Irritating PS3 Mandatory Installs

bobbonew | October 26, 2008 | Blog | Playstation 3

Mandatory installs for the PS3 seem like the norm these days, but with 3.2 gigabyte chunks out of your hard drive it is becoming more and more bothersome. Blogger Nathaniel Edwards goes over why the mandatory installs are necessary, and what some games are doing to offer you more control over this issue.

Mandatory installs come from complications developers meet when switching from DVD to Blu-ray. Blu-rays have more space, but they have a different way of reading data that causes longer loading times when given exactly the same data DVDs use. Installs fix the problem, at a cost, but alternative methods are being devised. Fallout 3 has enough space on the Blu-ray disc to copy the game's assets over more than once on the disc, which reduces load times significantly. This kind of innovation is necessary to prevent my PS3 from filling up and leaving me with no free space.

News Story attached to:

Devil May Cry 4 [PC, XBOX360, PS3]
Fallout 3 [XBOX360, PS3, PC]
Far Cry 2 [PC, PS3, XBOX360]
LittleBigPlanet [PSP, PS3]
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots [PS3]
PlayStation 3 Hardware [PS3]
Soul Calibur IV [PS3, XBOX360]

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99	Mandatory PS3 Installs Should be Optional (22) June 23, 2009

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0 thumbs!
Final Blade | October 26, 2008

quote lol
These games are forcing my PS3 to take one more for the team just so their specific game can load faster, and I have to start deleting my old downloaded games and getting rid of my music to make sure I have enough space for the next one.
_{Aww poor baby, deleting old demos(or games) and music is such a problem. As I stated here:}
quote me
_{Until Sony or the devs figure out a better way to solve this solution, this is whats going to happen.}
_{With that said though, I don't think it will become the norm, it will eventually change when they find a solution that works for every game and engine. Until then don't expect any change from the usual installation.}
0 thumbs!
Killosity | October 26, 2008

The installs don't bother me at all really. I don't really know why; its just they seem to me like apart of the package so I run with it, at whatever HD space cost. I guess for those with ALOT of games for the PS3 would think differently. It only takes a few minutes to reinstall games anyway.

And as Final Blade says, it will go away eventually.
1 thumbs!
Linkin Park Fan | October 26, 2008

Im waiting for those people that come and always say "buy a bigger HDD"
- 2 thumbs!
  Koloth | October 27, 2008
  
  It is a perfectly logical solution and one that Sony even left up to the user. If 20 40 60 or 80GB isn't enough for you then get a 120 or 250 or 300 or whatever.
  
  As for me I just delete whatever I'm not using and don't intend to use for a long while. I recently deleted Uncharted and MGS4. Not playing them probably won't play them for a while no sense in keeping several gigs of useless data.
  
  But considering deleting things or upgrading the HDD are both possible no one has any reason to complain about anything short of perhaps the 3 to 5 minute wait. And even that shouldn't be much of a problem. Just use the time to get a snack.
  - 1 thumbs!
    Linkin Park Fan | October 27, 2008
    
    While that may be a solution, I don't want to spend 60+ bucks on a HDD when I can use that on a game. Kinda pointless now that you have the HDD but no game to put it to use.
    not everyone has flexible income.
    
    And what do you mean delete uncharted? That had no installs and still had no loading times. Thats how it should have been done.
    - 2 thumbs!
      Koloth | October 27, 2008
      
      It didn't have an install but it did have game data that was unrelated to my game save so I deleted it. Probably an update that I logged in for and never played.
2 thumbs!
Onvacation | October 26, 2008

I don't know why people don't moan about installs on PCs but they do on PS3's
- 2 thumbs!
  Slumpy monkey | October 27, 2008
  
  Because console games used to just come right out of the box, no install business, Just put it in and play.
  
  One of the contributing factors to the convenience of console gaming.
  
  Also, why games on 360 don't need installing but the same game on the PS3 might, like bioshock.
  
  But the article explains that.
  - 0 thumbs!
    Red 9 | October 27, 2008
    
    For those who are too lazy to read, the reason PS3 needs installs is because of the speed at which data is read off of the Blu-Ray disc (it's not the fault of the PS3, it's the fault of the Blu-Ray). Some devs are attempting to solve this by just trying to stream it off the disc.
    
    It's just the downside of having so much storage space.
    - 2 thumbs!
      Koloth | October 27, 2008
      
      Actually it is a fault in the PS3. The read speed is related directly to the drive not the disk. If Sony had put in a 4x drive rather than a 2x it would be a whole different story. In fact a 4x blu-ray drive would read data far faster than even the 360s vaunted 16x DVD drive. It would also be a whole lot more expensive. But thems the breaks.
    - 0 thumbs!
      Onvacation | October 27, 2008
      
      Ps3 was expensive enough when it came out, I doubt adding a few 100 bucks more onto the price for the sake of no installations is a bit much
    - 0 thumbs!
      Red 9 | October 27, 2008
      
      You know the solution? Data streaming. It's a developer responsibility, but it's a great alternative.
0 thumbs!
Goldva_X | October 27, 2008

I've also heard that the reason why the installs are present is because the PS3 doesn't have a cache ( the 360 has one though).
- 1 thumbs!
  Xenctuary | October 27, 2008
  
  Of course it has a memory cache.
  - 0 thumbs!
    Goldva_X | October 27, 2008
    
    When looking at the specs you don't see a cache being mentioned on the PS3, yet there is on the 360.
    - 0 thumbs!
      Red 9 | October 27, 2008
      
      Just because it isn't mentioned doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Must we spell things out for everyone?
2 thumbs!
iLLmatic | October 27, 2008

Why is this still being discussed?
- 1 thumbs!
  Final Blade | October 27, 2008
  
  _{Cause people like complaining about shit, when they're is viable solutions out there now.
  
  *Delete game saves or installs you don't use.
  *Delete Demos of games you already played.
  *Delete Music photos or videos you don't use or don't want.
  *Delete PS3 themes that takes up Space as well.
  *Or, you know, upgrade your HDD; As Tekmosis stated.
  
  @LPF:
  You could you know save 10 bucks off of every check and wait til you have enough for a bigger HDD. I mean Sony basically tells you to do it. Seriously though there isn't a problem here. Go make a sandwich, go to the bathroom, post messages at gamegrep or neoseeker, talk on the phone...etc.
  
  Going and buying a game at the store takes more time then installing it. LOL}
0 thumbs!
tekmosis | October 27, 2008

It's nice to see an article on the subject that isn't whining about the installs. However, I don't think the subject is an issue and articles on the topic, both good and bad are what still make it an issue to this day.

@LPF
Like Koloth said upgrading your HD is a viable solution. Do you complain about installs on your PC and not having enough space? HD's are so cheap these days, you can get a 500gb drive for $60-90 depending on the store and potential sales.
0 thumbs!
Darknet | October 27, 2008

I hate the installation that occurs before. Yes I know the reason why they have to install the games. But knowing why sure doesn't make it less annoying.