Cheap Ass Gamer - PS3 Game hard drive install size index

found this thread where people are helping to compile a list of PS3 games that have installs. i put the list into an excel spreadsheet to sort through the chaos, and here's the rundown:

Optional installs:
14 games - 38.53 GB

Required installs:
35 games - 83.36 GB

Unknown:
6 games - 13.76 GB

(55 games total - 135.65 GB)

i was going to compile a list of best selling ps3 games and see how many of them would pop up in 'require' list, but vgchartz hates me. i can never get teh site to open up. instead i used metacritic to get the first 10 highest rated games that were on the install list. burnout:p, civ:rev, gta4, mgs4, mlb 08 the show, oblivion, orange box, r&c future:tod, resistance, and skate.
10 games (required install) - 18.79 GB

here's an old article that explains why some games require installs:
The Mystery Behind PlayStation 3’s Sometimes Mandatory Installations

so do you guys see this as a flaw or a benefit?

Well, it's hardly a benefit to have to use up space that could otherwise be used for something else.

It'd only be a benefit if it allowed you to play the game without the disk, or whatever

why is this in debate exactly???

I dont get why they have installs anyways. I heard that it decreases load time.. but having played both versions (360/PS3) of GTA4 and Bad Company, both which require installs, the 360 has faster load times.

Cause it can support a discussion. Honestly a "debate forum" can hold any topic in which people can debate seriously. Naturally this thread can belong here or in Sony. Wherever you prefer.

I can move it to Sony if the people think it belongs there more then here. Though it'll have to wait, one: for responses, and two: I'm off to bed.

I'd prefer it if every install was an option.

i put it here because i preferred this forum.

back on topic...

i just dont see how this can be a positive thing for the ps3. its saving grace is the fact that it's easy to upgrade the HDD. problem is: the people who suffer are the core crowd; the ones who bought an expensive launch console. even though HDD's are cheap, it's still more money they have to spend to upgrade their console.

what ever happened to all that talk about having larger expansive worlds that arent capable on a DVD because of blu-ray? even when an install is required, that's still space on the disc that isnt utilized. if developers dont want mandatory installs, then theyre left having to use the disc space to make duplicate assets.

could this be the reason why a 160GB sku was released? a form of "future-proofing" for new users?

It IS a benefit in the sense the we don't have to wait for the data to be read off the god-awfully slow BD-ROM drive. However, it's a negative that we have to take HDD space, a fundamental flaw of the PS3.

I haven't played a PS3 game that required installation, or installed a PS3 game for that matter.
But I do have some knowledge of the process thanks to PC gaming. If a game require installation, is the Disc still required to be in the drive? I'm going to go ahead and say "yes" as its a principle form of anti-piracy. Otherwise people would just rent the game, install it, and return. Console gamers have always used the argument that consoles where a more favorable gaming platform as opposed to a PC thanks to the fact that "upgrading" and installing where tedious, and money hungry.

The PS3 is closing that gap though. With the average game taking up 2GB of space, with a 100+ GB HDD there shouldn't be a problem. Unless you're determined to buy every single game on the PS3 and install every single one; plus upload all your photos and music and maybe a few movies onto your PS3. Then you'll probably hit a snag; but if you're able to do that, you should just as easily be able to buy another harddrive.


Its just the best possible way to avoid the separate problem of load times. (Here's looking at you PSx)