Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes up a whopping 125GB of PS5 SSD storage space, so squeezing it onto a single Blu-ray was never going to happen.
Discs for Sony’s system can hold up to 100GB, and some developers have worked around these limitations by shipping their software on two discs.
Microsoft and Bethesda have taken the worst route possible for Indy’s PS5 port, however, shipping a single disc with just 20GB of data on it.
A YouTube video, which shows the unboxing process, confirms an Internet connection is required to run the release – and if you insert the disc while offline, you won’t be able to play a single second of gameplay. You’ll simply be told to connect to the web to download the rest of the game.
This obviously raises very legitimate preservation concerns, as should any of Sony’s servers ever be disabled in the future, your game will become useless. Obviously, that’s extremely unlikely to occur in the near-future, but behaviour like this does render the entire purpose of physical media pointless.
What we don’t understand is why more of the game couldn’t have been included on the disc. There’s no reason for this release to require a 100GB download when almost all of the game could be crammed onto a single Blu-ray.
It’s not good enough.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 124
If its good enough for other company's to do this then whys it not good enough for Bethesda? Let's not pretend it dosnt happen so let's not make this out to be a microsoft/Bethesda bashing thread..
This always gets mentioned but happens all the time.
Then let’s not forget most new games get many updates, just look at Assassins Shadows with the great PSSR update and a few quality of live things.
It’s 2025 without the internet I would never bother with gaming really as you would miss out on some very critical updates over the years.
We just had school kids at work for a few days work experience, they all had phones and all connected to the internet.
Let’s get with the 2025 programme and drop this rubbish in the future.
We must accept that mostly all games nowadays are digital, and all will be in the near future.
The only choice is to use a cd as a key to play and display or not
@Northern_munkey
Totally agree it’s 2025, time to move on.
Actually this website and its sister sites
Pure Xbox and Nintendo life could spend more time working on their cloud based software and provider.
Since they switched to cloud based the site is slow and is slow to post sometimes.
Every shop website I go on is faster.
Gotta sit there & wait regardless of it being physical or not so it doesn't really make a difference to me whatsoever. Sucks if you don't have internet tho, I guess the media overlords really have decided on a digital only gaming landscape for the future. Sometimes I wonder if pc players didn't stop buying physically if we'd be in this situation, or if it was always gonna go this way.
There was a time where you had some people say that intenet access wasn’t a necessity, but nowadays it absolutely is 👀
I miss the days when (if you wanted to play a game) all you had to put the disc in and you could instantly play the it
These days if it isn't already installed, by the time it is and updated to the latest patch...... the moments gone
@Member_the_game " the moment has gone." I can't say I've personally experienced this. I usually throw the disc in and then go do something until its installed and updated.
@Northern_munkey
I'm probably more referring to an unexpected update that catches you out.
Unfortunately it's the norm now to have to install a game now before you can play it.
You know what's stupid? The Ultra HD Blu-ray standard supports up to 100 GB, and the minimum disc capacity is 66 GB. Yet they only have 20 GB of data.
They could've stuck more in the disc, even with the minimum 66 GB of data, which is at least three times more than what they put here.
@yohn777 I think it was always going to go this way once people's Internet connection speed was good enough to support the practice. The idea of gamers having a choice is being eroded away fast as Sony etc push the all digital future onto gamers. Consoles with no optical drives,blu rays with no game on just an activation code all designed to herd the gamer down a one way street where you have nothing to show for your money. I can see the advantage to having a digital only library as I'd free up so much space but I do like having the fruits of my labour manifesting itself for all to see even if its only a box with artwork and a nice looking coaster inside. I'll always take the coaster option if available because 100% of the time I'll get them cheaper than the over inflated psn prices.
@Member_the_game I see your point and I can appreciate that view.
@Northern_munkey
But was it not Microsoft and Phil Spencer that banged on about game preservation years ago?
I'm digital only now, so it doesn't affect me... but this is a shady move, a physical media copy should have the full game in the box, on 1 or 2 discs, then use the interwebz to update and patch. Regardless of which company puts minimal amount of data on disc then requires you to download the rest to play, it's a practice that Sony needs to stop happening. They could make a policy saying any company producing physical media games for their hardware are required to ensure the full game is contained on the discs with no requirement for the Internet to play.
