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Game Download Sizes Are Insane
- Thread starter Glitchesarecool
- Start date
Ok what I'm about to say is 100% true and dead serious. Not being contrarian or anything:
My #1 criteria when looking for a new home/place to live is what type of internet access is available in that area. If it's not good enough, then I will literally choose to look elsewhere.
This seems like it's a problem with the lack of infrastructures on your area and not the games.
People want more and more fidelity so games will be bigger and bigger. It's unfortune that a lot of people don't have good internet and will suffer because of this.
I wonder how much compression could improve at least.
People want more and more fidelity so games will be bigger and bigger. It's unfortune that a lot of people don't have good internet and will suffer because of this.
I wonder how much compression could improve at least.
That's a big consideration for many nowadays. Completely valid. It's as integral as electric to a degree. It was partly why we made the decision to move where we are. But to say you should move for that reason is ludicrous. As if a million other factors don't apply.
I'm not ignoring it. It's a problem with service and places with bandwidth caps, and a problem with how modern games are delivered.
I use my phone data too. When it was truly "unlimited," I was downloading games like GTAV, Forza, and Halos no problem. Then I got flagged and now I only get 15 GB before they knock me down to barely online speeds.
With update sizes the way they are, I can no longer play over half the games I have downloaded since games these days have multiple multiple gig updates and patches. Even old f'n games like Monkey Island and SOTN have updates for some strange reason.
So what I've been doing (most recently for Ass Creed Origins) is redbox the game and install it and then buy the digital version. Since the games already installed from the disc, there's no large download to worry about. However, once the patches and updates start rolling in, I'll probably not have enough data to play it ever again, so I need to beat it soon.
eta- lol. Just read the AC:Origins thread and it's got a new 2 GB update. I just downloaded an update two days ago. Good grief.
With update sizes the way they are, I can no longer play over half the games I have downloaded since games these days have multiple multiple gig updates and patches. Even old f'n games like Monkey Island and SOTN have updates for some strange reason.
So what I've been doing (most recently for Ass Creed Origins) is redbox the game and install it and then buy the digital version. Since the games already installed from the disc, there's no large download to worry about. However, once the patches and updates start rolling in, I'll probably not have enough data to play it ever again, so I need to beat it soon.
eta- lol. Just read the AC:Origins thread and it's got a new 2 GB update. I just downloaded an update two days ago. Good grief.
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One of the many things I love about the Switch. Downloads for Nintendo's own games are never very big, and if you buy a physical copy they do this really weird thing where they actually finish the game before producing the physical cart, so you're not left downloading this massive file to complete it later.
I'm all digital and I have unlimited Internet download. The only issue I have is the speed, so I'm really glad that there are things such as pre-download and the ability to have the console download when it's off.
I'm all digital on PS4, XBO, Switch and PC.
It's definitely the right decision for me.
It probably helps that Nintendo doesn't give a crap about texture quality and often leverages art styles that can avoid using high quality stuff without looking too bad.
With all the 4k craze on the horizon I fear it will get even uglier by the end of this generation. Most games already filling up a full 50GB Blu-Ray. Next step would be 100GB as standard and the big hitters will even surpass that easily too (cuz you need three different Dolby soundfiles, ultra mega high texture pack, VR special bloom packet and whatever they invent next).
Sorry OP but game sizes really aren't that insane relative to the progress of visual fidelity, textures, etc.
Also consider that while some users claim devs don't compress their files, that is 100% BS. Games almost ALWAYS are much larger installed than downloaded because they use industry-standard compression and installers, as well as things like PlayGo where the initial chunk gets installed first so you can play while more downloads.
What's insane is the Internet situation you're stuck with.
Also consider that while some users claim devs don't compress their files, that is 100% BS. Games almost ALWAYS are much larger installed than downloaded because they use industry-standard compression and installers, as well as things like PlayGo where the initial chunk gets installed first so you can play while more downloads.
What's insane is the Internet situation you're stuck with.
"I'm lucky if I can get 20gb downloaded overnight." That's not exactly horrible yet not great. A couple years down the road this will be a non issue for you just give the wireless companies a little more time. I'm assuming that you are in the states and I mean these unlimited plans are relatively new. A couple more years once these are built out to support this type of infrastructure it should not be as painful.
