Xbox 360 NXE hard drive install chart established

[HawkMan]

I was going to have a reply to this, but everybody else to care of it for me.

The point is, even if the differences are small in some games now, developers can cater and build their games with HD installs in mind now. Not sure how that all works out but if they know its available, I bet they can really cut times down in the future.

Just because it doesn't matter now, doesn't mean it won't in the future.

No they can't

Since the HDD "install" is just making an image file of theDVD and putting it on the disk and loading from that. and games disks still need to be optimized for loading from DVD first and oremost, not optimized for being used as an image file.

The only way to really make it "faster" is to NOT use the features the 360 API/Devkits gives the developers for fast loading from the disk, like streaming and using the cache. So asically you can "optimize" it for the HDD by making the disk loading slower, but it doesn't really affect the disk loading at all.

The games that load faster they either don't use the cache, or they one one time long loadings for a very large region/map where the icnreased speed of the HDD helps as bit. But then you have other games that do use all the eatures the 360 has for speeding up loading times such as Halo, where it's actually slower on the HDD.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Guys, if you think HDD installs are useless, you must enjoy your 360 sounding like a jet that's about to take off. I do not. Less wear and tear on the DVD drive alone will be worth it, especially on games you play a lot.

This :D

My favourite feature of NXE so far haha.

Makes me want a bigger hard drive, but am I hell paying for a hard drive at the price they are at. Think I might do that hard drive mod when I have some spare cash about.

[IceBreakerG]

When I was at Circuit City yesterday, I saw that they had the 120GB drive in-stock for $139.99. Still a little too much for me though. They had the 20GB drives for $79.99. I'd rather have the 120GB drive though. Can't really say if I want to pay that much for a drive.

[+Mystic MVC]

No they can't

Since the HDD "install" is just making an image file of theDVD and putting it on the disk and loading from that. and games disks still need to be optimized for loading from DVD first and oremost, not optimized for being used as an image file.

The only way to really make it "faster" is to NOT use the features the 360 API/Devkits gives the developers for fast loading from the disk, like streaming and using the cache. So asically you can "optimize" it for the HDD by making the disk loading slower, but it doesn't really affect the disk loading at all.

The games that load faster they either don't use the cache, or they one one time long loadings for a very large region/map where the icnreased speed of the HDD helps as bit. But then you have other games that do use all the eatures the 360 has for speeding up loading times such as Halo, where it's actually slower on the HDD.

Not saying your wrong, but devs will find a way to optimize this process in the future. Maybe not a huge leap, but like you said optimize it first for the DVD and move onto at least making sure it isn't slower with it installed to HD. :p

[CPressland]

I think a few people in this thread have major ego problems that they've only got 20GB hard drives.

Look at it from this point of view, if only from this point of view. The XBOX 360 is well known to have a huge amount of issues including heat and laser issues. Less use of the DVD-Rom drive will lower internal system heat, if only by one or two degrees Celsius, and also your laser is going to last a LOT longer.

I'm playing Mirrors Edge at the moment, I've just done the first level twice, Once on DVD and once on HDD. The game occasionally "hiccups" when playing on the DVD Drive, when playing on the hard drive it was a lot more fluid.

Gears of War 2 has the best example though, no more pop-on-textures :p

[Ricardo Gil]

You disc is more likely to get scratched from being inserted and removed every time you play, then if you were to just leave it in.

And why would you take it off? There's no difference.

It works the same exact way, except that loading is done from the HDD and not from the DVD.

[kingroach]

to me its not about the time it takes to load a game. I am playing fable 2 and hdd install is great. Without hdd install, to travel from one area to another, it used to take 5-6 seconds to load but after I installed it to hdd, all the areas loads up instantly. So basically only loading I see is when I boot the game. After that it only take maximum 2 secs when I travel from one area to another.

[Warboy]

I think a few people in this thread have major ego problems that they've only got 20GB hard drives.

Look at it from this point of view, if only from this point of view. The XBOX 360 is well known to have a huge amount of issues including heat and laser issues. Less use of the DVD-Rom drive will lower internal system heat, if only by one or two degrees Celsius, and also your laser is going to last a LOT longer.

