Looks like xbox 360 may be showing it's limitations

Can't they just code the game to work with both? Remember the days of the N64. You could still play High Res games without the expansion pack. It would just be letterboxed. Surely Rockstar could do something similar or are just too lazy?
 
Sniper123 said:
http://origin.gamesradar.com/gb/ps3/game/news/article.jsp?articleId=20070501152537609018&sectionId=1006&releaseId=20060308105930968037

Xbox 360's lack of a guaranteed hard-drive, with some gamers having opted for the stripped-down Core version, and its use of DVD discs, will create limitations in Grand Theft Auto IV's development, Rockstar has acknowledged.

During an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine, Rockstar's creative vice president Dan Houser was posed this question: "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, whereas on Xbox 360 there's no guarantee of a hard-drive and you're working with the DVD format. Does that create limitations?" To which he simply answered, "Yep."

"To be honest with you," Houser continued, "we haven't solved all those riddles yet." Although the difficulties aren't limited to working with Microsoft's console, as he explains that "both [platforms] have enormous challenges" and that "there are problems on both ... both have their own particular pleasures and pains". If anyone can make the most of what's available, though, it has to be Rockstar.
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not another ps3 vs 360 thread. why not just play the games instaed of worrying about every little pathetic detail of the machine.
 
I don't think Multi-DVD games would sit too well with a lot of people nowadays. Both the 360 & the PS3 try to sell themselves as Home Entertainment systems and as such, many people have them plugged in under the TV and play them using Wireless controllers.

I used to have no problem with multiple disk games, Wing Commander 3 anyone?, but that was when I was sitting right in front of the PC and just had to move my arm to facilitate the change.

I wouldn't want to have to get myself off of the sofa every 15 mins (due to the open sandbox nature of GTA) and waddle across the front room to swap a disk. Its not that I am that bone idle, it just doesn't realy sit with the whole sofa gaming principle.
 
JudgeC said:
I used to have no problem with multiple disk games, Wing Commander 3 anyone?, but that was when I was sitting right in front of the PC and just had to move my arm to facilitate the change.

I wouldn't want to have to get myself off of the sofa every 15 mins (due to the open sandbox nature of GTA) and waddle across the front room to swap a disk. Its not that I am that bone idle, it just doesn't realy sit with the whole sofa gaming principle.
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Thats actually a really good point - there are a lot of open structure games which would make multi-disc releases a nightmare for the majority of users where it wouldnt affect nearly so much (if any) on a pc.

Its much the same as I have always felt with "flipper" dvd's that have the movie split. It just ruins the atmosphere for me, waiting the 20 seconds or so to eject, physically turn the disc over and wait for it to reload and then go thru menu options etc - just arrggggghhhhh (even when the studio/publisher has chosen a 1/2 decent time for flip to occur)

I know there are more natural breaks in a game when you load a track or a new map or something but it still grates every time this is necessary

Im wondering if it would be technically possible and plausable to have a game highly compressed on a dvd (ie the whole thing in one huge zip or such like), force anyone who doesnt have one to use a hdd but actually "install" the game fully on hdd (after decompressing from zip) each time you play and having a seperate save file for your position. On 2nd thoughts this would only work on current pc hdd due to the huge amounts of space available cheaply - no disrespect but a 12GB game would need that amount of space free and available each time it was played (and of course the majority of x360 hdd are "only" 20Gb)
 
FrankJH said:
Thats actually a really good point - there are a lot of open structure games which would make multi-disc releases a nightmare for the majority of users where it wouldnt affect nearly so much (if any) on a pc.

Its much the same as I have always felt with "flipper" dvd's that have the movie split. It just ruins the atmosphere for me, waiting the 20 seconds or so to eject, physically turn the disc over and wait for it to reload and then go thru menu options etc - just arrggggghhhhh (even when the studio/publisher has chosen a 1/2 decent time for flip to occur)

I know there are more natural breaks in a game when you load a track or a new map or something but it still grates every time this is necessary

Im wondering if it would be technically possible and plausable to have a game highly compressed on a dvd (ie the whole thing in one huge zip or such like), force anyone who doesnt have one to use a hdd but actually "install" the game fully on hdd (after decompressing from zip) each time you play and having a seperate save file for your position. On 2nd thoughts this would only work on current pc hdd due to the huge amounts of space available cheaply - no disrespect but a 12GB game would need that amount of space free and available each time it was played (and of course the majority of x360 hdd are "only" 20Gb)
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Plus, all the next gen consoles even allow you to turn them off and on with the controller to save you getting off the sofa - so having to get up and switch discs kind of defeats the point of having full couch potato control imo.
 
First we had the SDF creating all manner of noise on how Mass Effect was multidisc and fundamentally crippled now it's GTA IV.

I'll keep looking forward to said games, you keep telling me how I should be disappointed.
 
smcshaw said:
First we had the SDF creating all manner of noise on how Mass Effect was multidisc and fundamentally crippled now it's GTA IV.

