Dashboard imporvements. Play games from the HDD

[Andy Jones]

Also - how does the 'base' Xbox handle patches without a HDD? E.g. Rockstar released patches for GTA, do you have to have an HDD to get the patch?

A lad i work with said he had to stop playing Halo 3 online a while back becuase he has no HDD and without the latest patch you can not go online? A good way to p1$$ of your user base who buy games i guess.

[Andy Jones]

bluray drive = epic fail when it comes to playing games.

Obviously

anyway, im interested to see if they have anything else up there sleeves after the 2.41 update.

They do, It's called HOME

[Goto10]

Also - how does the 'base' Xbox handle patches without a HDD? E.g. Rockstar released patches for GTA, do you have to have an HDD to get the patch?

A lad i work with said he had to stop playing Halo 3 online a while back becuase he has no HDD and without the latest patch you can not go online? A good way to p1$$ of your user base who buy games i guess.

I'd imagine you'd need one for firmware updates too. Quite useful these hard drive things eh...

[Goto10]

Arrghh. I'm close to serious CBA.

Of course Sony built the PS3 to use the HDD because its an integral part of the system.

Bill et al. meanwhile wanted to ship the Xcox without a HDD to appeal to a wider audience, this in turn meant that developers could not utilise the HDD as an integral part of game loading as a result.

Yes a few seconds difference, but it does make gameplay more fluid.

The argument is that the XCox has to have all games able to run direct from the DVD without utilising a HDD. So there is a compromise as a result. I don't see how you can criticise Sony for designing and shipping all PS3s with an HDD as an integral part of the system.

Yup, making a base console without a HDD was a mistake, even a 10gb one would've been sensible - ultimately everyone wants the premium console anyway, but they're all at the mercy of the 'base' restriction of not having an HDD. As Rockstar said, making GTA work solely on an optical drive was a tight squeeze-

"On PS3, you've got a guarantee that every machine is going to have a hard-drive and, with Blu-ray, you've got plenty of storage," said Rockstar creative VP Dan Houser. "Whereas on Xbox 360 there's no guarantee of a hard-drive and you're working with the DVD format."

"Does that create limitations?" he asked himself. "Yep."

Also - how does the 'base' Xbox handle patches without a HDD? E.g. Rockstar released patches for GTA, do you have to have an HDD to get the patch?

Think you would need the memorycard for the patches, you need it for online play for your profile anyways.

The HDD is essential for the ps3, sony wanted to use BD, but it'd be impossible to run any big game off it, data reads waaaaaaaaaaay too slow, catch 22.

A little slower than 12x DVD - in comparison to an HDD *all* optical drives are slow. The PS3 was drafted and test built with a 1x BluRay drive, it ended up coming with a 2x because prices/volumes allowed at the time, so the HDD clearly isn't an afterthought.
Why do you think PC games install to the hard drive? The game comes on a DVD so it's pretty clear the user has a drive - it's because the HDD is so much faster to run the game from. Why do you think MS have enabled users to install to HDD on the Xbox now? Because it's so much faster. It's just a shame developers can't just assume there's a drive there, to take advantage of an HDD you have to install the *entire* game to the disk, a hybrid mode would be nice (like the PS3 does) so you get advantages of HDD speed (for textures and whatnot) and yet not consume vast swathes of disk space for a single game.
I do like the option of being able to install the whole game to disk (e.g. the game you're currently playing most, not more) and I'm sure Sony will copy the idea in a while - but the intermediate option of installing key parts of the game is the best all round solution for performace vs disk space.

[SamUK]

Arrghh. I'm close to serious CBA.

Of course Sony built the PS3 to use the HDD because its an integral part of the system.

Bill et al. meanwhile wanted to ship the Xcox without a HDD to appeal to a wider audience, this in turn meant that developers could not utilise the HDD as an integral part of game loading as a result.

Yes a few seconds difference, but it does make gameplay more fluid.

The argument is that the XCox has to have all games able to run direct from the DVD without utilising a HDD. So there is a compromise as a result. I don't see how you can criticise Sony for designing and shipping all PS3s with an HDD as an integral part of the system.

you started this!

if the PS3 didnt have to load stuff onto the HDD then you wouldnt come up with this "streamlined gameing experience" cos you wouldnt even know what it was.

the fact is MS were able to make there console available to a bigger market from the get go because it DOES NOT NEED a hdd to play games.

you said

We've seen the benefits of using the HDD in games such as GTAIV when it comes to loading times.

so really you mean the one game that its actually made a difference on. one game and a few seconds for the 10 minutes (and im being generous there) you have to sit through for every game that installs.

Yup, making a base console without a HDD was a mistake, even a 10gb one would've been sensible - ultimately everyone wants the premium console anyway, but they're all at the mercy of the 'base' restriction of not having an HDD. As Rockstar said, making GTA work solely on an optical drive was a tight squeeze-

huh? if everyone wanted the premium in the first place then they have the option to buy it, thats the point.

the arcade model is advertised as the basic model, if MS marketed it as "all you needed" then id agree but they never have....

"On PS3, you've got a guarantee that every machine is going to have a hard-drive and, with Blu-ray, you've got plenty of storage," said Rockstar creative VP Dan Houser. "Whereas on Xbox 360 there's no guarantee of a hard-drive and you're working with the DVD format."

"Does that create limitations?" he asked himself. "Yep."

if i could be bothered id get the quotes were they stated the PS3 version was the sole reason behind the delay so it cant of been that much of a squeeze...