Vote with those wallets people!
if its good enough for Nintendo why not everyone else
lets not make out physical is preservation its not anymore. physical provides you with a way to sell your game after youve played it.
which is still a worth while thing to do
@Shwing it's irrelevant. Did anybody expect anything different to happen? There was an article hinting at this the other week so it's not a surprise. This article is quite clever in the way that the words being used can fan the console war flames up. Regardless of what or whoever has said before about preservation this article is making out that Microsoft and Bethesda are out of order for this decision when in reality I think every games company use this practice.
Nintendo just got a lot of flak for their "game key" cartridges so I don't see why this should be excused, both are terrible decisions and are just lazy and trying to push people more towards digital so they can maximise their profits. This one is more strange though as I thought Microsoft was all about game preservation.
@Northern_munkey If another company does it ill avoid that game like the plague.
@Northern_munkey Then it should be GOG style complete file without any form onlf nonsense.
@Flaming_Kaiser I'll agree..with both replies.
There is a green element here… a disc that is just a key and all the plastic box etc is a complete waste of resources and the shipping element.
All digital makes sense for many reasons. I don’t dispute others like to collect and ‘own’ games but that day has gone if we are being honest.
I moved all digital this gen due to Series S and have never looked back.
Does it matter how much of the content is actually on the disc - the game NEVER runs from the disc anyway so you still have to 'download' and install from the disc regardless. To me, it doesn't make any real difference whether you are downloading from disc or the internet, you can't play until its installed on your SSD.
Games never release 'complete' and/or bug free so there is always a need to be connected.
Terrible customer service. You should be able to play this off the disc.
MS doing MS things I suppose.
Pathetic. Utterly pathetic. Why bother putting ANYTHING on the disc then? Just go the COD route and put a little installer on it.
MS: “Yeah, we can’t afford a second disc. That would cost an extra ten cents per physical copy, we can’t afford to lose that!”
Yep there's no reason whatsoever that the complete game can't be put on 1 or 2 discs,I'm gonna wait for a sale on this one ,stupid decision ,doesn't make any sense
This game belongs in a museum
@OldGamer999 It Shouldn't matter what Year it is what's the point in having a 100GB Disk and only use 20Gbs of it and then having people download the rest off the Internet if that was going to be The case then the game should have been Digital only.
I assumed this would be the case? Most of Microsoft’s games do this, they’re notorious for it. It’s still absurd but I mean, expected.
This game & Assassin's Creed Shadows amongst others is one of the reasons i avoid buying games that have internet connection requirement on the box. In my 225 physical game collection on PS4/PS5, all of them are perfectly playable completely offline without any issues. If i can't get a get physical copy to preserve why should i buy it. I don't buy digitally whatsoever never have never will. Yes i have fiber wi-fi at home, but i shouldn't have to download the rest of the game because Microsoft & Xbox are too lazy to fit the game onto two discs!! It's another DRM control just like Assassin's Creed Shadows. You'll fully "own" nothing & be happy with it, when the servers go then it's bye disc, in you go into the rubbish bin.
Im more or less all digital these days, so this doesnt affect me, but this does seem pretty sh***y:
1) if you have slow Internet (still a thing), this could take forever to download - much better to have filled the disc, and just have a bit left to download.
2) im still not convinced in the slightest, that if they were being serious about it, they couldnt have compressed this game much further for PS5 (Im pretty sure PS5 is much more capable than series consoles in this area). It doesn't seem a stretch to think that they could have fit this into 100Gb.
I think these things should get adressed its false advertisement its no physical copy.
Do they pay less for a smaller BD or something?
@get2sammyb
"This obviously raises very legitimate preservation concerns, as should any of Sony’s servers ever be disabled in the future, your game will become useless. Obviously, that’s extremely unlikely to occur in the near-future"
Hasn't the chance of this just significantly increased.
If what I read is true, a US tarriff exemption has been introduced covering nearly everything in gaming except consoles, meaning that in the states, PC / mobile have an exemption, but Sony (and Nintendo) will be trying to sell at approx double price, and so will just not be able to compete?
Sorry, I think its a question that needs asking?
@Rich33 I wouldn't say these preservation concerns have much to do with the ostensible ineptitude of US tariffs. What you're suggesting calls for the tariffs to be so destructive for gaming consoles, that PlayStation and/or Nintendo COMPLETELY pull out of the US market.
