| Squilliam said: Actually the flash memory was to ensure that whether the game was loaded from the HDD or from a cartridge that the performance seen by the developer would be the same. I was actually concerned with the slow HDD speed and in keeping up with the idea that the 'pro' SKU be just an Arcade with a HDD. The reasons why I believe that flash would be a good solution are: 1. They can use price stratification, say $55 for a direct download or kiosk download and say $65 for a resellable disc. That way the people buying the game can have an as cheap or cheaper option than the 2nd hand market. They can also sell other products like Music and movies through those same kiosks and kill several birds with one stone. 2. They don't have to pay the $25 or so for the optical drives, nor pay for extra Ram, nor use a mechanical HDD in the Arcade SKU and they can package the console better. The cost savings up front outweigh the extra cost from about the first 5-7 flash cartridges. 3. Not having an optical drive allows them to package the console in other products as well. You could see for example a console based entertainment system in a car, or in the TV or in the Cable box. If they had to have an optical drive the architecture wouldn't be as useful for this functionality. 4. It makes piracy harder, people cannot simply burn a DVD or Blu Ray disc. They can keep the DRM chain locked throughout the different stages and it makes it easier to make changes to prevent piracy. |
Point 2 is unclear: ok about the $25 or so of the optical disk. I don't understand the Ram comment (unless you're thinking of Ram as a permanent storage), nor do I see why we should keep using mechanical HDDs.
Point 3 and 4 are sort of what I was talking about: the architecture being centered about having the content internally stored (this is where the solid state drives will come useful) and remotely authenticated. Now how do I bring that content on my console/media hub/TV?
Either I have access to enough/cheap enough bandwidth and then downloading and authenticating is done via DD, or I have to use a physical medium.
Flash Cartridge vs Optical:
They are more expensive per GB. They're faster in random access (negated if the content is stored/buffered in a solid state disc). They are writeable, thus they could use binding authentication mechanisms (negated if the DRM is handled via remote authentication). They require cheaper electronic and no mechanical parts in the console.
So basically you're down to a more expensive medium that saves you the $25 and allows a more compact packaging of the hardware. You also are not compatible with any optical media out there. It might make sense for Netflix/TV combos. It doesn't seem to make sense for consoles/media hubs.
