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Why PS3 Games Require An Installation

July 10, 2008 in News comments 18

All Playstation 3 owners are tasked to install the games when they insert a new game into their PS3, but why is it that we have to install the game when XBOX360 games work fine just from the disc? Well the latest issue of the Official Playstation Magazine (UK) has the answer and you can read it at the source below.

The Official Playstation Magazine (August issue) has the reasoning as to why a certain amount of Playstation 3 games require an install. Its because its quicker to read the game data from the hard drive rather than the Blu-Ray disc. This also means shorter loading times during gameplay.
Krunal via talkplaystation.com »
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  • 0
    Storm* Jul 10, 08
    But the load time difference with a multiplatform title isn't that far off...that's what sucks about this. We waste more than 2GB a piece, when reports have said that the load times are practically the same. I don't mind the extra 1-5 seconds.

    Good news is that the developers are trying to work around it and load straight from the Blu-Ray without many problems. It's a new disc they are working on, so it's understandable that it will take some time, but still...I honestly don't mind the waiting, so long as it's not as bad as Juiced or something. xD
    • 0
      Xenctuary Jul 10, 08
      Or Stuntman on the PlayStation 2!
      • 0
        HisServant77 Jul 10, 08
        I'm thinking more along the lines of Sonic the Hedgehog for PS3. I can handle load times, but that game . . . wow, even tested my patience.
  • 0
    iLLmatic Jul 10, 08
    Redundancy is a dish best served cold.
  • 1
    Fatal Error Jul 10, 08
    "...Its because its quicker to read the game data from the hard drive rather than the Blu-Ray disc. This also means shorter loading times during gameplay."

    Oh. My. GOD. I had no clue.
    • 0
      HisServant77 Jul 10, 08
      Hahaha, sorry, I was kinda thinking the same thing!

      I agree with Storm above. The problem isn't so much as the installs, but the fact that some are mandatory, and then the difference it makes is minimal! It'd be different if it were optional, AND if it shaved off at LEAST half the loading time.
  • 0
    Final Blade Jul 10, 08
    Funny how this article seems to be a broken record that many have stated only to not accept it.

    As for the time being installs are just the only option, obviously there's ways around it, like the In game XMB issue, but until they find it and work around it, Installs are the way to go.
  • -1
    CRUNK JUICE Jul 11, 08
    Or could be the fact that Blu-RAy os slower than DVD9 so they have to compensate by installs...
  • 1
    nanobyte Jul 11, 08
    When someone refers to the PS3 as a computer I would have to agree with them, its more like a PC than a console.
  • 0
    Mr Gray Jul 11, 08
    So tell me, just how many minutes on average do these installs take? Cuz I remember the Xbox doing the same thing, and people didn't really hurl crap around.


    Probably because people only owned just a few xbox games to begin with?


    Sick burn, or sick burn?
  • 0
    Onvacation Jul 11, 08
    I can see why they're there, Bluray read speed is very slow, much slower then DVD, So they need installs to even match the load times of Xbox 360, Thats why're the same, But without installing it would be ALOT longer.
    • 0
      Mr Gray Jul 11, 08
      How slow, exactly? I'd imagine a the smaller laser requires a higher disc RPM to keep on track, but I haven't operated one at length to test load speeds out. (From what I recall, movies were on par with DVD).
      • 0
        Onvacation Jul 11, 08
        One key difference is the way each disc is read; Blu-ray disc drives read information at the same speed regardless of where on the disc the information is located, while standard DVD disc drives vary the read speed based on how far the information is from the center of the disc. The different methods put Blu-ray at a staggering advantage in the future, but currently 1x and 2x Blu-ray drives trudge along compared to a 12x DVD drive, which gathers information at a rate of 8.2 - 16.5 megabytes per second (depending on the amount of data stored).

        4x Blu-ray drives overcome 12x DVD drives by running a constant 18 MBps; however, a 4x Blu-ray drive is far too expensive for Sony to use in the PlayStation 3
        • 0
          Mr Gray Jul 11, 08
          Thanks for the info. My comparisons are off BDPlayers, not the PS3, so that might explain the varied read speed.

          So, does this mean PS2 emulated games on a PS3 also read slower than they would on a PS2?
        • 0
          Onvacation Jul 11, 08
          I'm not too sure about that m'fraid, I think the BR drive on the PS3 can emulate the way the PS2 DVD drive (the faster way) reads the discs, (Since it doesn't need to be as precise as with a BR Disk), achieving more or less the same speeds as a PS2. However I've done some quick research and I found 50/50 reports on games either being Slower and faster, So don't quote me on that ;D
        • 0
          Fatal Error Jul 12, 08
          Some games have run slower for me, but it was actually quite a sudden thing so I'm not sure what happened (Sonic Collection). It's either due to a messed up disc or the drive, but I actually haven't had any issues other than that particular game.

          Concerning read speeds: Yes, Blu-Ray drives are slower (2x in the PS3 I believe), but that's still significantly faster than a 2x DVD read speed. Without installations the PS3 could probably run games smoothly, but initial loading times and such would likely be a couple seconds longer.
  • 0
    Seeker X Jul 12, 08
    Mass Effect comes to mind here. Gorgeous game, Grain effect and Motion blur are a beautiful thing (Or maybe I just love both)...but at the cost of dipping framerate down a shitload a lot of times. I'm probably just guessing here, but if there was an installation option in some games...it just runs smoother.
    • 0
      Storm* Jul 12, 08
      Maybe it's just me, but I rarely noticed any major framerate issues, and I played through Mass Effect about three times. It really only slowed down a bit when I'd run n' gun against a pretty large group. But yeah it likely would have run better with this install. Still, it's as if they 'install' all video files in the game, and why is it necessary (on PS3) for multiplatform games?

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