A few things there: this site isn't centralized in the US, so that hypothetical is mostly irrelevant to them. While the tariffs are sure to make business more challenging for console manufacturers, they are unlikely to pull out of one of the biggest markets in the industry; they're already doing what they can to circumvent them (such as stockpiling imports while the tariffs are off, and moving manufacturing out of China [too bad the US indiscriminately tariffed everyone...]), and can always assume the tariffs won't outlast the current administration — if they even last that long. And even if they pulled their hardware out of the market, there's little to no reason they would pull their digital ecosystems — or even their physical games.
Expect higher prices, lower sales, and possible demographic re-evaluation (maybe it's time to get God of War with Chinese mythology...). But I wouldn't expect any major shake ups in the industry besides that. Certainly nothing to the extent we should worry about game preservation. After all, a console generation lasts longer than a US presidential term; this is a small hurdle for manufacturers.
And Phil over at Xbox is always waffling on about how game preservation is so important.
He talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk.
Great game but this sort of ‘logic’ is par for the course from Microsoft- on Series X the original install was 131.7GB but the game required 263.1GB of free space in order to install!
@Areus
Being on a disc in fairness is better than digital only as you can sell it later on.
This game should be on two discs like TLOU part 2 and both of the FF7 Remakes. One data disc and the other holds the rest of the game. Game needs to be reevaluated and possibly, recalled.
What a F**king rip off, so we are being charged full wack for a physical copy. When the full game isn't bloody on there. Fairplay the industry is getting worse by the year. My days of buying so called physical games are coming to an end.
That's a lot.125 gb games are getting bigger.word up son
If the box says "Game Key Only, the game must be downloaded from the internet" then fine, whatever. But if they are selling this as a physical game then it's a lie and then should be sued.
I know 99% of games these days have patches and updates and what not but I still think for most of those you can still play your broken game. Even if you have to wait fir a game to install on PS5 you can usually play fairly quickly. I think 100GB is going to take awhile, even if you have 1TB at home.
tldr They can do whatever they want, but should be legally held accountable for being truthful about it.
@RoomWithaMoose
You are quite right that there are many "what ifs" and caveats - particularly as things seem to change hourly/daily, on a whim. (I will not get into the politics because I might just get my post removed, or go on a 1000 word rant!)
I may well also be looking at this from far too much of a 'doom and gloom' angle, but I still see a significant threat here to the industry, at least long term.
If consoles are subject to such massive 'external' price increases, which PC and Mobile aren't, that could seismically affect the market in the US.
Im also not sure Sony or Nintendo could lobby in the way Apple and others have, for exemptions to change (though its always possible that public opinion does this with Switch 2 out soon).
I would say that Nintendo with their Switch 2 ready for release are going to be hit with this 1st (aren't US pre orders on hold?) , and its perfectly plausible that Sony could delay PS6 by a few years and mitigate some harm - after all, sales of PS5 are beginning to drop off naturally now, and Sony's main profit is their ecosystem not their consoles.
The problem rears its head most at the start of a 'new generation', and its precisely because the US is such a big market that it may become such a problem.
How much are Sony / Nintendo reliant on US sales now - if tarriffs are still in place, god forbid, or the market has been significantly altered by them.
As I say, I may be all 'doom and gloom' here - it is a hobby I am passionate about - but I think there is a threat here to the digital preservation argument of "Sony(/Nintendo) will be around for a very long time yet".
Oh no! An internet connection in 2025! Guys come on. At this point, it’s like complaining you need a phone number to do business.
Yeah I will be skipping out on this.
@Northern_munkey
I agree with you regarding the whole concept and current state of the industry, what I was doing was answering in relation to your comment "microsoft/Bethesda bashing", because even though others do the same, others weren't the ones who made a big thing about them safeguarding software preservation... hence Microsoft and by extension Bethesda should be called out.
@x3King84 isn't an always on server for a storefront still quite anti-green? Tbh, I don't like digital (though it is convenient), but servers all over the world for storefronts, MP etc are about as anti eco friendly as you can get.
I'm not arguing with you by the way. We've got no option with today's always online shtick.. but you can have relatively "green" physical options as well including shipping. It's just the infrastructure never moved that way rapidly enough, whereas online gaming did.
The companies are trolling us now. Giving us a disc that doesn’t have the game on it. Although it’s inherently a worse way to play the game because now you have to download nearly the whole game from PSN anyway and have your disc in the tray for the game to work, it’s also possible to sell the disc at the second hand store or eBay. So there’s still value, I guess.