My speed are shite I get 5-6meg, plus have no choice in who I get my phone and broadband from in good old Hull you have no choice, the kicker is I watched them lay fiber down my street but it's not for us (plebs) it was only so they could get it to other areas, but when you speak to them they didn't lay fiber is was just copper they laid even tho I pointed out the engineers I talked to while it's was getting laid said it was fiber.
So no downloads sizes are about what we should expect is just my broadband is shite.
So no downloads sizes are about what we should expect is just my broadband is shite.
Again it seems weird as someone not from a country where internet speeds keep up with size increases and without caps.
I don't think the answer is smaller games but faster and better internet.
Sizes have always got bigger and speeds have always increased but as some countries have caps and speeds aren't progressing for them I feel really bad for them.
I don't think the answer is smaller games but faster and better internet.
Sizes have always got bigger and speeds have always increased but as some countries have caps and speeds aren't progressing for them I feel really bad for them.
I know it's been beaten around the bush elsewhere but we also need to talk about game updates.
I recently got Driveclub. The game install is 14 or 16GB but I was greeted with an 18GB update on launch. An update bigger than the game itself .. yes I know the updates are inclusive of all previous updates but still ... how much space does adding new car models take ?
I recently got Driveclub. The game install is 14 or 16GB but I was greeted with an 18GB update on launch. An update bigger than the game itself .. yes I know the updates are inclusive of all previous updates but still ... how much space does adding new car models take ?
Yes they are. I just built a good gaming pc and I have to face this new problem for me.
On ps4 I buy everything physical so sometimes I get annoyed with a few gigabytes of patches to download.
But downloading Doom or Quantum break on PC felt like forever.
Basically it's : "Hey this game looks cool. 60Gb... Well I guess I will play tomorrow."
Thank god I don't have a data cap.
On ps4 I buy everything physical so sometimes I get annoyed with a few gigabytes of patches to download.
But downloading Doom or Quantum break on PC felt like forever.
Basically it's : "Hey this game looks cool. 60Gb... Well I guess I will play tomorrow."
Thank god I don't have a data cap.
Some crazy stories here with regards to digital downloads. Three days to download a game...my goodness. And I feel for those who have to make do with data caps in the US.
I don't have to worry about digital download speeds - as I pay £32 for 100 down, and 8 up. A different issue entirely is the space required for some games - 500GB for a PS4 ain't enough!
I don't have to worry about digital download speeds - as I pay £32 for 100 down, and 8 up. A different issue entirely is the space required for some games - 500GB for a PS4 ain't enough!
But what if for some reason your current residence stopped having internet period? You wouldn't choose to move for that?
What I'm afraid of is actually that this kind of data cap bullshit will hit Germany some day. I have a 100/20 Mbit/s connection with no caps, and pay around 25€ for that. I generate up to 1TB monthly traffic. There are signs on the horizon, that German ISPs will try to go the same route as US ISPs and issue traffic caps or subscription models with no caps for certain services, for example like no traffic count for social media or Netflix, but for everything else.
This is a horrible scenario, and if that will become reality one day, I'll leave this country and never look back.
The stories in this thread, about 25GB cap or horrible download speeds, will give me nightmares for sure. I would feel trapped and enslaved.
This is a horrible scenario, and if that will become reality one day, I'll leave this country and never look back.
The stories in this thread, about 25GB cap or horrible download speeds, will give me nightmares for sure. I would feel trapped and enslaved.
First, that would be a bizarre situation. Secondly, how many people do you know that would just up and move because of one situation like that? Are you single?
Yesterday I wanted to play Doom again so I inserted my disc(!!!!!) and saw the inevitable patch...30GB...
30GB patch...are you fucking kidding me Bethesda?
30GB patch...are you fucking kidding me Bethesda?
Remember that this is keeping millions, literally millions of people without access to contemporary games.
Yeah, I agree. I am 100% digital with gaming now (have been for years) and live in a rural location that means my download speed is measured in KB/s on Steam, not MB/s, just like the OP. But my back garden is a nature reserve in the UK, and my view from the lounge and kitchen is lakes and woodland. In a location like this, I can wait for fibre to be rolled out =P
On topic: I cope by downloading overnight, and I set all my Steam games to only check for updates when I launch them otherwise I end up with a huge queue of game updates, most of which I don't even play anymore, hogging my download speed when all I want to do is browse the internet. I also cry inside every time I try reading through the PC screenshot thread and Chrome gives up loading most of the images before it's even half way done.
