DVD9 limiting PGR4. Should Microsoft have used Blu-ray?

Due to DVD9's limitations, there will not be different times of day for each city. Doing this would involve recreating all the textures. This isn't a problem from a technical standpoint. This is actually a problem when it comes to storage. DVD9 isn't capable of holding all the textures.

You won’t see different times of day per city because this involves recreating all the textures again (one for day and one for night). Whilst this wasn’t a problem for our dev team, it was a problem fitting all this data onto a single DVD. So we’ve worked around the problem by providing different lighting models per city. For example, Macau is always in the daytime, but if you play it during a storm everything looks darker and more foreboding. If you play during a blizzard then things are slightly tinged blue and everything seems more frozen. Of course, playing this track in sunshine will make everything appear bright and yellowy.

News Story attached to:

Project Gotham Racing 4 [XBOX360]

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Comments

Comments with -10 or lower "thumbs" are removed from display.

2 thumbs!
Guticb | July 31, 2007

To be honest, yes this game looks good, but not including this feature when they claimed so many times that DVD9 is sufficient for the next 5 years the 360 is supposed to last is kinda like shooting yourself in the foot.
-2 thumbs!
volacide | July 31, 2007

Of course you would Guticb... Gamegrep whore.
0 thumbs!
Xenctuary | July 31, 2007

It's a shame some developers are feeling limited, but I'm sure the console still has a lot of life left in it. It's just in its prime.
-3 thumbs!
Incidnia | July 31, 2007

This is the one thing that is starting to worry me. I thought we wouldn't hit our limit on DVD9 until this time next year, but it looks like are running out of juice quicker than I'd expected.

Of course it doesn't go to say Xbox 360 won't still have great games.
-4 thumbs!
Final Blade | July 31, 2007

Actually to answer the last bit from the article name. No MS can't get Blu-ray since its backed up by Sony. I don't even think MS can put it in the xbox system, due to the problematic issues it will have from price and games.

Well i wonder if this will limit the creativity of the devs on making the future games.
- 0 thumbs!
  Xenctuary | July 31, 2007
  
  Microsoft could have included a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive in the Xbox 360, regardless of who the manufacturers or supporters are. Business isn't run on the solid foundations of fanboyism.
  - 0 thumbs!
    Final Blade | July 31, 2007
    
    Who said it was. Did you not see what i wrotegi said it would cause so many problems. In the fact that everyone will have to change there HDDVD drives and the games they have will either have to be returned for a Blu-ray on or they have to buy another one. Which is why MS can't change formats now. Its impossible. It has nothing to do with fanboyism. You know how many people will be pissed at MS for them changing formats now.
    - 0 thumbs!
      Xenctuary | July 31, 2007
      
      I was referring to the console's initial design, hence the past tense. And in regards to Blu-Ray:
      quote finalblade98
      No MS can't get Blu-ray since its backed up by Sony.
      I understood that as Microsoft being unable to use the format itself, regardless of the console's stage of development. It was a little unclear, sorry!
0 thumbs!
Silver Mirror | July 31, 2007

Trust me by this time next year making a game with the software available then will be impossible on 360.
- -3 thumbs!
  Cdemon | July 31, 2007
  
  "Trust you", haha? Yeah, because you're all-knowing...
-1 thumbs!
Cdemon | July 31, 2007

Weird. EA managed to make some insane-looking day-night transitions for 30+ tracks without a problem.

I'm sure there's a way it could be done in PGR4.
- 0 thumbs!
  Existenz | July 31, 2007
  
  Compression and shitty textures... Yep it can be done but then PGR4 would look worse than PGR3, oh the horror.
-2 thumbs!
Cdemon | July 31, 2007

Like I said, Nascar '08 does it pretty damn well. It can be done, just not the way Bizarre wants to.
- 0 thumbs!
  Xenctuary | July 31, 2007
  
  Nonetheless, you can't contest that more space is always nice to have. I do think we'll "survive" for a good few years though.
- -2 thumbs!
  volacide | July 31, 2007
  
  Nascar doesn't have near the same detailed environments as PGR4 does Cd. I mean in PGR4 you're got tons of buildings and trees and stuff. A lot more texture work going on than just a circuit.
0 thumbs!
Cdemon | July 31, 2007

No doubt. But surely limits inspire innovation?
0 thumbs!
Supernouva | July 31, 2007

So what now for PGR4? This could foretell the installation of HD DVD in 360 consoles in the future.
- -2 thumbs!
  Cdemon | July 31, 2007
  
  I don't think so. We'll see newer technology in Microsoft's next console, but definitely not the X360.
  - 0 thumbs!
    Final Blade | July 31, 2007
    
    Thats if they decide to make another, or can afford another.
    - 0 thumbs!
      Xenctuary | August 01, 2007
      
      Because Microsoft are really cash stricken right now.
0 thumbs!
Light Warrior | July 31, 2007

Yep. I see the HD DVD implemented into the 360 to keep up with the community. But, this news sucks. Makes me start to think, "Why did I pick the 360?" Its having such bad luck now =(
0 thumbs!
JJBDude | July 31, 2007

Bit of a bummer then for the guys making PGR4 but not a gigantic deal. When the next generation of consoles come out I would imagine Microsoft would make the move of changing to blu-ray if HD DVD throws up some serious problems, for now we need not worry.
0 thumbs!
BANDITO ATTACK | July 31, 2007

wow. no night/day. let's all cry together.
0 thumbs!
Anime | August 01, 2007

I guess not having night and day won't be too bad but if they did have blu-ray I would imagine the Xbox 360 price would have increased which isn't great but might have been worth it.

คภเ๓є
- 1 thumbs!
  Existenz | August 01, 2007
  
  Even if they added HD-DVD now the Xbox 360 with the wireless adapter would be $575... So Microsoft are stuck, they either suck it up and say oh well compression is evolving by PGR 5 it will be fine... Or add a HD-DVD drive leave their 11 million adopters thus far in the dark and raise the price of the 360 to something they scoffed at when the PS3 was there.
0 thumbs!
Subzer0 | August 01, 2007

Even if they added BluRay, the price of the 360 would've been $600 or even more. Besides, BluRay is backed up by Sony so that's why it was easier for Sony to include a BluRay in the PS3.