@Darkri74345 I know this may shock you, but not everyone has gigabit or faster internet even in 2025, and may not want to spend hours downloading the game they just bought on disc.
I’m blessed with quite good internet personally, but the idea of having to download the entire game when I just bought a disc-based copy is…dumb.
@Rich33 I don't think any of your concerns are unwarranted, and it's hard to really predict anything with the abrupt, daily changes. You better bet your bottom dollar Nintendo, Sony, and basically every corporation are looking at these tariffs from every angle, and are just as confused and uncertain as the rest of us.
Looking at the Switch 2 pre-order delay specifically, I'm sure part of it is letting the tariffs play out a bit. The big questions for them are, "how many consoles can we stockpile?" and, "do we need to change the price?" And even to your point about lobbying, Nintendo could indirectly affect things by just announcing a price increase — even as a bluff — and being VERY explicit about it being due to the tariffs, expecting the public outcry to force the White House's hand.
Which, I guess, is all to say even with the very directly affected Nintendo and Switch 2, there are a lot of options. And Nintendo absolutely will do everything in their power to release a competitively priced and successful console in a market as big as the US. I'm sure there's even internal discussions about selling the console at a loss, just to ensure pricing doesn't kill momentum. I don't think these tariffs have the seismic power to uproot these major entertainment companies. They will hurt their bottom line, but won't destroy the business.
Thank you for this info. I’ll pass for now on Indy. Can you let us know if Doom The Dark Ages has enough on the disc to start a game without a day one download. Thanks
@Shwing no problem..
@Slideaway1983 I agree. Servers aren’t particularly green and gaming in general isnt. I’m just saying that shipping discs and plastic all over the world when one can just download the thing seems to me to make the most sense. Also, I absolutely hate this Frankenstein option of a box and a code or empty disc inside. Just insane. Do the whole game or go digital with the release!
Indiana Jones and the Half Circle!
Doesn't make sense why only put 20gb on the disc when the disc can take more than that. Couldn't they have put at least 60gb and rest download?
@Northern_munkey Look i totally understand they are not the only one but stop calling these things physical releases. If a game doesnt work out of the box its not a physical release.
Even empty disc is more worthy than this.
This is completely unacceptable. A literal scam.
The game has to work off the disc, even if it's an unpatched version. Otherwise it's just a key on a disc and it must be disclosed as such.
@trev666 Physical is preservation. When the update servers for these games go down I will never be able to play this game again. Unless I had already backed up the patch to a hard drive (which doesn't even have the lifespan of a decade) and I later mod my console to install said patch to even play the game. Or have it all installed on my console and later dump it.
For a game like Dead Island 2 Ultimate Edition which has all updates and DLC on the disc I can play it without any unofficial tinkering by just plugging the PS5 in and putting the disc in. Which has a much longer lifespan than a hard drive.
@KillerBoy I’m sure PlayStation will care goodbye
@Nem Exactly. Even the stock images on websites don't have the internet requirement noted. This is misleading. But sadly so many people think that disc are just licences now and every single game is downloaded. Which is completely false, as has been proven by DoesItPlay and the countless offline installation videos of games on YouTube.
It was pretty obvious the second you are aware that Microsoft still only uses 50GB Regular Blu-Rays and hasn't shipped a complete Physical (all on Disc) game in like, I dunno, the entire generation for sure (all their games are over 100GBs for the most part) it's why I don't care for a Physical of any of their games on PS5 🤷♂️
Forza Horizon 5 is like 175GBs by now on XsX so even if it DID get a Physical on PS5 only half the game would fit unless they went for a 2 Disc release (which they definitely wouldn't)
The real question is will Doom The Dark Ages be on the Disc or not? I'd like to know now so I can get my Digital Pre-Order/Pre-Load in before it launches 😒
Edit: as an aside I will mention that, due to how Indy Installs on Xbox, they could've had a fully playable build on Disc if they wanted. The full game is like 80GBs - 90GBs with a "HD Texture Pack" (which I believe adds the 4K Textures and like slightly better Ray Tracing or whatever) as a seperate 35GB File... They could've gone that route, but again, Microsoft 🤷♂️
@Residentsteven Discs will outlast a server.
