160°

Why Games Still Have Bad Loading Times

Video games look better and better with every passing year. Just in the last few months alone we’ve seen gorgeous technical marvels like Horizon: Zero Dawn, Breath of the Wild, and Injustice 2 (yes, seriously). But while game graphics just keep getting better, loading times—the bane of all impatient players—don’t seem to be improving at all. In some cases, they’re so heinous that they’ve got to be beaten into submission with barrages of post-release patches. Will our more powerful, more expensive gaming rigs ever get strong enough to eliminate the wait?

The 10th Rider2561d ago

As we start seeing native 4K next gen, load times will likely increase. SSD prices have currently stagnated and neither disks nor hard drives are going to provide a needed boost in load times anytime soon. Either SSDs need to become affordable enough or cartridges will have to become fast enough and large enough while still being cheap enough. Either way I don't think that will happen this upcoming gen, we'll likely have to wait a bit longer.

2561d ago
DragoonsScaleLegends2559d ago

CPU's also play a huge part in loading times and the latest consoles are very weak in that department.

Cobra9512559d ago (Edited 2559d ago )

Yes, this is the hidden disadvantage of 4K, and the push toward even-higher resolutions. Everyone knows that graphics performance takes a hit, but few take a moment to think about how much more data need to be distributed (on disc or digital) and then loaded on the fly at game time. That has a huge impact on game sizes and load times.

SSD is where it's at. No spinning drive can come close. New technologies like Intel's 3D XPoint (Crosspoint) promise to make SSDs way faster in the future as well. Problem is that the entire system needs to be designed to incorporate such tech for it to shine. As long as SSDs have to work through SATA, they are woefully bottlenecked.

EddieNX 2560d ago

Zelda loads lightning fast on Switch. Just sayin...

DragoonsScaleLegends2559d ago

It would load faster on XB1 and PS4. Just sayin...

sloth33952559d ago

it would load slower because of the bluray that's why games have to install on the hard drive

jaycptza2559d ago

@Sloth3395 it wouldn't because games are fully installed on HDD these days. Just saying

MunchMiller002558d ago

Of course it does. You're playing the equivalent of a game from 2008 on the hardware equivalent of 2012.

Shadyceaser2559d ago

The 10 rider is right on the money in my opinion

Nu2559d ago

The loading for GTA V is always annoying. One day hopefully they can eliminate it.

1nsomniac2559d ago

That's the only reason I refuse to play that game anymore.

Great game but the loading times are the worst of the last several generations worth of consoles.

zivtheawesome2559d ago

for me loading screen is a manageable tradeoff for quality and performance.

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340°

Sony Has Added More Titles To The List of Games Leaving PS Plus In May 2024

Sony Interactive Entertainment has added a few more titles to the list of games that will be leaving PS Plus in May, 2024.

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twistedvoxel.com
darthv7223d ago

curious... if a game leaves PS+, does it make it unplayable if you have already claimed it before it leaves? I know on the XB side, games leaving Gamepass are no longer playable. You need to pay for them to be able to continue playing after you installed them from GP.

CrimsonWing6923d ago

The 3 monthly “free” games you keep as long as you have PS+ subscription. The PS+ library is like Netflix. They rotate stuff out and replace them with other titles.

MrNinosan23d ago

Yes, PS+ Extra/Premium games are unplayable after the leave the service, just like GamePass and Netflix.
PS+ Essentials games are available as long as you have an active PS+ account.

Profchaos22d ago

Monthly games, special promos like the free games during COVID or PS plus bundle on ps5 are forever yours. Premium and above are time limited

If you claim a game on the premium tier (not yours to keep) and it comes out as a monthly games later e.g. fallout 76 it appears you do not retain ownership on that one.

Notsofast22d ago

The 3-4 monthly games that are free that are part of every service are yours forever I canceled my service over a year and you never lose access. I dont know what these other comments are talking about maybe they are in a different country but in the USA I could play any game I claimed of the free monthly games

MrNinosan22d ago

Then one of the accounts on your PS5 probably has a PS+ Essential subscription.
Because the 3-4 PS+ games you get every month, is not available to be played if you don't have an active sunscription.
It's the same in US, Europe, Japan and everywhere else.

Petebloodyonion22d ago

Essential stays in your library
Extra and premium become locked when titles leave the service.

It's actually one of my gripes with Extra, you can't remove the title from your own library, so basically it countss as one your title but it's locked so you own library become a cluster F... unless you filter your titles.

MrNinosan22d ago

Well you can just chose to hide them.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 22d ago
-Foxtrot23d ago

Wonder if Horizon ZD leaving gives credit to those remake rumours

Sigh. If true…another remake that’s not Bloodborne.

SimpleDad23d ago

Probably yes cause of a remake.

Skuletor23d ago

I still remember them giving that one away for free, regardless of if you were subscribed to Plus or not

ApocalypseShadow23d ago (Edited 23d ago )

They did. It was during the pandemic and the "play at home" initiative.

Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition. Sony gave away a lot of games just to push gamers to stay home and not get infected by COVID.

Eonjay23d ago

I think you're right.
There is a separate Bloodborne rumor by the remake is allegedly scheduled for next gen.

Kingrizzy9023d ago

Yes cause of the remake good thing I got the plat
And is bloodborn really that good? I never played it due to being Incarcerated 8½ years but I read the comics. It's pretty dark

Profchaos22d ago (Edited 22d ago )

Highly likely I also bet the remaster will be over priced and under whelming.

I'd also bet most people will simply stick with the PS4 pro and ps5 60fps patch over paying to upgrade when it offers the bare minimum.

I hope Sony has learnt from the last of us 2 and stop remastering games that just came out they have nearly 30 years of content to work with but always remaster games that are like 5 years old and don't need it. I assume this was In development alongside tlou2 so fingers crossed this is the last time we get this because what's next god of war on PS4 to ps5 for 70 dollars probably anything outside of bloodborne

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 22d ago
Friendlygamer23d ago

Glad I played sundered and the messenger, both great 2d games

gold_drake22d ago

ahh the messenger is such a good game.

u should play sea of starts. same people, its a sort of prequel to the messenger tok

Friendlygamer22d ago

Oh I will definitely play it eventually, chained echoes too

Jingsing22d ago

Can N4G adopt a policy of games leaving subscription services as not being a new story, it is just spam at this point.

Petebloodyonion22d ago

Is it me or have there been a lot of great games leaving the extra tier but barely anything in terms of wow factor joining the service in return?
When was the last time that Sony added a PlayStation studio game?
Now I don't expect Sony to have day 1 like Gamepass but I would expect to at least care to make the offering interesting especially when they raised the price by 30% last year.

MrNinosan22d ago

PS Studio Games:
May - Destiny 2: Lightfall
April - MediEvil, Jak&Daxter: The Lost Frontier,
March - CoolBoarders

What Playstation Studio games is it you're missing?

Petebloodyonion22d ago

Sight...
let me check my comment again
" Is it me or have there been a lot of great games leaving the extra tier but barely anything in terms of wow factor joining the service in return? "
Yeah pretty sure I mentioned the EXTRA tier and not the PREMIUM tier
but glad that you consider a DLC to a free-to-play game a great offering

MrNinosan22d ago

I repeat my question, what PS Studio games is it you're missing?

And regarding the first part of your comment, lots of great games leaving and nothing added?

What great games iyo has left the service?
For me, "wow-factor games added would be".
Dave the Diver, Tales of Kenzera, Raji, Miasma, The Outer Worlds, Resident Evil 3, Ace Attorney, Rainbow Six Siege, AC: Valhalla, Far Cry 6, Watch Dogs Legion, Both Southpark jrpgs, Fenyx Rising, Tales of Arise, Session, Lego Worlds, Vampire the Masquerade Swansong, Legends of Mana....

And many more.

Compared to what has been removed, the adds are better than the 'offs'.

90°

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the anti-Breath of the Wild

Polygon: "To get back to the way Ocarina made us feel, it was necessary to reject almost everything about it."

LG_Fox_Brazil159d ago

Ocarina of Time changed my life forever, such a masterpiece

Zeldafan64158d ago

Hard to believe it's 25 years old already.

Cacabunga158d ago

The feeling this game gave me the first time i had my hands on it is indescribable.. i still get the chill from that day..
botw is like a spin off of the series.. it’s fun but with many flaws and the most important which is Zelda formula isn’t there..

FinalFantasyFanatic157d ago

I can't even remember how many times I played through OoT, I finished that game, and collected everything so many times.

Vits158d ago

I generally agree with the author here. However, if I had to point out a single game as the 'anti-Breath of the Wild,' that would be Majora's Mask. Pretty much everything in that game is interconnected, relies on something that the player must have done previously, is timed, and can be considered a puzzle in itself.

gold_drake158d ago

but still considered the best of the seties.

i would have liked botw to be more like ocarina.

franwex158d ago (Edited 158d ago )

25 years from today whatever Zelda is out people would too be looking fondly at Breath of the Wild.

Ah the more simple times of the 2020s.

babadivad158d ago (Edited 158d ago )

It isn't...

280°

DF Weekly: Do we actually need The Last of Us Part 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn remasters?

With the details we now have in terms of features and pricing, I don't think there are any significant concerns remaining - just that perhaps that the term 'remastered' in the title is a little misplaced. Essentially, what we're dealing with here is broadly equivalent to a release along the lines of Death Stranding: Director's Cut. It's the original game with a dash of extra content and additional visual modes that tap into the power of PlayStation 5.