I'm playing Mirrors Edge at the moment, I've just done the first level twice, Once on DVD and once on HDD. The game occasionally "hiccups" when playing on the DVD Drive, when playing on the hard drive it was a lot more fluid.

Gears of War 2 has the best example though, no more pop-on-textures :p

I still get Pop-on-Textures or atleast fading quality textures in Gears 2.

[magik]

Wow guys. I've never seen people get so worked up over an optional feature. :blink:

[Sethos]

Don't use it and dry your eyes :)

[Michael1406]

lol @ the war.

TJ, I understand what you are saying, but you must understand that while the advantages don't seem all that great to you, they do to a lot of other people. Try it, you might like it.

And be honest, you are more likely to do something else during an install than a loading screen, there's no real logic there.

[Hupp]

What loading screen in LO takes 40 seconds? I played it quite a bit and don't remember an instance of loading going more than 10 or 15.

The only reason that 40 minutes isn't "gaming time" is because you're installing a game to the HDD, were you not installing it you would be playing. That 40 minute install time is longer than the total loading time while playing therefore it's useless.

You still lose total minutes of play time either way, but I'm pretty sure you lose MORE total minutes of play time if you use the install feature. It's pretty simple mathematics.

half life 2, loading screens 40 seconds right on the site. The annoying hiccups on the inventory screen in fable 2 add up quickly. Mass Effect and Oblivion loading times are even more examples. Especially when they recache data from one local to another.

you still dont understand nongaming time.

were you not installing it you would be playing. That 40 minute install time is longer than the total loading time while playing therefore it's useless.

I would not be using that time to play the xbox. I just stated, I would be doing other things around the house. Not every second of free time is game time. I would be multi-tasking, its a new revolutionary time managing system. Where as I would be installing it games off the disc while reading/watching television/cooking dinner/laundry/vacuuming/cleaning/surfing the web/replying to posts about "game time" etc.

[+Ryster Subscriber²]

TJenkins, are you still here? You sure are whining alot about a feature you're not interested in.

[LightIdea]

I don't know if it's much of clue on how to start games, BUT.

Most likely the trick is to have a disc that has multiple security ID's attached to them, so you would only need one disc in.

Mostly for modded console people, and it's just a theory.

I have created a disc that has all most if not all content removed that has just the security ID so that the game can launch, but it doesn't work.

So I'm guessing either I removed something important, or that the disc needs to be the same size.

[sciguy007]

like someone previously mentioned, i don't understand why everyone is making such extreme arguments over an optional feature. you don't have to install all your games and don't need to avoid the feature completely to save the install time (hit install before you go to sleep ffs). personally, i play COD4 more than anything else, so i'll probably just install that one game since i only have a 20GB drive.

[PL_ Veteran]

Thread cleaned

HDD installs are srs bsns apparently.

[Coldgunner]

I'm just counting the days till a game comes out in which its more or less required* to install.

*by required, I mean it runs like ass without.

[BajiRav]

bungie is advising against hdd install. There is a detailed article on bungie.net ( damn iPhone, no copy/paste)

[Elessar]

I highly suggest using my thread. It is up to 211 games and i update it daily...

NXE Game Install Sizes - 211 Games and Counting!

[ozgeek]

Guys, if you think HDD installs are useless, you must enjoy your 360 sounding like a jet that's about to take off.

Rubbish. If that's the case you must have the console in a very dirty and dusty place. My 360 is as quiet as the TV itself. I can barely hear anything running inside it. The only thing I hear is the game and sound effects that my 360 outputs.

[shajiby]

this is an awesome feature! my disc usually spins loud

[Elessar]

I just got done updating the list (over on the CAG forums) and we're up to 245 games :D

[+Mystic MVC]

I just got done updating the list (over on the CAG forums) and we're up to 245 games :D

Thanks for the advertising, we got the picture the first time.

[Elessar]

Thanks for the advertising, we got the picture the first time.

Heaven forbid i'd like credit for my work :rolleyes:

[+Mystic MVC]

Heaven forbid i'd like credit for my work :rolleyes:

You could have done that in one post but instead you continued to drag it on. We get it.