http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=182810
Article: What's up with PS3 install times?
Console games have been installing large amounts of data on hard drives since Halo was released, but it recently hit the headlines with Capcom forcing PS3 gamers to sit through a 20-minute install process before they can even start playing the game. Is this an early sign that console gaming is evolving into something closer to the PC?
A number of recently-released PS3 titles (DMC4 to name one) have caused a stir with a mandatory installation process that forces you to install up to 5GBs of data. People cried 'Why does PS3 need to install files when 360 doesn't?' The easy answer to that is the fact that 360 installations aren't a viable option for those who bought Microsoft's Core and Arcade bundles - the ones without a hard drive.
For PS3 owners, the main reason you have to install certain titles is down to the disc reading speed of the console's Blu-ray drive. It's simply not that fast at reading the info contained on the disc, probably because it's a first-generation drive and the tech is far younger than that of DVD.
Regardless, DVD drives load quicker, and so in loading the same game from a disc on both a 360 and PS3, you'd find the PS3 to be noticeably slower. Throw some data on the hard drive however - which transfers around 150MBs per second (much faster than disc drives) - and the tables begin to turn.
Capcom seems to have been the most notable offender to date. Devil May Cry 4, Hot Shots Golf, and as emerged today, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition all require a mandatory installation processes.
When we revealed that DMC4 on PS3 forced a 20-minute install, the response was louder than we expected. The comments section erupted, and the noise was so far-reaching that even Capcom responded.
Community man Chris Kramer, said: "Installing on a console may seem like a weird idea, but there's a real benefit. Once installed the PS3 version of the game has near-Super Nintendo speed load times. You'll be amazed how fast levels load, the virtually instantaneous transition from cut scenes to action and that you're continuously playing the game."
There are definitely benefits - we put the game side-by-side with the 360 version and the PS3 loads levels a second or two quicker, although we think Kramer's "near-Super Nintendo load times" claim is over-exaggeration, SNES carts load in an instant. DMC4 on PS3 doesn't.
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| "Installing on a console may seem like a weird idea ... there's a real benefit," says Capcom's Chris Kramer |
Capcom isn't the only offender though. Both Heavenly Sword and Ninja Gaiden Sigma come to mind (although neither take quite as long as 20 minutes).
So is it worth sitting through a 20-minute installation to shave a few seconds off load times? Depends on yours truly, really. CVG reader Mark240473 says "At least PS3 owners can improve the load times on DMC4. What is so negative about that? By the time I have made a brew and spoke to the missus, the game will have finished downloading."
On the other hand, fellow reader Daedalus79 said: "What a joke. Thank god I'm getting the 360 version," backed up by vulcanraven01, who said: "Imagine if you ran out to get something like GTA4 or MGS4 ... buzzing with excitement, only for an install screen to pop up leaving you waiting for 20-30 mins before you can even experience the game. I, for one, would be pissed."
So how fair are mandatory installations on consoles? It's okay to have installations on PC because that's the way it's always been. But consoles are, by their very nature, the fast food of gaming. We buy consoles to enjoy gaming without the rigmarole of installing, worrying about hard drive space, minimum specs etc. Will installations on PS3 blur the line between console and PC gaming?
It may seem like we're sitting in the 'Ban PS3 installations' camp, but despite the points above, we actually don't think it's that big an issue. Not from what we've seen so far, anyway. We don't mind the odd wait if it really does give us an optimised experience.
Bourne Conspiracy's lead game designer, Rory McGuire, agreed with us. "I think we should offer the players the decision, performance wise, whether or not they want longer load times," he decreed, adding: "But as a player myself, I would happily trade five minutes for faster overall load times."
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| Oblivion on PS3 "basically 'installs itself' while you play", explains Bethesda producer, Todd Howard |
Is there a way around the install process? Certain games say yes. For starters, Burnout Paradise is a huge game with a massive open world - there's no installing in that. It manages to stream that city off the disc just fine.
Oblivion on PS3 surely has the right idea though. The game starts with minimal pre-installing - two-or-so minutes - before you can commence playing. Then it stealthily installs the remainder of the 4.3GB file in the background.
Bethesda executive producer, Todd Howard, told CVG: "We use a similar system on the Xbox 360, where the game caches down to your hard drive while you are playing. So it basically 'installs itself' while you play."
If, as this shows, the PS3 is capable of background installing, why don't all games to it? Could DMC4, for example, have pre-installed only the files needed for the first level, then let you get on with that while it churns away with the rest of the install?
We did ask Sony to contribute to the feature, but it responded with "this issue isn't really related to any of our products". Erm...?
Like we said, we won't turn green and rip our shirts off just yet. But if, in a few years' time, every single PS3 game forces us to think of something else to do while it installs huge files, we think there'll be trouble.
