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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 Rider3273d 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.

3273d ago
DragoonsScaleLegends3272d ago

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

Cobra9513272d ago (Edited 3272d 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 3273d ago

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

DragoonsScaleLegends3272d ago

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

sloth33953272d ago

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

jaycptza3271d ago

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

MunchMiller003271d ago

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

Shadyceaser3272d ago

The 10 rider is right on the money in my opinion

Nu3272d ago

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

1nsomniac3272d 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.

zivtheawesome3272d ago

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

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90°

The 10 Best Superhero Games To Play Right Now

From Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Batman: Arkham City to breakout hit Dispatch and new Marvel Cosmic Invasion, these are 10 of the best superhero games you can play today.

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spawningpoint.com
180°

PlayStation's Horizon series reportedly surpasses 40m sales

It has been reported that PlayStation's Horizon series, which began in 2017 with Zero Dawn, has now passed 40 million in sales.

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eurogamer.net
175d ago Replies(1)
dveio174d ago

Spread across two main entries of the franchise, it just is a very respectable success, isn't it.

Although I personally didn't click with the Horizon games, I can a) clearly see the appeal of it. From art direction and technical brilliance.

And b) - I am so happy for Guerilla Games that they've created an IP that's finally been giving financial success back to them and SIE.

Joining the company's club of tens of millions of copies being sold like Spiderman, God of War or The Last of Us did.

All "Big Five" studios at Playstation are on par. Which is just great and hopefully just contributes to a healthy work environment between all of them.

Notellin174d ago

This is including the Horizon VR game and also Lego game.

Notellin173d ago (Edited 173d ago )

@Z501 The article clearly states otherwise that it includes all titles in the franchise. Even the link included that information.

The first comment on the ResetEra source link which was translated the first comment even says. "The Power of Lego".

dveio172d ago

Wouldn't you agree that the main portion (>90%) of the Horizon sales are tied to Zero Dawn and Forbidden West?

Or asked differently:

Point us towards the sales of the VR and Lego game combined!

Puty174d ago

Interesting. It wasn't a massive hit on PS. Maybe it did much better on PC?

Miraak82 174d ago

Pretty sure a big contributing factor is that they were bundled with the consoles at some point , I personally got the bundle because it was the only version I could get when there were ps5 shortages . They gave the first one away on ps+ the first couple years for initial ps5 adopters . I tried the 1st game for like 20ish hours , didn't really appeal to me and haven't played the 2nd even though I own it . The VR version was bundled with the headset and lego horizon added to the total to series sales number . Looking with those optics in mind it's hard to account for individual sales , the first game I know was a success but I don't think the 2nd was as successful without the contributing factor I listed above

Redemption-64174d ago

Wow, the copium is strong. The second was successful even when with or without the stupidity you listed. They can actually easily tell how much the game sold, you just don't want to accept facts. A game being on PS plus doesn't count as a sale pea brain.

Also, bundles make up a small % of the sales. COD, FIFA, Red Dead 2, GOW, 2K, Mario Kart and many more all have bundles. I have never seen any of you call their sales into question, yet the second Horizon comes up, well it was bundled. There were millions of systems sold without this game. These systems were always the ones that sold out 1st

The game being this successful seems to really triggered some people a lot.

P_Bomb174d ago

@Red
Don’t ya know? If they don’t like the game, there’s no way anybody else did. Their friend list is more accurate than your friend list. Their conspiracy theory doesn’t answer to shareholders. Feelings > facts.

InUrFoxHole173d ago

@Redemption-64
That has to be one of the most childish responses.. Even for N4G standards. Honestly you both could solve this by posting the numbers breakdown. Console bundles account for a small number? How small? If they account for a good number? Then how much?

Miraak82 173d ago

@InUrFoxHole

LoL It's so easy to trigger people on this site . I tried to list a numbers of factors that could've been cumulative reasons to why it sold well but he and the down voters be getting mad and resort to name calling ... not even worth my time. Obviously if the 1st game sold like 25 mill and the 2nd sold like 15 mil then my point still stands that the second game didn't sell as well by a large margin . Add in bundles and the free giveaways ( with the $10 upgrade to add to the sale factor) and other none main entries ( which the article didn't specify it was only ) could've added to the total.

Even people commenting that they love the series with very minute criticisms the fanboys start crashing out like Sony games are holier then thou even though almost every sequel they've put out perform significantly worse then the originals . I wasn't even really trying to knock it as a series as opposed to just being a little sus about the sales figures but a majority can't handle opinions that aren't their own ... so soft so squishy haha

Redemption-64173d ago

@InUrFoxHole

Just to you and your pathetic ilk. Sony's fiscal year 2021 (FY21) Q4 covered the three months ended March 31, 2022. During this time period they sold around 2M PS5s. Horizon forbidden west released during this quarter. The next quarter was Sony's fiscal year 2022 first quarter (FY22 Q1) ended on June 30, 2022. This period covers the three months from April 1, 2022, to June 30, 2022. They sold around 2.4M PS5s. Before the holiday season, PS5 was averaging around 600K to 800K a month. Hell if memory serves me correctly, they sold around 500-600K PS5s the same month that Horizon forbidden west was released. Keep in mind this is all PS5 sales, from all bundles to stand-alone systems. Same year, Sony also had the GOW and COD PS5 bundles. Also, are we forgetting Horizon forbidden west also released on PS4? Figures suggest the PS4 version was a significant portion of early sales. The PS4 didn't have a bundle of the game. So should we ignore the PS4 with the bigger player base and pretend most the this game sales were on PS5 and due to bundles?

