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Next Generation Xbox and Playstation Consoles Will Have Optical Drives

Posted by timothy on from the may-the-circle-be-unbroken-and-shiny dept.

First time accepted submitter dintech writes "The Wall Street Journal reports that while Sony considered online-only content distribution for its next-generation Playstation, the manufacturer has decided that the new console will include an optical drive after all. Microsoft is also planning to include an optical disk drive in the successor to its Xbox 360 console as the software company had concerns about access to Internet bandwidth."

10 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. Internet Speeds Suck by 0racle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And they suck hard in very large parts of the US. Digital Only distributions would make it so those parts of the US wouldn't consider buying the consoles.

    6 days to download TERA, I'm not doing that again.

    --
    "I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
    1. Re:Internet Speeds Suck by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And they suck hard in very large parts of the US. Digital Only distributions would make it so those parts of the US wouldn't consider buying the consoles.

      And for a lot of people, the bandwidth is capped, with extra fees if you go over it.

      Assuming a modern video game puts a big dent in the disks now, I can only imagine that digital-only distribution would make the cost of the game more expensive overall.

      I wouldn't go to a digital download model. It's a video game console. I want to put in a disk an play games ... I don't want it connected to the internet all the time. But, it seems increasingly, video game companies are insisting on an always-on internet connection.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    2. Re:Internet Speeds Suck by cpu6502 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      >>>a flash stick 2x the size of the base game

      If you're going to do that, you may as well just go back to cartridges. Let's see... the N64's biggest cartridge was Resident Evil 2 at 64 megabytes. The new PS4 will have 50,000 megabyte carts. ;-) Of course the reason cartridges were phased-out is because assembling hardware is more-costly to build than a flat disc of reflective foil. So you idea is a nonstarter.

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  2. Reminds me of the old quote... by sidthegeek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway. â"Tanenbaum, Andrew S.

    1. Re:Reminds me of the old quote... by ninjackn · · Score: 5, Funny

      As a gamer I generally care more about latency than bandwidth.

      --
      [FUCK BETA 2.6.2014]
    2. Re:Reminds me of the old quote... by tepples · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If you try to download a 20 GB game over 5 GB/mo satellite Internet access, you'll have 4 month latency.

  3. Re:Good. by DragonWriter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    (1) My 750k internet would take 7 days to download a 50 gigabyte Bluray-sized game. (2) Easier to just buy the disc from amazon and have it shipped to me. (3) Plus when I get bored with the game I can sell the disc and recoup my money.

    That they will support physical media doesn't mean they will play used games.

  4. Bandwidth isn't the only problem by rokstar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Data caps present another problem. There are plenty of multi disc games out these days and the size is likely only increase as time goes on. The prospect of blowing through a significant chunk of your monthly data limit on a video game could easily discourage sales.

  5. Re:Offer a SKU that does not have an optical drive by localman57 · · Score: 4, Funny

    and how am i supposed to watch blu ray's without an optical drive?

    The same way you make toast, despite the fact that your PS3 doesn't have an integrated Toaster slot.

  6. Re:Offer a SKU that does not have an optical drive by marcosdumay · · Score: 5, Funny

    The last time I tried to watch a blu-ray disk the same way I make toast the disk didn't support it very well.

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