PS4?s PlayGo background downloading & installing explained

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

PS4?s PlayGo background downloading & installing explained. Why next-gen won?t waste a second of your gaming time

Lead system architect Mark Cerny has explained more about PlayGo, the system which lets PS4 download games while you?re playing and means installing disks won?t get in the way.

PS4?s background downloading & installing explained

The PlayGo system means you only have to download, ?a portion of the overall data,? before you start playing. As you do, the rest downloads in the background. There?s also a second chip that functions with the PS4 in a low power mode to download things like system updates, patches and so on.

?We also have the ability to shut off everything except power to the RAMs, which is how we leave your game session suspended,? explains Cerny, referring to the PS4?s ability to stop and start games without saving. In that state only the, ?secondary custom chip, system memory, hard drive and Ethernet,? parts of the console are powered. Effectively your PS4 is shut down overall, only using the bits it needs to preserve you game?s progress or download data.

?After an hour or two, the game is on

the hard drive, you have dramatically

quicker loading and you have the ability

to do some truly high-speed streaming?

An interesting part of the PS4?s PlayGo set up is how it will compensate for Blu-ray speeds and install times. Apparently games will copy data from the Blu-ray disk to the hard drive to get you started. It?ll then use any spare time the system has to copy over the remaining data. Cerny says, ?What that means is after an hour or two, the game is on the hard drive, and you have access, you have dramatically quicker loading? And you have the ability to do some truly high-speed streaming.?

Source: http://www.officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk/2013/04/24/ps4s-background-downloading-installing-explained-why-next-gen-wont-waste-any-of-you-time/

[Emn1ty]

While this is all really cool, its not really new and most of it is a workaround for the horrible performance of Blu-Ray when it comes to actually getting data off of the disc.

I also find it strange that they had the idea to "suspend" a game. What is the purpose of such a feature? Why not just save it? I, personally, would feel far more comfortable knowing it will be there when I come back then having to worry about some hiccup causing a power loss to the system's RAM (like any number of household events). It just makes more sense, IMO, for it to just save every time the input goes idle for more than 30s, 1m or on some command from the user (say hitting the home button or something).

It's cool they are doing nifty things, but the two listed here feel like a workaround prettied up to sound like a feature, and the other just sounds pointless/redundant. But that's my opinion, others may think differently.

[M_Lyons10]

While this is all really cool, its not really new and most of it is a workaround for the horrible performance of Blu-Ray when it comes to actually getting data off of the disc.

I also find it strange that they had the idea to "suspend" a game. What is the purpose of such a feature? Why not just save it? I, personally, would feel far more comfortable knowing it will be there when I come back then having to worry about some hiccup causing a power loss to the system's RAM (like any number of household events). It just makes more sense, IMO, for it to just save every time the input goes idle for more than 30s, 1m or on some command from the user (say hitting the home button or something).

It's cool they are doing nifty things, but the two listed here feel like a workaround prettied up to sound like a feature, and the other just sounds pointless/redundant. But that's my opinion, others may think differently.

No, I agree entirely. It all sounds neat and everything, but to call it a needed feature is REALLY stretching it...

[Boxster17]

Out of curiosity do either of you own a recent Nintendo handheld or a Vita? This is one of the features I'm most looking forward to is the instant resume and I don't quite understand the comments about it saving either. You're still going to have the option to save games and have auto-saves in them, this is merely and added bonus on top of that. If you need to go out to run a quick errand you can come back and instantly resume from where you left off. I absolutely love that option on my DS/Vita and look forward to having it on a home console. Sure waiting a couple mins to boot up the game isn't the end of the world, but it's much nicer having it instantly be there and don't see how that's anything but a plus.

You're no longer reliant on save points or waiting for auto-saves that throw you back 15mins of game play to the last checkpoint. I honestly don't even boot up my home consoles if I don't have a good 2 hours I can play on it, partly because of this reason as if I'm having to replay another 10-15mins of game play to get where I was then it seems like a bit of a waste. With this system in place you're no longer stuck with that issue as you're right back to where you left off when you shut it off.

[HawkMan]

So he's basically saying it has bog standard sleep mode and that all games basically have mandatory installs.

[TheLegendOfMart]

What "bog standard sleep mode", no console, bar handhelds, that I can think of has a suspend to ram feature where you can just hit the power and carry on from where you left off without waiting for the console to boot then the game to boot, all the unskippable intro titles, etc..

Mandatory installs that don't interfere with your ability to play the game, you put the disc in and you play your game, once it has cached the game on the HDD the next time you load it it loads from HDD and it is faster at loading, why did you say it in such a negative way?

[Lamp0]

So he's basically saying it has bog standard sleep mode and that all games basically have mandatory installs.

That's pretty reductive.

[HawkMan]

What "bog standard sleep mode", no console, bar handhelds, that I can think of has a suspend to ram feature where you can just hit the power and carry on from where you left off without waiting for the console to boot then the game to boot, all the unskippable intro titles, etc..

Mandatory installs that don't interfere with your ability to play the game, you put the disc in and you play your game, once it has cached the game on the HDD the next time you load it it loads from HDD and it is faster at loading, why did you say it in such a negative way?