@Slideaway1983 Any green benefit from digital-only is not going to have any effect on the climate when a handful of companies are like 90% of polluters. That'd be like taking a cold shower and having cereal with water instead of fried steak and mushrooms.
@RoomWithaMoose
I really hope I am completely wrong, that my concerns are unwarranted, and that I am overreacting etc.
I also understand that console games are not the 'biggest concern' in the grand scheme of things, but I will always try to keep on-topic.
Im not even a Nintendo customer - but that doesn't mean I want to see them / Nintendo fans hurt by this - and I really hope Nintendo do 'rally fans' as we have discussed.
Anyway, nice talking to you (genuine - no sarcasm intended).
Well one more reason not to buy this and I will not buy it new ever when find it at the pawn shop under 20 bucks maybe or if on ps plus maybe !
A colossal goat f$#k
@_John_Doe_ @_John_Doe_ @x3King84 I think there's pros and cons. I mean yeah digital is easier distributed, but at a far worse cost in regards to emissions and actual cost to our wallets.
Whereas physical could in a way be sorted by shipping over time.... the problem now is al.ost everything has to hit targets for sale for q4 earnings blah blah... but you know... you could ship a lot like the good old days on more efficient boats, or even manufacture closer to home. Nothing is ever ideal, unfortunately.
I agree with the CIAB or even as a switch 2 adopter these game keys now. At least you can sell them on... but like what is the environmental differential of a key card as opposed to a cartridge? Obviously some, but you can't tell me for arguments sake a 2mb flash memory being written uses a substantial amount of carbon less than a 64gb. How many would you have to sell to make it valid?!
Seems we're all clamouring for sustainability and value, yet no one has found a definitive idea yet... other than just going back to SNES / MD style and hope the batteries carry on working, and do away with disks and online games 🤣 i mean, how many games could you get on something the size of an old ps memory card now, with regards to plastic? Never gonna happen, but all these what ifs and we can't even decide on a format. Or at least I can't as I'm arguing with myself 🤣🤣🤣
@_John_Doe_ i don't recall advocating pro digital. I just said it was more convenient? And I personally don't like steak, so give me the water anyway 🤣
@x3King84
As I’ve gotten older I care less and less about collecting discs (in fact I sold all of mine, back to the NES generation, a few years ago). And without the nostalgia value, I’m now free to never clutter up my place with game discs again.
What that experience taught me was to sell as soon as I’ve finished a game so I don’t lose loads of money on it. That, in turn, taught me what atrocious value digital games are.
Until we are given the rights to sell our games in a secondhand digital marketplace I can never support a full digital future.
Preservation has nothing to do with it either. Many, many iterations of the full code dispersed over millions of devices is a far better method of preservation than commercially pressed plastic discs with a lifespan of 20-30 years under normal usage conditions.
@Flaming_Kaiser but I can hold it and smell it..
@OldGamer999 Well said, im an old gamer myself and do remember fully complete and fully tested games at launch. Sadly thoae days are behind us now, updates are critical.
@Northern_munkey
Ah, that gran turismo disc…
@x3King84 Agreed. The days of owning a complete game ended with the PS3/Xbox 360 generation.
Its quite funny to think that its us older gamers who are not too fussed about going digital having gone through the clutter of phsical collections over the years whilst the younger gamers are being the "old dinosaurs" fighting for physical media 🤣
@Darkri74345 Oh no you are so right... You are forgetting that not everyone on the planet has a ridiculously fast download speeds to download 100GB patch. Not all countries have internet connectivity. Xbox is in the wrong for this & too lazy not to use two discs!! 🤦♀️
@thefourfoldroot1 too far you wrong 'un..
Still has resale value. Still better than full digital.
@Jrs1
I’m all digital games, movies and music.
And they call us the old Dinosaurs 🤣
That's the nail in the coffin. I watched the review on YT at Renn's Review and had my eyes opened about the gameplay quality. With the download bs, what's the point of a disc anyways? No buy, ever. K thx bye
Wait for a 50%+ off sale it is I guess.
Boycot and send them the message. Only way to be sure
@OldGamer999 Ah know im the same, the irony eh 😀
Can you imagine the horror you open the box and it’s not what it seemed what a melt
There are plenty of PS5 exclusives that dont even come with a disc even though they have the metal box, they are also the most expensive versions.
The latest one is Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Collector's Edition.
The Collector's Edition comes with no physical copy of the game.
Priced at $229, Death Stranding 2's Collector's Edition comes with numerous digital and physical items, but only a digital code for the actual game.
Games don't run from the Disc and haven't since the PS3/360 era. Since the PS4/XB1 era, EVERY game has to be 'installed' to the Internal Storage to run - even more so with this Generation as the SSD has much faster data transfer speeds than a 'bluray' drive.
The disc is 'almost' useless - its just a 'delivery' method, like the internet, so you can 'install' the software (which ALWAYS requires at least an internet connection to update during 'installation' to the SSD) - You cannot 'buy' a Game on Disc these days, put the disc in and be playing within seconds. The ONLY reason you need the Disc post installation, the reason you need to put it in the Disc Drive is to verify you still own the 'licence'' to play the game. With Digital, that Licence is linked to your account.
Even with the entitre game installed on your SSD, you cannot 'play' that game without a valid Licence. The entire game, even if its the most up to date version, will not be playable unless you put the disc in (or sign into your account) - the disc is just a key to unlock 'access' post installation and prior to installation, is nothing more than a distribution method - whether it includes the whole game, part of the game or even just a launcher to install from the internet - you NEVER play the game on the disc anyway!!
Hehe
That's fine I planned on short changing them right back by not buying the game. Don't get me wrong it's a really good game but I played it on Gamepass already and I can't justify picking it up again like I do for some indie games on Plus+
I really don't like this half a game on disc/game code in a steelbook thing, it puts me off buying special editions. Worse still is early access for a game that's already been out. Hopefully it introduces more people to the movies. 20GB blu-rays are less of a crime than never seeing Temple of Doom.
@BAMozzy I have around 43 games that I can install and play without being connected to the internet (I test every single one).
So far only Jedi Survivor required internet to install.
Edit: I never understood why people defend vigorously the digital only part (not saying you do @BAMozzy) when we should always get the 2 versions, physical with the game or installer on the disc and digital for whomever wants it and that's it.
People can also check the doesitplay website, they have more than 2000 entries for games to show which can be played straight from the disc without downloads and the ones that cannot.
Of course Microsoft takes the cheap way I'll be surprised if it's even a Ultra HD disc
@Hydra_Spectre probably still using a dual layer DVD
Sigh, microsoft do understand that ps5 bd-ray is not a switch 2 cartridge right? They such a control freak that they can't stand gamer installing their games without their permission 😠
@Residentsteven people said the same thing about vinyl
Games 125GB so it was never fitting on a single disc anyway, that said why not 95GB on disc and 30GB download MS? That way people won't need to download 100GB.
Like Jedi Survivor it's called laziness to offer 2 disks or better compression. So EA, Bethesda, Microsoft either way they don't care. It's a disk like come on it's not a Switch cart with chips.
The disks are a 100GB, Sony can only put so much into the disk pits to allow space on them or want to put effort into doing so let alone disk shape and all that or multi-sided disks and such and companies are just annoying at compression, splitting assets between disks.
Switch carts are what they are but companies doing it to PS5/Xbox Series games even for as many as have been mentioned are just as bad and lazy.
Seems only Last of Us and Final Fantasy will do this yet other companies cheapen out.
Why not just offer a physical in store advertisement t say to download it via the PS store instead of the disk/case/artbook, what a joke.
But nope have to trick people into buying a physical. It's so stupid.
Of all the 1.0 on disk games no update, mostly AAs or remasters/complete editions but even still, good or bad games or even the few like Wanted Dead (before it's update). The few we had was still good, whether PS4, Xbox One (Valkyria Chronicles 4), Motocycle Club PS4, some Wii U, some Vita and such. Sigh.
Just another reason to avoid M$ if you should ever need one. It isn't physical if the box is empty.
People are mentioning that Playstation might be stuck with the US taxing them heavily. If so, and basically everything else is sabotaged along with it, you'll see state bonds deteriorate further. Trump is a slave to the market, and he imposed a break as soon as they started acting weird which hasn't happened in any crisis before. And it doesn't stop there.
Europe and Asia can respond to America's perceived treachery with Europe's so-called bazooka: which includes a massive tax on their software rendering their entire tech dynasty null and void.
@dskatter there are still people with dial up or 3 meg dsl !
"...but behaviour like this does render the entire purpose of physical media pointless."
