WereKitten said:
Do you doubt that next-gen consoles will rely even more on low-latency buffers? Today it's the HDD, tomorrow it might be solid state or some memristor based memory. But I can't see it going in a different directions than with PCs: installs for the randomly accessed data and code, big sequential media streamed from the optical support. And big means really big: when CGI will be 1080p as a standard in all RPGs, hi-quality 7.1 audio will be standard, more GPU memory will mean higher def textures, that will mean easily more than 2.5x or 3x the size of today's assets. Apply the multiplier to a game like FFXIII or MGS4 or Rage and 200+GB optical discs will come in handy. Putting everything on a 200GB flash stick on the other hand might still be way too expensive.
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Except the industry if given enough performance from the console itself will continue the trend of moving away from expensive CGI onto pre-rendered or in game cutscenes. The rest -> Textures, models, etc would likely still be random access in the same way it is now.
Yes the assets are getting bigger and compression isn't getting better. If they could compress efficiently now they wouldn't complain about the DVD-9 disc size. However the actual models and terrain themselves can get a nice dose of tessellation, the first gen technology of this will be implemented with direct3d 11, by the time 2011 rolls around we'll have 2nd or 3rd generation tessellation hardware which should simplify the rendering of polygons and the models used to create the game.
I don't see how using 10-20GB flash drives would be any hassle in a couple of years. It will be more expensive than optical drives, but consider the savings of not having to use a mechanical hdd or optical drive and slashing the ram requirements down. Its a saving which could net more than $100 and $5 per game at the start of the generation is a pretty good tradeoff with that level of savings.
Tease.