But it's not a console, it's a computer. Sony says it's a computer, EU says it's a computer, the components say it's a computer.

what they're describing is basic ACPI sleep mode. yes it's "new" in the form of game consoles. but it's not a groundbreaking new feature.

Also I didn't say mandatory installs affected gameplay negatively. however I recall some people complaining that they didn't like mandatory installs in certain other rumors, which also included the same play as you go function, which is actually patented or something by MS, I seem to recall they registered a patent for it 2-3 years back and it sparked early rumors about the next gen.

personally I see installs as a positive and even necessary part of next gen with BD.

[TheLegendOfMart]

But it's not a console, it's a computer. Sony says it's a computer, EU says it's a computer, the components say it's a computer.

what they're describing is basic ACPI sleep mode. yes it's "new" in the form of game consoles. but it's not a groundbreaking new feature.

You are just arguing semantics now, technically it is a computer but it's hardly a PC. Yes PCs and Macs have had sleep for donkeys years and I never said it was a groundbreaking feature but it is a new feature and the first non-handheld console to implement it.

Also I didn't say mandatory installs affected gameplay negatively. however I recall some people complaining that they didn't like mandatory installs in certain other rumors, which also included the same play as you go function, which is actually patented or something by MS, I seem to recall they registered a patent for it 2-3 years back and it sparked early rumors about the next gen.

personally I see installs as a positive and even necessary part of next gen with BD.

"Some people", don't beat around the bush just name names. If you meant me then yes I hate mandatory installs especially the ones for PS3 that take FOREVER, its a nice happy medium whereby the console will copy while you play and after a few hours the whole game will be cached having not impacted the time to start or the gameplay.

[Elessar]

Out of curiosity do either of you own a recent Nintendo handheld or a Vita? This is one of the features I'm most looking forward to is the instant resume and I don't quite understand the comments about it saving either. You're still going to have the option to save games and have auto-saves in them, this is merely and added bonus on top of that. If you need to go out to run a quick errand you can come back and instantly resume from where you left off. I absolutely love that option on my DS/Vita and look forward to having it on a home console. Sure waiting a couple mins to boot up the game isn't the end of the world, but it's much nicer having it instantly be there and don't see how that's anything but a plus.

You're no longer reliant on save points or waiting for auto-saves that throw you back 15mins of game play to the last checkpoint. I honestly don't even boot up my home consoles if I don't have a good 2 hours I can play on it, partly because of this reason as if I'm having to replay another 10-15mins of game play to get where I was then it seems like a bit of a waste. With this system in place you're no longer stuck with that issue as you're right back to where you left off when you shut it off.

+1000. I absolutely love this feature on my PS Vita. I hit the power button and everything suspends. I can come back 8 hours later and it's still waiting for me to resume playing. I often find myself NOT playing my PS3/360 because I'm impatient. Waiting for the machine to turn on, boot up, waiting for the system to recognize my disk, waiting for the game to load, waiting for the game to load my save...THEN I can play. Yes, this may only take 2-3 minutes total, but when I want to play NOW, it adds up. PS Vita, I hit the power button and the game is at the pause menu. Unpause and I'm back to playing within mere seconds.

[Fish]

Suspend to RAM seems more suitable for portable gaming. Pick it up and instantly start playing, put it away when you get off the train, pick it up again in the back of a taxi. I get that, but I'm really struggling to see a good use for this in a console. It's a nice addition, and it ticks a box, but it seems a bit superfluous to me.

Background downloads, and near-instant play is a welcome feature. I can see myself making extensive use of this.

[HawkMan]

personally, I just pause the game, turn off the tv or change the channel, and pick up where I paused whenever I Feel like it next. heck I'm pretty sure the Darkness II is currently paused on my 360 has has been since the weekend or so at least. Life tends to get in the way of gaming at times.

[Emn1ty]

Suspend to RAM seems more suitable for portable gaming. Pick it up and instantly start playing, put it away when you get off the train, pick it up again in the back of a taxi. I get that, but I'm really struggling to see a good use for this in a console. It's a nice addition, and it ticks a box, but it seems a bit superfluous to me.

personally, I just pause the game, turn off the tv or change the channel, and pick up where I paused whenever I Feel like it next. heck I'm pretty sure the Darkness II is currently paused on my 360 has has been since the weekend or so at least. Life tends to get in the way of gaming at times.

This is exactly what I mean. By hitting the Home button, or any other central console button on either the 360/PS3we essentially "suspend" our games as is. The only difference between that and this is power consumption. Yes, it makes sense on the PS Vita and the 3DS because you are constantly turning them on and off to either save battery life (something a console doesn't have) or because your 5m's of downtime ended but consoles are not handhelds nor do they fulfill the same purpose.

To me, it makes very very little sense for this feature to be present on a console.

[compl3x]

personally, I just pause the game, turn off the tv or change the channel, and pick up where I paused whenever I Feel like it next. heck I'm pretty sure the Darkness II is currently paused on my 360 has has been since the weekend or so at least. Life tends to get in the way of gaming at times.

:\

You really just leave your console going for days at a time?