Read Full Story >>
eurogamer.net
-Foxtrot181d ago

Bloodborne, Infamous, Killzone, Resistance, Puppeteer, Jak and Daxter etc are all better choices

Even a full on remake of Drakes Fortune I’d take

PrinceOfAnger181d ago

killzone 2/3 definitely a better choice, i have recently finished the games on pc and thought about that, a full remake like demon souls is even better

darthv72181d ago

2&3 are still fine... I'd take the first one as a full remake before the others. They could flesh out more of the backstory that the sequels touch on. Even go deeper into the lore of Helgan.

specialguest181d ago

KZ 2/3 would be amazing. KZ 2 was a graphical masterpiece back then. With today's modern tech, all of those tricks Guerilla Games did to create the effects like the lighting, storm effects, etc, they could now be done in real-time and more realistic

Cacabunga180d ago

Killzone 2-3
Golden Abyss remake
Infamous 2

RaidenBlack181d ago

Uncharted 1 still got a decent remaster for 8th gen ... a remake is not that much of a requirement ...
instead remake candidates should be from 5th or 6th gen
and as for proper remasters (not just lazy res upscale): Killzone 2 & 3 obviously and also Resistance/inFamous (as well as MGS4 :P)

-Foxtrot181d ago

My point with the list is that I’d rather see those titles than what we are getting…titles which are only 3-5 years old and still hold up today

CrashMania181d ago

Sony own the Demons Souls and Bloodborne IP, I wish they'd do something with Bloodborne at the very least.

vfl523181d ago

The way you worded that makes me think you don't realize they already remade demon souls

181d ago
GamingSinceForever181d ago

Not one of those will sell more copies than TLOU2 Remaster. The sooner we realize that these gaming sites and their followers are less than 1% of the buying public the better off we’ll be.

Sure we prefer newer titles but this is business and a business is what Sony is running.

JackBNimble180d ago

Don't you think they could be doing something better with their time and money, like maybe making something new? Or have they become lazy and just reliving the past with the same old games over and over.

Gez ... do something fresh and new already .

notachance181d ago

I'd rather for them to go Square Enix route and remake/remaster their PS1 libraries instead of these unnecessary remaster

come on, legend of dragoon..

Gamingsince1981181d ago

What's with the "need" anyway ? This is video games, no one needs them at all, we need water , we need air, we don't need games.

Barlos180d ago

I would love a remake/remaster of KZ1. For its time it really pushed the PS2 hard and because of that it had a few issues. This is begging to be given the Bluepoint touch and brought up to date. I'd love to see an updated Killzone trilogy collection for sure.

Yi-Long180d ago

Sony killed the game and the studio behind it, but a Remaster of the excellent Driveclub would absolutely be my favorite release if it happened. Just a delicious racing game.

FinalFantasyFanatic180d ago (Edited 180d ago )

So many better choices, I can't fathom why reasonably recent games are getting picked over Classics that are more deserving.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 180d ago
Battlestar23181d ago

Well I want a Horizon Zero Dawn remaster especially if it's an upgrade to Forbidden West Graphics and Animation.

181d ago Replies(2)
Duke19181d ago

Nope. But HD remasters are an easy cash grab that the masses shovel cash for because while they complain about remakes, they still buy them

PRIMORDUS181d ago

Not if they release on a platform that never received the original in the first place like PC.

46player180d ago

No complaint here, I want the updated graphics.

Ra3030181d ago

My thoughts on this is do we need Richard Leadbetter's or Digital Foundry's opinion on anything........ever? I know I don't they do nothing for me and never have.

specialguest181d ago

You may not, but tons of people do since the video has 4,700 Likes to 112 Dislikes

Chocoburger181d ago

That guy is a buffoon, DF Direct is the best gaming podcast around. I look forward to it every week.

BehindTheRows180d ago

By that same token, some may not NEED remasters, while others may/do.

Amplitude181d ago (Edited 181d ago )

DF videos are typically absolutely amazing game reviews first and foremost. They have great intros, explain the mechanics well, tell you if they enjoyed it or not (I usually vibe well with John's games personally), and then they have the best tech breakdowns of a game's performance which is very very important to me. I want to know what settings to run at on PC, and on PS5 I wanna know if the 60fps mode runs well or not because if it doesn't... well I'll just get it on PC (If it isn't completely broken there too). DF Retro is also always unbelievably interesting and super well edited and inspired my YouTube channel which just crossed 1200 subs (wooo!). They helped me a lot with understanding game development and got me interested in goofing around with game engines and PC building in general back in the day.

I don't mean any offence by this but you sound like somebody who skims their analysis videos, selectively scrolls to the stats, says "who cares?", and then closes it. Or possibly somebody who watches (stolen) cut clips on TikTok? Even if you are somehow unaffected by blurry images and fluctuating frame rates (some people are and I envy you) I recommend watching a full DF episode one day. They're extremely interesting and I watch literally all of them even if I have no interest in the game.

VonAlbrecht180d ago

"I personally don't enjoy this extremely well-presented and highly informative content so it shouldn't exist."

-Ra3030, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee

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