Annoying sure. Bad for future preservation, yes. But it doesn't render it pointless. If part of buying a disc is trading, selling, sharing with family or friends, this can all still be done.
If it were a single use code in a box, you'd have a point. But these kind of limited data "key" style discs, while many things (cheap, crappy, bad for those with slower connections), are still physical copies.
As for why 20GB, I would guess that means they used a single layer 25GB blu-ray, ie the smallest capacity, cheapest blu-ray available.
@Northern_munkey most companies still put the full game on the disc. Whatever patch version that is. MS just doesn’t want to pay for newer Blu-ray Discs to put to full game onto a disc. Also they want everyone to be tied to them. As this is the internet of everything way. Entities want people always tied to them.
@OldGamer999 you miss the point mate and are thinking for today. Which is what these entitles want for the internet of everything. Just because everyone does something doesn’t mean it’s right. As most people aren’t Shepards whom can see the bigger picture. The precedent has been to put full games on a disc with whatever patch version is available at the time when a game is written to a disc at the factory. Sure games get updates no one is disputing that is the trend because the art form is continuously perfected. By not having the full base game on a disc that limits those of us in the future whom actually hold onto our physical media. It’s not acceptable for me to have a physical disc in which I need to connect my obsolete console to the internet just to “quickly” play again. The beauty of previous generations is that I’m able to play anything with my young nephews on demand if they want to hook up an older console. Which I don’t keep my older consoles on the net. I don’t accept these trends for console gaming. But hey I’ll let everyone else enjoy the internet of everything world.
Well that’s so unfortunate! I reject the idea that my physical game disc doesn’t have the base game on it, therefore not playable in the future without internet. This isn’t the way for console gaming if there is to be physical media. MS is just being cheap with their blu-rays, not wanting to pay for the latest version, and wanting to control the narrative. I understand that products are rushed out the door. But if I cannot play the base game from a physical disc. That is a huge problem for me for preservation.
@Northern_munkey @OldGamer999 I think that's the wrong way of looking at it - why should ANY company do that? It's one thing to have day one updates - it's another when they don't even both with a proper Gold print now. I mean - at only 20GB - are they just putting a bloated launcher on the disc?
PS discs hold 100GB... even if you are required to download the remainder (because they don't want to print two discs) why not minimise the download.
Will wait for when it's 10 € or free to play then.
May as well just be a download code at this point
Yeah, It does suck for those with certain limited download abilities, but.... You do own the game, and when you are done, you can give the game away to another, who then owns the game. Or resale it, barter it, trade it... it still has value, after the sale.
And to be fair, once you put the game in, you can start playing it before it is completely installed and download it. After a certain amount of time. Wait, I should say, you have to install the main part of the game, and you can begin playing many ps5 games while the download is going on. Yeah, it is weird.
But again, rough for folks with limited internet access, this should be clearly shown on the front of the case. But for everyone else, awesome - to have a physical copy of this game.
@AndyKazama yes because it's only Microsoft that does obviously
@Nekomichu why must we accept it? Why shouldn’t we push back against these practices?
@Athrum doesn't change the fact that the disc itself is nothing more than a delivery system as far as the 'software' is concerned. You still don't play the game from the disc and the ONLY reason you need the disc is because it contains the 'licence' to access the Software that has to be installed on your internal storage.
That's also a very small number of games and I bet the majority are not 'new' games at all. I bet most are ports or collections of 'old' games. Games that have already been patched, updated and/or received ALL the post release content/DLC that can all 'fit' on the Bluray disc.
However, the games still need to be 'installed' onto the internal storage, as they have done since the start of the PS4/XB1 era so therefore, the disc is nothing more than a 'delivery' system to 'deliver' the software to the customer's Console - exactly the same as the internet - both require you to download and install the Software to your Console.
The ONLY difference in reality between Physical & Digital is that if you prefer to 'buy' Physical, the licence you purchase is on the disc which you have to put in the disc drive to 'verify' you still own the Licence to play where as Digital, your licence is locked to your account.
Physical doesn't 'preserve' games any better than Digital. They go out of Print, stop being manufactured and the hardware they require does too. You can't go and buy Goldeneye Cartridge for N64 and an N64 to play it on so its NOT preserved and just because I bought Goldeneye on N64, that doesn't let me play it today on current hardware its been ported to. If the Hardware/Cartridge/Disc breaks, you cannot buy a replacement - its not 'preserved'.