In 2023 when it was announced that Horizon forbidden west has sold around 10M, a smooth brain like @Miraak82 said on Twitter and I quote:
"The point is that out of the ten million sold this year, most were bundles and most were horizon bundles. It’s not hard. Transitive property shows you that if ps5s sell and they come with a game, the game sells. It’s not an argument, that’s what happened."

Christopher Dring, editor-in-chief and co-founder of The game business responded saying: "But 80%+ of Horizon's sales across Europe were not part of a bundle" He is known for his expertise in the video games market, particularly for his analysis of sales and data.

It takes a special breed of stupid to see this game and start screaming it only sold because it was bundled or most of it's sales were from bundles, completely ignore PS4 sales, and other PS5 game bundles

Miraak82 173d ago Show
+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 173d ago
lukasmain174d ago

What in the rabid hell are you talking about? Both games were a massive success on PS.

Extermin8or3_174d ago

The first sold in the region of 20 million on ps alone. The sequel did less mainly cos sony used it as an experiment with ps plus.

Miraak82 174d ago

They basically gave the first game for free or at bargain bin prices or bundled with every ps4/5 before they jacked up the price again with the ps5 upgrade , most people on my friends list played ZD and of all those people only 1 played FW . I only tried ZD because I was a KZ fan and initial impressions had me curious but once I tried it I was like meh . Without massive marketing and push from Sony I wonder how successful it would have been and how part 3 and the supposed MMo will fair now that people know what to expect

Redemption-64174d ago

@Miraak82

Games on plus do not count as sales. Seriously is this rocket science to a person like you? I get the copium is strong with you, but it's honestly pathetic the mental gymnastics you people come up with. Sony had said putting Horizon Forbidden West on PlayStation Plus caused significant lost sales for them.

Miraak82 174d ago (Edited 174d ago )

Redemption-64
They gave that game away for free , even if you weren't subbed you could still play it as it counted as a purchase , you can't just believe Sony is so honorable and high and mighty that they wouldn't skew the numbers in some form ... so naive .

Redemption-64174d ago

@Miraak82

Sorry, are you stupid of something? Honest question. Since when did something free count as a sale? As a public trade company, you know lying about sales can lead to legal problems right? It is literally illegal for them to lie about the sales of a product and can result in server consequences. So I will ask again, are you really that stupid?

Also the Sony themselves said the games that came with Play at Home initiative are free. Can you please provide us with a link to backup your lies. Please show is all the games giving away were all counted as sales. I'm sure you have insider information to show Sony lied to their shareholders about the sales of their games.

Miraak82 174d ago

Could count as a sale if those people did the $10 upgrade , if I decide to try it out again I would definitely do it and I’m pretty sure a lot of those people did . There’s plenty of ways to prop up sales numbers even counting the lowest of margins lol

Redemption-64173d ago

@Miraak82

Could count as a sale if those people did the $10 upgrade?

Seriously, where the hell are you getting these lies from? Sony themselves literally call it an upgrade. The most they can do is add it to the revenue of the game, not a sale. Can you please provide proof to backup your ignorance? Thanks in advance

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 173d ago
Amphion173d ago

Yup most of the sales are on PC.

Scissorman173d ago

Horizon has sold maybe 5-6 million copies between both games on PC, leaving the remaining 35 million from PlayStation.

rokos173d ago

Both main games launched just before other juggernauts of the industry, that is why they couldn't create a lot of buzz with their releases.
The first game Zero Dawn was released two days prior Breath of the Wild.
The second game Forbidden West was released less than a week prior Elden Ring.

Gamersunite880173d ago

The first one sold 24 million on the PS4. And, Forbidden West sold 10 million. I'm pretty sure that leaves six to eight million for PC. LOL

Pyrofire95173d ago

No it did pretty well on console, especially when factoring the remake of Zero Dawn that nobody asked for. ZD is also one of Playstations more successful PC launches even tho the performance was bad but it was a first for PS releasing on PC so there was a novelty to it.
I don't believe I heard much about Forbidden West aside from it not doing as well on PC as ZD.
Lastly there was the VR game which being one of the few PSVR2 games (and only first party) it probably did alright for PSVR2, and the Lego Horizon game which launched everywhere; and I'm not sure if anyone has played it.

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 172d ago
neutralgamer1992174d ago

It's a great series but the 2nd game just went over lard with some nonsense story decisions. Hopefully the 3rd game comes full circle and gives the lone tike fans a great end to the story. 1st game is the best and 2nd is very good. It's the same writer who wrote fallout new Vegas so I have high hopes for a strong finish

CantThinkOfAUsername173d ago

Hopefully they'll make another IP before revisiting Horizon again.

Pyrofire95173d ago

Same, I'd like to see something new from Guerilla, Naughty Dog too for that matter.

lellkay174d ago

Honestly I'm a huge fan of the franchise so i'm glad to see the success. I feel like the games and IP get a lot of unwarranted stick.

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50°

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Soundtrack Gets A Vinyl Release

Fans and collectors should love this news as it looks great.