And let me also add that early PSOne games were as small as 30mb on a +600mb CD.  So why throw around the idea of "spending a lot more on development to fill up a Blu-Ray disc is ridiculous" as a valid argument when developers can use as much/little space as they choose?  Working with a +600mb dics was far lees restrictive than an 8mb cart.  Now I'm not saying this is exactly the case now because it isn't.  But it's sad for people to take things out of context just to fuel a false argument.

There are far more games which *require* an install than *require* a disc swap. Its definately a bigger problem on the PS3 because it doesn't often give any tangible benifit to the PS3 user over getting the game on the Xbox 360.

I don't hate the install, I install a lot of my Xbox 360 games. I hate that its mandatory. I cannot go back to a game for 30 minutes knowing that I have to install/uninstall a program which is why no matter what else if I game has an install and its a multi-plat I get it on the 360 and if its an exclusive I think hard about not getting it.

           Intelligently put, but I will ask you this.  What multi-platform this generation (PS3/360) is on 2 dvd's in comparison to 1 blu-ray?  If I recall correctly (could be wrong), there is not one yet. So........until the release of FFXIII, I do not see this as a valid reason for choosing which game to buy on which console. We will let the PS3 vs 360 graphical fanboy threads beat that one death (rolls eyes).

To a gamer sales may be irrelevant (maybe), but cost is very relevant. When you can get the same multi-platform game on a console that costs half of it's direct competitor price, a gamer (may) choose price. Again though, that is dependent on the gamer and his needs, but as has been proven by sales, price does matter.

@Squilliam
I am all against mandatory installs if not strictly necessary, but it's not true that it doesn't offer tangible benefits. Shorter load times, less texture pop-in, etc.
As to going back for a 30 minutes session, why should I uninstall a game? On a PS3 the HDD is a standard SATA 2.5" model. I swapped my original drive for a 400GB for a whopping 40€ cost. I can have about 50 games installed with ample margin for movies and pictures.
@TheTruthHurts!
Yes, for the time being the issue is a bit academic, because the multiple DVDs vs 1 Blu-Ray games aren't still out. I bet we'll see multiple occurences in the next 12 months, though, as more JRPGs and other content rich multiplatform games make their appearance.
As for cost, of course that's relevant. But again, the single gamer will choose evaluating his/her need for an HDD, wireless and the ability to play Blu-ray movies. The increased capacity of the storage for game content is hardly the one feature to justify the price difference.

they wrent a problem back then and now. i prefer disk swappong than waiting 20 minutes to play the game.

And I prefer no disk swapping and no waiting.

RPGs are the prizes of any game collection. 10 years from now, all the 360 RPGs will be scratched up and it'll be hard to put together a full game without paying zillions for a bunch of used copies. The PS3 JRPGs will be as good as new, thanks to the BD, the better packaging, and the scratch-resistant surface.

Of course, the 360s will probably be all dead in 10 years anyway, so no one will care about 360 RPGs, most likely.

I hate to say it, but in my household, no RPG gets bought on the 360 for exactly this reason, if I can avoid it -- I'll wait a year for the PS3 version before I buy the 360 one. Any other game, if its good on the 360, its good for me. RPGs... nope. Only the best format will do.

I treasure my RPGs, and as a hardcore RPGer with a load of PS1 and PS2 RPGs, my 60GB PS3 is gaming heaven... or will be when games like SO4 and TLR make it to the PS3. *sigh*

Its not the swapping, its the preserving.  BD/single-disc beats DVD/multi-disc hands down if you intend to keep your purchase, or if you are shopping for a used RPG.  360 RPGs are for people who intend to dispose of their purchase after finishing it.  Not for me.