I definitely would move because of that. (To be clear, when I said no internet period, I'm considering super slow speeds to be the same thing. Like under 5-megabits, as some people in this thread said they have. Unusable to me.)
And yes, I'm over 40 years old and have never been married, never had any kids.
One thing I see in this thread (and in all similar threads) is the common refrain of, "My internet is great, no problem here." Maybe stop first and try to put yourself in the position of the OP and show some empathy before you just react with, "I'm good, so I don't care about your issue." This isn't an isolated problem, this is much of rural America.
This is a map (as of 2012) showing areas that have broadband rated at equal or greater than 3Mbps (which is barely even broadband at this point).
Delta updates could certainly help mitigate issues. One thing I see with updates on the PS4 is that devs often pack their media assets into single files, so when they update say one audio file, the whole 5GB file has to be re-downloaded. This may help developers, but it has a huge impact on people whose broadband access is limited or non-existent.
This is a map (as of 2012) showing areas that have broadband rated at equal or greater than 3Mbps (which is barely even broadband at this point).
Delta updates could certainly help mitigate issues. One thing I see with updates on the PS4 is that devs often pack their media assets into single files, so when they update say one audio file, the whole 5GB file has to be re-downloaded. This may help developers, but it has a huge impact on people whose broadband access is limited or non-existent.
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5 years is a LONG time when it comes to technology. What's the current map look like as of today?
Yeah don't get me wrong, I completely understand there are many different types of people, in different situations.
Just wanted to post and provide the angle from people with my mentality that Internet is top importance.
Unfortunately, it's probably not much better. I'd venture to say if you did the same map at 5Mbps today it would probably look the exact same. The monopolies of some companies have stagnated the speeds so hard, i know at least in phoenix cox literally blocked google fiber so hard they had to pull out and cox are still taking years to roll out their fiber service.
Gears of War 4 being around 100GB is just ridiculous. It's well optimized in all other respects.
I feel your pain. Gaming is made tougher for me these days, because I'm also not in town or in a city and companies could care less about upgrading our internet because of that.
There's cable all around me, and even a cellular fibre line going up the road in front of my house, but neither one is available to me for Internet. So I'm stuck back in the early 2000s with awful DSL speeds that make gaming difficult. It takes forever to download games and patches.
It's driving me nuts, and is making me want to move. I just can't really afford to.
There's cable all around me, and even a cellular fibre line going up the road in front of my house, but neither one is available to me for Internet. So I'm stuck back in the early 2000s with awful DSL speeds that make gaming difficult. It takes forever to download games and patches.
It's driving me nuts, and is making me want to move. I just can't really afford to.
since it's the same as the pro, xb1s, and ps4 slim and that the PS4 and XB1 launched with 500gb i'd say year it's pretty dumb to single one out as being too small. consoles have always shipped with too small of hard drives (20gb PS3 and XB360) except the original xbox which literally never ran out of space. had a 8GB HD IIRC and was only used for game saves pretty much
I haven't played it for months and it keeps getting patches and updates. Barely got through the first hour too.
IKR. If game companies want to expand their markets in developing countries they should take a hard look at their compression techniques.
That's how the internet conditions are in 80% of the world.
it doesnt help that isps are starting to roll out 1TB bandwidth caps a game like gears of war 4 100GBs is 10% of a monthly allowance.
This is why the I hate the push for an "all-digital" future. In Australia, we have trash-tier internet almost everywhere, which makes downloading digital games a pain in the ass. While data caps are less of a thing nowadays, it takes around 12 hours (longer in a lot of cases) to download a 50gb game, and that's with an internet speed that's actually half-decent for this country. I would kill to be having something like that download in under 2 hours like some of you have been frustrated with lol.
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Unfortunately it's only going to get worse with 4K textures becoming the norm.
The internet in far too many places just isn't up to handling 100GB downloads on the regular.
I'm just waiting for Virgin to hurry up laying their cable in my area.
The internet in far too many places just isn't up to handling 100GB downloads on the regular.
I'm just waiting for Virgin to hurry up laying their cable in my area.
I gotta get an ethernet cable for my XBX. Just gonna plug that shit in to my router. Those are going to be HUGE files.