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

.... and im sure the world in a global recession enjoys burning up high electrical bills.

[Emn1ty]

:\

You really just leave your console going for days at a time?

Do you leave your PC going for days at a time? I do, heck I haven't turned my 2 year old laptop off in more than 9 months and at one point my gaming PC was on for the better part of a year unless I had to restart for an install (which almost never happens anymore).

The electric bill is something I understand, but at that point you may as well save your game and turn it off rather than leaving it idle (since no power is better than some power).

[compl3x]

The reasons I leave my PC on and leaving a console on don't seem to be remotely similar.

[Emn1ty]

Yet they are remarkably similar devices despite their purpose.

[HawkMan]

currently under my tv I have an xbox on, a Wii U on, a HTPC on, I have set the logitech one to turn off the receiver, since you know, sound, and the TV goes off, the satellite receiver stays on but that was for practical reasons before.

in the computer room upstairs I have a desktop I rarely use that's always on so does the GF, now there's also a secondary HTPC there that's pretty much always on. my laptop goes to sleep between home and work.

I could consider turning some of this off if I was really poor and they had a bigger impact on the power bill.

[compl3x]

Yet they are remarkably similar devices despite their purpose.

:s

I use my PC for browsing, checking email/feeds, photoshop, converting video/ripping dvds/blu-rays, skype, music, gaming etc. I use my consoles for games. I can't justify leaving a console on for 2 days for the 2 minutes of convenience it offers.

currently under my tv I have an xbox on, a Wii U on, a HTPC on, I have set the logitech one to turn off the receiver, since you know, sound, and the TV goes off, the satellite receiver stays on but that was for practical reasons before.

in the computer room upstairs I have a desktop I rarely use that's always on so does the GF, now there's also a secondary HTPC there that's pretty much always on. my laptop goes to sleep between home and work.

I could consider turning some of this off if I was really poor and they had a bigger impact on the power bill.

Leaving on a HTPC or a receiver isn't unreasonable, I leave mine on too. Leaving all of your consoles on for days at a time doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to me.

[HawkMan]

Why should I turn them off, I can switch to them and keep playing any time. The Wii U is more about the fact I often use it to jus play Mario on the pad screen or check the e shop. And the hdmi switch auto switches to devices I turn on.

[BajiRav]

But it's not a console, it's a computer. Sony says it's a computer, EU says it's a computer, the components say it's a computer.

what they're describing is basic ACPI sleep mode. yes it's "new" in the form of game consoles. but it's not a groundbreaking new feature.

Also I didn't say mandatory installs affected gameplay negatively. however I recall some people complaining that they didn't like mandatory installs in certain other rumors, which also included the same play as you go function, which is actually patented or something by MS, I seem to recall they registered a patent for it 2-3 years back and it sparked early rumors about the next gen.

personally I see installs as a positive and even necessary part of next gen with BD.

I wonder if Microsoft owns a patent on streaming installations in Office 2010/2013 because that's what the "background install" sounds like. It's a good feature and I think the suspend is a good feature to have especially if Sony wants to adopt the app culture in ps4.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Another point is considering the hardware/overheating/dust buildup issues consoles have had this gen, I really don't like leaving them on when I don't need to. We can't open them like a PC for cleaning or our warranty voids.

If a feature can produce lower power usage why the hell would you not want it anyway?!

[HawkMan]

I wonder if Microsoft owns a patent on streaming installations in Office 2010/2013 because that's what the "background install" sounds like. It's a good feature and I think the suspend is a good feature to have especially if Sony wants to adopt the app culture in ps4.

As I said before, a few years ago, MS took out a patent on streaming installs from disk allowing you to play from the disk while the game installed. at the time it ws rumored if this was for the next xbox or if it would be applied to the current xbox(which isn't really technically feasible since that isn't "truly" an install as such).

So they do. Sony probably uses a slightly different method than the patent to accomplish the same though.

Another point is considering the hardware/overheating/dust buildup issues consoles have had this gen, I really don't like leaving them on when I don't need to. We can't open them like a PC for cleaning or our warranty voids.

If a feature can produce lower power usage why the hell would you not want it anyway?!

well if your original release xbox was on 24/7 it either wouldn't get the RROD or get it much later than one that was constantly turned on and off, since the issue wasn't the heat itself. it was the heat cycles and the warming-cooling-warming that cause the flex.

[BajiRav]

I also find it strange that they had the idea to "suspend" a game. What is the purpose of such a feature? Why not just save it? I, personally, would feel far more comfortable knowing it will be there when I come back then having to worry about some hiccup causing a power loss to the system's RAM (like any number of household events). It just makes more sense, IMO, for it to just save every time the input goes idle for more than 30s, 1m or on some command from the user (say hitting the home button or something).

Say you are playing Halo 5 and you suddenly have this insane urge for a steaming hot pizza from Pizza Hut ( :x) and you realize "Oh my, that Pizza Hut app thingy will be really handy!!" but you don't want to shut down Halo 5 completely - so what do you do? In comes PS4/nextBox with the suspend feature and you have best of both worlds.

Now, are you sold or not? :shifty: