not going to load COD4 for the once or twice a week I hop on to play with friends.

[brodel]

Agreed. I hate that it forces me to install something just to play the game. My gf and I sat down to play little big planet and she was like "What is it doing? Why can't we play it?" I suggested we go pick up dinner while we wait. I didn't know how long it was going to be, but I remember hearing that the install time for Devel May Cry 4 was stupid long and I didn't want her to hate the game for making us wait before we ever got to play it.

[njshadow]

Theres a big difference there, its optional.

Its a choice the user can make which will benifit but they don't need to, unlike the ps3 where you have to sit for 20mins rather than just do when you don't want to play it.

I don't believe there's even one game that goes ANYWHERE near 20 min. At the very most it may take 5-10 min.

Also, on the PS3 side of things it's just fine. There our games out there that give us the option on whether or not we want to install the game, but let's not forget. The reason the PS3 had mandatory installs was because every PS3 had a hard drive that could be used to create a better gaming experience, developers didn't have to worry about some inferior model. :D

[brodel]

Just for kicks I looked into the DMC install time.. 22 minutes..?

http://kotaku.com/353612/devil-may-cry-4-ps3-the-mandatory-install-final-time-22-mins

[dolson]

I freaking HATE installs.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue requires over 5GB of space - it installs the entire game to the drive - but you still need the disc in to play... What's the point of having the Blu-ray version of the game when the download version takes up the same amount of space? Re-sale ability, that's the only reason. I'm glad I got it free, though. It's still annoying that the disc isn't used at all, and the install is not optional.

If you add up MGS4's install times, I'm sure it approaches 20 minutes.

DMC4 and probably Lost Planet both have install times around 20 minutes.

Haze I think had a long install time.

I hate sitting there waiting. Once a game is installed, it's not so bad.

More games should install in the background, like Oblivion. Over 5GB and you don't even notice it - they put you right into the game immediately.

The disc space thing wouldn't be too bad either, if these games weren't being nearly fully-installed...

So many lazy developers... It's unreal...

I like it when installs are optional, like Ninja Gaiden Sigma or Unreal Tournament 3. That's the way it should be - improve loading times, or less wear and tear on the disc drive - IF YOU CHOOSE.

Uncharted had no install at all, and no loading screens once you're in the game. Killzone 2 will also have no install. And these games are pretty nice. Burnout Paradise is HUGE, wide open, and no install.

So all of these installs are largely unnecessary, and I will be content to blame the lazy developers for this shit.

EDIT: install wait times wouldn't be so freaking bad if there was at least some kind of mini-game you could play while you wait (I'd suggest Bejeweled). But watching an old dude smoking a cigarette or watching a progress bar is annoying, and obnoxious.

[aerodash84]

So wait... did anyone else play PC games? :D Had to go there.

I do like the optional install option. I think my problem with the 360 install is the amount of room it takes up and how much my hard drive has available being a 20 gig. I dislike the fact that they now have the feature and at most I can only have one game probably installed. I'm afraid to delete anything because a lot of things I got are videos for free. Then all my gamerpics, themes, arcade games. I'd like them to come out with a solution for backing up stuff other then memory card.

It would be cool if it installed it in the background. I think my problem with PS3 games is more updates. I've played LBP a few times and I think I've had to install updates 2 or 3 times already.

I think more systems are going to go down the install route in the future. My only hopes are that Microsoft gets off their high horse and allows for swappable drives instead of $140 for a 120 gig drive or whatever the cost is.

[lavahot]

First, I <3 NXE. The install thing is really detrimental to me because I have a 20GB HDD and it's almost full already without any disc games on it. The install for the disc-based games takes FOREVER, and downloads the entire image to the drive which is HUGE. There would be no way that I could get all of my most-frequently-played games onto my drive without upgrading to the 60GB. Why does Microsoft make us buy teeny-tiny drives when I can go out and buy a half terabyte for the cost of a 120GB M$ XBOX drive?

[damnedeyez]

More games should install in the background, like Oblivion. Over 5GB and you don't even notice it - they put you right into the game immediately.

...


So many lazy developers... It's unreal...


Exactly. They could load a cutscene and/or a training level/tutorial or something. Can you hop out to the XMB and surf the net or something during? That'd even help.

Maybe make the larger textures optional installs.

[dolson]

So wait... did anyone else play PC games? :D Had to go there.

I remember PC gaming all too well. I ditched it for a return consoles in about 2003, after losing satisfaction in the Linux gaming market, and having already ditched Windows. There were other issues that I dislike about PC gaming more than installs, though none of those issues followed me onto consoles.

I think my problem with PS3 games is more updates. I've played LBP a few times and I think I've had to install updates 2 or 3 times already.

I, too, dislike the constant patching. More than that, I hate the announcement of patches BEFORE a game ships. Killzone 2's and Fable 2's co-op mode patches, for example. FINISH THE GAME, THEN SHIP.

However, in cases like the Wii's MONO-sound Guitar Hero 3, and the new Tomb Raider missing lever issue, I think patching shows its value.

The install thing is really detrimental to me because I have a 20GB HDD and it's almost full already without any disc games on it. The install for the disc-based games takes FOREVER, and downloads the entire image to the drive which is HUGE. There would be no way that I could get all of my most-frequently-played games onto my drive without upgrading to the 60GB. Why does Microsoft make us buy teeny-tiny drives when I can go out and buy a half terabyte for the cost of a 120GB M$ XBOX drive?

Installing is optional on the 360 anyhow, so it's not *really* an issue, is it?

If Microsoft forced you to install games, I could see how it'd be a big problem. It'd be similar to the 20GB PS3 owners, who couldn't have Metal Gear Solid 4, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue all installed at the same time - meaning that they can't even play the games without deleting data, then reinstalling it when they next want to play a game. If the devs weren't so damn lazy, and made games that didn't require or had optional installs, this wouldn't be an issue.

The cost of Microsoft's drives are insane, I'll give you that.

Can you hop out to the XMB and surf the net or something during? That'd even help.

Nope, you can't do anything except text messaging. But that is another great idea, you have.

In-game web browser is probably my most-wanted PS3 feature. I use the browser so much... It'd be nice to have even a single-page, no-image, no-flash version that would let me just check my site, my email, or GameFAQs if I'm stuck... Without having to exit the game. I'd LOVE that.

[inertianinja]

all i can say is:

ive never liked having to wait for things to load off of DVD's or Blu-Rays if i can avoid it.
if it makes the game load faster, i'm happy to sit through it. i agree that it would be nice if it could give you something to do while you wait - like a tutorial mission or something.
other than that, i haven't felt an ounce of frustration waiting for a game to install. would it be nice if it started instantly? sure. but is it something i'm going to *hate* a console for? no.

i am also a big fan of any wear-and-tear it might save on the console. think about it - Lost Odyssey is a ~50 hour game. can't be good for longevity to have a drive spinning (even if not top speed).