Vita games 'too large' to be download-only, 4GB quoted

If the PlayStation Vita is from the future, why does it still use game cartridges? Because the games are just too darn big.

8

If the PlayStation Vita is from the future, why does it still use game cartridges? Well, Sony's Shuhei Yoshida says it's a matter of practicality. "We believe the time is still not right to go download-only as a platform," Yoshida said. "Some PS Vita titles, like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, will be close to 4GB in size, which could be too large to download for consumers 
who do not have a fast broadband connection."

UMD storage could hold up to 1.8GB, meaning Vita games are already doubling the footprint of PSP games.

If a game like Uncharted: Golden Abyss were made downloadable, it would take a large chunk of space on Sony's pricey internal memory cards. A 4GB card, which would be sufficient for Uncharted and nothing else, is priced at about $25.

SCEE president Jim Ryan also told Next-Gen that while some consumers may be fine with a 4GB download, "there are consumers in parts of the world--this is a global device--where the digital model has not yet fully been embraced."

With game sizes already reaching 4GB at launch, Sony Japan's decision to restrict 3G game downloads makes a lot of sense. Over a standard 3G connection, it would take about an entire day to download Uncharted. For most people, that's likely much slower than just walking into a store and buying a cartridge.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

Filed Under
From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 6, 2011 1:15 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Vita games 'too large' to be download-only, 4GB quoted.

    If the PlayStation Vita is from the future, why does it still use game cartridges? Because the games are just too darn big.

    • reply
      October 6, 2011 1:22 PM

      oh Sony

    • reply
      October 6, 2011 1:25 PM

      THE GAMES ARE TOO DAMN BIG S[platform]s

    • reply
      October 6, 2011 1:36 PM

      Brb, downloading 20gb for Rage.

    • reply
      October 6, 2011 1:58 PM

      Yeah, that's why PC games can never go digital delivery, either...

      • reply
        October 6, 2011 2:07 PM

        Miss the part about how some games will be able to be downloaded? And the other part about how some places in the world don't like downloading huge games?

        • reply
          October 6, 2011 2:10 PM

          Didn't miss anything, still think they're wrong.

        • reply
          October 6, 2011 2:21 PM

          If only there were some precedent for selling physical and digital copies of the same item...

          • reply
            October 6, 2011 2:57 PM

            Exactly; I wasn't suggesting they go solely digital distribution, but pretending that it's just not viable at all?

            • reply
              October 6, 2011 4:22 PM

              Actually what they are suggesting is that it isn't viable to go digital distribution only. Not that they won't be offering all games via digital distribution as well. Therefore I think sony is right in this case it isn't the time to go digital distribution only.

      • reply
        October 7, 2011 6:40 AM

        er really, i have no problem downloading PC games. Set rage off last nihgt, woke up and done.

    • reply
      October 6, 2011 2:45 PM

      They've got a good point, but they should make it available over wifi.

    • reply
      October 7, 2011 5:32 AM

      It looks like they took the lessons from the PSPGo to heart. While the PSPGo did lack a lot of the more popular titles (namely Square's Titles) it showed that as far as digital delivery has come, it is still not ready for the be all, end all for content delivery.

      I will still purchase my games physically until the day comes when they don't make them anymore and when that they comes we should have some kind of backup for the day the servers are turned off.

      • reply
        October 7, 2011 6:40 AM

        yeah but the main problem with the go other than the total lack of software sim release support... is that it sucked :-)

        • reply
          October 7, 2011 7:05 AM

          The PSPGo is more a lesson in how brainless and stupid Sony can be than in digital distribution's issues. Every single way they could compromise, hobble, or make worse, they did.

    • reply
      October 9, 2011 11:06 PM

      Wouldn't it be amazing if there was another way besides 3G to connect to the internet without wires? Somebody should invent that!!!!

      (brb... going to re-download Deus Ex in Steam using wifi)

Hello, Meet Lola