I'll keep looking forward to said games, you keep telling me how I should be disappointed.
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ok.

You should be dissapointed.

:p
 
i do like the 360, but for this game cant it just **** off and die somewhere?

Im sure it will still be good but i suppose if it was PS3 exclusive it could have been bigger and better.
 
I can't believe how naive you lot are being on purpose..

If they can make it better on the PS3 they will.. simple as that..

I'd absolutely love to know what content it is that can't be put on a single DVD9.. because the 'scale' of GTAIV seems quite small considering what other people can fit on a DVD9, or is someone deluded enough to say it's more then Mass Effect?

So rest assured that GTAIV will not be dumbed down in anyway because of the 360, but I would be worried if they are starting the marketing spin this early on.. sounds like they are struggling and trying to soften the blow..
 
Demon said:
I can't believe how naive you lot are being on purpose..

If they can make it better on the PS3 they will.. simple as that..
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Being naive on purpose??? That's an oxy-moron if ever I have heard one!

Why would they make it better on the PS3 if they could? Surely they will make it to the limits of the biggest user base, which at the minute is the 360. If Sony had twice the install base of the 360, then maybe Rockstar would say let's really take advantage of the system.

With regards to the DVD9 being good enough argument, we have heard it all time and time again. We don't need CD's as cartridge is good enough, we don't need DVD's as CD's are good enough etc.
 
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Joebob said:
Being naive on purpose??? That's an oxy-moron if ever I have heard one!

Why would they make it better on the PS3 if they could? Surely they will make it to the limits of the biggest user base, which at the minute is the 360. If Sony had twice the install base of the 360, then maybe Rockstar would say let's really take advantage of the system.

With regards to the DVD9 being good enough argument, we have heard it all time and time again. We don't need CD's as cartridge is good enough, we don't need DVD's as CD's are good enough etc.
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Not being funny ( or a fanboy) but surely they are showing off what they are capable of, being artists as such - why not go to the maximum of their ability - why restrict yourself if you dont have to?

"We could have made it better for the PS3 but didnt want to stretch ourselves" hmmmmm nah I dont think so
 
Joebob said:
With regards to the DVD9 being good enough argument, we have heard it all time and time again. We don't need CD's as cartridge is good enough, we don't need DVD's as CD's are good enough etc.
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Next thing you'll be telling us is how Sony included blu-ray for the good of gaming and not as a trojan horse for pushing it's high definition dvd format.
 
FrankJH said:
Not being funny ( or a fanboy) but surely they are showing off what they are capable of, being artists as such - why not go to the maximum of their ability - why restrict yourself if you dont have to?

"We could have made it better for the PS3 but didnt want to stretch ourselves" hmmmmm nah I dont think so
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So you think them being artists comes before them being a business? They are releasing this iteration of the franchise fairly early on in this current gens cycle, so they are not going to make huge profits and have to maximise sales potential. Also they need to get a good financial return from the amount of development time they put into the game, so why would they put more costly dev time into the PS3 version when there's currently only 3 million consoles out there to play it on?

I'm sure, however, that they are in it form the long run and, now that they have the game engine fully developed, when there's a bigger install base of both 360 and PS3 then you will see Rockstar flexing their creative muscles a bit more.
 
smcshaw said:
Next thing you'll be telling us is how Sony included blu-ray for the good of gaming and not as a trojan horse for pushing it's high definition dvd format.
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Actually I think it's a bit of both. They are a business after all and need to make money to keep their shareholders happy. So yes, they pushed a format which they have a vested interest in to help it win the format war and yes I do beleive it will pay dividends for gaming in a year or two.
 
FrankJH said:
Not being funny ( or a fanboy) but surely they are showing off what they are capable of, being artists as such - why not go to the maximum of their ability - why restrict yourself if you dont have to?

"We could have made it better for the PS3 but didnt want to stretch ourselves" hmmmmm nah I dont think so
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Nope but what they could say is 'Games cost tens of millions to make these days and we can't afford to develop 2 versions side by side, so we aimed for the middle ground' WHich is what seems to be happening.

Blu-Ray will have benefits to gamers over the next 5-10 years (The life of the PS3) Resistance already uses more than a DVD because it gives 7.1 Uncompressed sounds (or so i am told) and that is just a first gen title. Ratchet will no doubt be the same. If it is just being hinted at after 18 months DVD9 isn't big enough, i am willing to be it wont be big enough in 3 years time. Though MS will probably have stopped all support for the 360 by then and have there new console out.
Sony done a similar thing with DVD. 'But a CD is big eough, we don't mind changing discs etc' A La Dreamcast but thing is people get a lot more for a bit more cost. I Enjoy using the Blu-Ray functionality of my PS3 tbh and for me, Blu-Ray being included on the PS3 has 0 downsides.
 
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