Sony’s new PlayGo system will allow PS4 games to be played well before the hefty download has finished, with Killzone Shadow Fall ready to play after just 7.5GB of the 39.7GB download is complete – that’s less than 20% of the total file size.
The reason it’s around 40GB is because, well, it’s a next generation title, and that means next-gen textures: “The bulk of it is textures,” Michiel van der Leeuw told Eurogamer, continuing “”I think we’re probably a lot larger than the other cross-generation games, because we have no assets that have been made to a lower spec.”
He also says that due to the more open nature of the game, the surface area is five to ten times bigger than that of Killzone 3. This file size is after optimisation too – there’s been a lot of compression, as even Killzone 3 was bigger at 41.5GB on Blu-ray, due to duplicate textures and large video files in a multitude of languages.
If they had taken that approach with Shadow Fall, then the file size would have been colossal. “I think at some point the disc image that we were generating was around 180 gigs,” said van der Leeuw, revealing that “if we would have put all the levels in, which we didn’t, because then the disc image generator broke, it would have been around 290 gigs of data.”
So, it’s actually pretty compressed then. As for the 7.5GB you have to download to play, with the second level downloading in the background while you play the first and so on, but van der Leeuw still admits the initial chunk is “quite big” so future games could perhaps be even more streamlined.
They’ve removed quite a lot of the initial splash screens, negotiating with Dolby and Havok to make the experience as fast as possible once you have downloaded it. I can imagine this all being quite a task to develop, and we’ll see just how well it works in action when the game launches alongside the PS4 on November 29th.
Source: Eurogamer
Kennykazey
Super Mario 3D World is about 2GB. Just saying.
Tuffcub
Doesnt have many textures does it? Everything looks shiny and flat.
philzy85
Croc legend of the gobbos was on a 700mb cd…
Jakster123x
I’d quite like splash screens to disappear completely, they’re really quite annoying.
As for the file size for Shadow Fall, it looks like it could’ve been much worse, it’s still massive though.
dizwod
For all the lovers of downloading titles… new HDD on order? ;)
DividSmythe
Has there been anything out about the specs of HDD yet?
OnlineAssassinOA
Believe there just the same as PS3 2.5 Data 5400rpm,I’ve already got a spare 1tb ready to slip in undecided weather to do it day one and save potential re-downloading later.
ruinereraser
Well of course weather is still undecided for PS4 launch.
TheDeathAvenger
I’d heard recently it was a 12.5 height 2.5 drive, instead of the 9.5 height one used in PS3. Not confirmed by the way, but if true would mean higher capacity possible.
Vallon
That’s good, something blizzard have been using now for years, only issue is a lot of people in the UK have data caps on their connection… And regardless of whether its playable after 7.5gb… 40gb is still huge.
MrLeeches
This is a massive step forward and I reckon its a requirement if we are to ever reach a digital only future.
Also that some impressive compression! and a lot of decent res textures!
bunimomike
“Ready to play after just 7.5GB”
At least they recognise that this is still a massive chunk of data to download. Still, it’s kinda awesome knowing that they’ve not compromised much on the compression.
chall5
splash screen removal is a massive bonus, sometimes you have to sit through five or six everytime – so annoying !
And yes, 7.5GB is still too big IMO but of course is way better than 40GB
Paranoimia
You should only ever have to sit through splash screens once, on the first play. After that, they either shouldn’t appear, or you should be able to press a button – once – to skip them all.
djdustb
One of the big selling points of the next generation was the ability to see a friend online and buy a game to join them in multiplayer. I just wonder how big the multiplayer elements are going to be to download. Most people will have finished their session before a lot of people can download and install 7.5GB.
wonkey-willy
not bad considering metal gear rising weighs in at 19gb
TSBonyman
7.5Gb means it won’t be ready to play as quickly as hoped.
It’s the disc version which comes with the mega bundle isn’t it? Anyone know if you can begin playing the disc version after a partial install?
bunimomike
To be honest, fella, I think this will be close to a worst-case-scenario. There’ll be countless games where 10 to 20% of the game will be a gig or so and that’s pretty easy to snag in a few minutes on many broadband connections these days. Well… assuming Sony are uploading it at a decent speed from the PSN servers. :-\
TSBonyman
Yes there will be many psn downloadable games which we’ll be able to get up and running sooner, but i think many of the bigger AAA titles will have similar initial downloads, although possibly a bit smaller than 7.5GB. Still though, i expect we’ll still be looking at in the region of 3GB To 4GB minimum, which again could be a bit of a wait depending on your broadband speeds. I might be wrong though, we’ll have to wait and see.
At least if you buy something on the web store while at work, the PS4’s automatic download feature will certainly help and you should be able to start playing once you get home.
I’m still wondering about the disc-install though, all PS4 disc games have to be fully installed afaik but whether you can begin playing after an initial (partial) install i don’t know.
Oh well, at least i booked a week off so i’ll have plenty of time for installing.. :-/
bunimomike
I didn’t think that was the case but thought that was the realm of the Xbox One. That had full installs as mandatory. Oh, if that’s the case with the PS4, ouch! Oh well… I was always going to upgrade the HDD. *wipes brow*
TSBonyman
I was wrong about the disc installs .. phew.. :)
http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2013/10/24/call-of-duty-ghosts-has-a-50gb-install-on-ps4/comment-page-1/#comment-536476