BluRay's data transfer rate isn't a thousand miles away from the 12x drive in the Xbox and the user experience is fine, the slightly lower speed has just been jumped on by fanbois, it really isn't an issue. As far as game installs go, it doesn't bung the entire disk to HDD, it may just put the texture files there, or map data, anything that it needs to access quickly.

so why then do games that run straight from the DVD on the 360 need to dump 5GB+ onto the ps3 HDD?

the arcade comes with 5 free games so im guessing where ever they are stored, you can store updates. i dont know though as ive never seen one but i think there would of been a slight uproar if all these people had bought an arcade and they couldnt play any games..

ive avoided this kinda discussion for so long now. just left it to thai lol.

[Bender Unit]

We've seen the benefits of using the HDD in games such as GTAIV when it comes to loading times.

Have you? or are you just recycling the crap you read on the internet?

Sorry Lauren but hat’s not true, if you have actually compared it on both consoles the 360 loads quicker. I played GTA4 on my mates PS3 and I was amazed how long it took for the game to actually load up – longer than the 360.

Equally I noticed the same amount of slow down I get on the 360 when the action really hots up and gets crazy – so the HD on the PS3 isn’t any advantage.

Only other differences I noticed was a few more cars on the road, and when you step outside it doesn’t have the transition from dark to bright like the 360 does (hardly a big deal though). Couldn’t judge graphics as it was on a crap TV

He confirms it takes a good while to get any of the games loaded up; he is also less than impressed with it and barely uses it as the online experience is crap (his words) and there isn’t any good games for it – he wants to sell it and get a 360.

[Lauren]

Jeez Sam.

My only conclusion I can come to is that you can't understand basic logical reasoning and/or are a fanboi of enormous proportions or you have some issues with ever admitting that someone else may have a point.

Serious CBA has set in because Steve (Goto10) has pointed out far better than i could why its an advantage to have a built in HDD as standard. For some reason (words fail me) you can't see that/realise it.

[goaferboy]

Not strictly true IIRC, Final Fantasy 11 had to install to the hard drive to allow it to communicate with PC/Playstation 2 servers. There was no single player, so you had to install the software if you wanted to play the game.

It had nothing to do with communicating with the servers!
Ultimately, optical drives are pretty poor for data transfer rates, FF was very intensive on data transfer and it would not run satisfactorily from the DVD drive.

I thought that it only installed the playonline viewer software? Thats all I ever saw when I looked through my memory, no mention of any FF game data.


I'm surprised the 360 didn't have install support from the beginning. Microsofy apparently looked into the modding community when developing the 360 and playing games off of the old Xboxs hard drive was the best reason to mod it. Faster loading times, no chance of scratching a disk and no disk swapping.

[SamUK]

Jeez Sam.

My only conclusion I can come to is that you can't understand basic logical reasoning and/or are a fanboi of enormous proportions or you have some issues with ever admitting that someone else may have a point.

Serious CBA has set in because Steve (Goto10) has pointed out far better than i could why its an advantage to have a built in HDD as standard. For some reason (words fail me) you can't see that/realise it.

but i havent said anything like that. i jus posted a thread about E3 and you jumped on it so......???

i havent said once that having the HDD isnt an advantage im saying the PS3 hasnt used it as one when you seem to think it has.

i also said without it the PS3 would of been screwed and that the xbox can do everything the PS3 can without one.

are you denying that?

[Steve-O 2007]

lol at these videos of the update -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXPCqPOe ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FNim4tgLYc

Them people icons are just a complete Wii ripoff and makes the 360 look more like a kids console....

[SamUK]

i think the new dash looks great.


they seem to work fairly well with the wii too.

[pistol pete]

whens it actually due out
i like my dashboard now

[SamUK]

itll be included in the fall update.

not sure when that is.

[thai boxer]

(Although Thai reckons preloading games on the Hard Drive first is a rubbish idea, I wonder if he'll change his tune now? )
Resolution change is also nice.

I'm sure you Sony whore's just make sh*t up.

I've NEVER said loading games onto a HD is a rubbish idea. Ever.

I said it was sh*t that it takes so long for the PS3 to do it.

This new update has got a lot of very good changes. Resolution being one of them!

Get your 60" Plasmas out people!

Sam totally understand what you're saying, the queen just isn't getting it as usual.

[Lauren]

I've NEVER said loading games onto a HD is a rubbish idea. Ever.

I said it was sh*t that it takes so long for the PS3 to do it.

Amounts to the same thing.

Must admit i'm beyond caring..

[thai boxer]

I've NEVER said loading games onto a HD is a rubbish idea. Ever.

I said it was sh*t that it takes so long for the PS3 to do it.

Amounts to the same thing.

No it does not you complete retard!!

Having the function to do something and taking an eternity to do it are two completely different things.

[Lauren]

No it does not you complete retard!!

Having the function to do something and taking an eternity to do it are two completely different things.

Nice.

If 5 minutes is an eternity, I genuinely feel sorry for your girlfriend.

[mikee66]

No it does not you complete retard!!

Having the function to do something and taking an eternity to do it are two completely different things.

Nice.

If 5 minutes is an eternity, I genuinely feel sorry for your girlfriend.

that is funny

thing is it takes time to install a game on the pc too so i'm guessing the 360 will be the same

[thai boxer]

No it does not you complete retard!!

Having the function to do something and taking an eternity to do it are two completely different things.

Nice.

If 5 minutes is an eternity, I genuinely feel sorry for your girlfriend.

Which one?

[Lauren]

Which one?

All of them!