I am not a 'Digital Only' defender but that MANY here don't seem to understand that the ONLY reason you have to put the Disc in your console is to 'verify' you still own a Licence to access the Game installed on your internal storage. Its just a 'delivery' system so whether it contains the complete game code or 'not' is 'irrelevant' as you don't play the game on the disc. - the only 'important' thing on the disc is the Licence to play - it could just have a launcher to 'install' from the internet and licence.
The games are installed to your SSD which require a Licence to access - that licence is either on a disc if you buy Physical or locked to your account. Disc Licences are 'general', where as Digital licences are locked to your account and your account only. You must install the software to your SSD so it then comes down to a choice of 'delivery' method - that maybe Disc, disc & internet or just internet but you NEVER play the software on the disc and haven't on PS4 or PS5.
@Robinsad Because the times has changed, we now have games that are bigger than before with more need of patches.
The times when a game could be 100% en release in its cd are long gone, so why fight because a game has more or less data inside?
In my opinion, the physical format is a relic from the past in the current scenario.
@Toot1st never said it was just them.... it just don#t surprise me they do it.
It’s their right as publisher. I’m not going to complain but It does mean I’m going to wait for sale (on PSN or physical copies to be sub £30).
Disappointing but not suprised by this, I'll pick up the game in time when its around £15 - £20,
no way am i paying full price for basically a digital game.
@BAMozzy You keep repeating that "it's a license" but the files to install the game ARE in the disk, as I said you don't need to connect to the internet to install and/or play. You haven't read games directly from the disc since the PS2, but you still have all the files to install and run the games in the discs.
And no, it's not just older games and remasters, here is a list of the last few games I bought and install with no need for internet:
Dragon Age Veilgard
Life is Strange Double Exposure
Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza
First Berserker Khazan
KC2
Monster Hunter Wilds (it installs even though you do need internet to play it).
Now I do understand that you need to install some patches for updates, and bug fixes, but most games do have a playable 1.0 version in their discs.
The only company that you really see going further away from this is Ubisoft, with their ***** "You don't own your games" take, and now it seems MS is doing the same even though you can fit the games easily into the discs, but MS has been pushing digital for awhile now as well.
@Moj500 it’s an Xbox game
@Vaako007 I know 👍
@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare I'm not saying it is the right way to look at it per se..its just how it is.
I can see a lot of comments are happy with digital only.
I can understand some of the reasons, but I much prefer physical. I sell 60% + of my games and pass them on. Why would you be happy to not have this option?
@Athrum You are still missing the point - regardless of whether or not the ALL the content is on the disc, you still have to 'download' it and install to your SSD before you can play - its still just a Delivery system.
You CANNOT play the game from the disc - it must be downloaded and installed to your SSD which makes the disc just a delivery system to get the 'software' on your SSD - the exact same purpose as the internet.
The only thing that 'differs' is the way the licence to access the software is handled - the actual thing you 'puchase'. You Purchase a License to play the software - not the software itself. That is why you need to keep your disc or sign into your account to play to 'verify' you still own a Valid License. The game is 'installed' on your SSD, its played from the SSD, and disc/internet is just a 'delivery' system to install the Software to your SSD!! It doesn't matter if all the game, some or none of the game is on disc, its purpose is to enable you to 'install' the game to your SDD!
If you own a Switch, you've probably encountered this kind of practice well before Xbox exclusives shipped on PS5. Won't be seeing Spider-man 2 physical editions for Series X, so I guess take a win when you get it.
I don't mind skipping half-assed Microsoft physical releases. Plenty of other games to play that are on their own disc. Playing through the physical version of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black right now and having a great time.
I know it doesn’t sound realistic, but have they at some point considered making higher storage discs with more than 100GB of data?
Unless you are vacuum storing your disc in a special vault from new, to stop the coating degraded, you are preserving the sum total of Jack S anyway.
It’s just a grotesque and environmentally damaging way of distributing keys, which could have been done digitally.
They could’ve at least put 100gb on the disc so only a 20gb download was required.
I need to gain some clarity; I intend to purchase the game tomorrow, but, am unclear as to whether or not the 20GB available is actually available without internet download...
Basically, can I just insert the disc into the machine and just expect the software to copy like other games, with the 20GB being a compromise I'll get without the problem of extra download bureaucracy involved?
To whoever maybe replies, thank you.
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