This is not only a problem for the XBox, it's an issue for the PS3 at the same time. As developers work on multiplatform games, they're going to want to keep the DVD's limited space in mind so they don't have to spend twice as much to make the same game, thus hindering the PS3's capabilities as well. We're seeing the 8GB maximum already starting to become an issue with games like Assassin's Creed, and this is just the beginning of the current gen's life cycle. So I'm wondering, is there a solution for this mess?
1. Multiple Discs: Lost Odyssey will be released on a positively silly 4 discs. We haven't seen this practice since the original PlayStation, which actually became pretty common back then. Will people tolerate multiple discs again? Is it feasible for any other genre besides linear RPGs? At the same time, it's good to know that developers don't feel they are being restricted and are willing to take the multiple DVD approach.
2. Use the harddrive? PCs never have to worry about disc space being an issue, because they just put all the data onto the harddrive, which at the same time speeds up load times, etc. This is a farfetched idea that will probably never come into fruition, but if MS were to sell a larger harddrive (The 120g? 200g?) at a reasonable price (hell, PC HDs are dirt cheap at those sizes) that would be a nice fix to this potentially destructive problem.
3. Multi-layered DVDs? I don't know much about the technical stuff that goes into making a disc, but I know that most are multilayered these days. Have we reached the max on that? Can we add more layers?
4. The HD-DVD add-on: Never mind, not going to happen.
Any other ideas? I hate to see the 360's potential go to waste so early on. PS3 definitely has a huge opportunity to strike a blow at Microsoft if they know how to take advantage of it.
