GT5 installs while played - Sony

By Robert Purchese Published 19 November, 2010

If you say no to 6.4GB one-off.

You don't have to wait the best part of an hour for Gran Turismo 5 to install - you can opt for the game to unpack chunks as you play, Sony explained this afternoon.

"GT5 gives users the option of an install," Sony pointed out. "This makes loading times throughout much faster but is not a requirement when first playing.

"If users choose not to install the data straight away it will do it in stages as news areas, tracks, etc. are accessed during normal gameplay."

Eurogamer has been independently informed that the 6.4GB optional hard-drive install for Gran Turismo 5 checks out - it's correct. To do this takes 40 minutes or more.

Optional installs are uncommon on PS3, and at 6.4GB that's one of the largest we've seen. Other beefy PS3 contenders are EndWar and Devil May Cry (both around 5GB), or BioShock 2 and Lost Planet 2 (both roughly 4.5GB).

Mind you, Gran Turismo 5 has 1031 cars, which translates to an overwhelming list that we reproduced in full.

Gran Turismo 5 will be released on 24th November. That's a Wednesday, which means more midnight launch shenanigans next week - not to mention the long awaited Eurogamer GT5 review.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (72) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Lucodeath #1 2 years ago

    I cant wait another 5 days, I need councilling

  • Shikasama #2 2 years ago

    Thats an awesome idea

  • TONYgr #3 2 years ago

    Thats a new one.I wish more games do the same thing.

  • lcmnick #4 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 12:48:44 14-04-2012

  • RodHull #5 2 years ago

    Why do PS3 installs take so long? A full game install on the 360 takes about 5mins.

  • lennon #6 2 years ago

    Good stuff. May have to finally purchase a ps3 pad with rumble in for this although I dont think I will be doing any midnight shopping I think having waited this long another few hours wont kill me.

  • wizlon #7 2 years ago

    I cant wait another 40 mins, I need councilling

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #8 2 years ago

    "Gran Turismo 5 will be on 24th November."

    I never thought I'd bungle the words Gran Turismo 5 will be released on - but I have!

  • Kaminari #9 2 years ago

    Fragmentation says hi!

  • MJHaylett #10 2 years ago

    make a sandwich, scratch yourself and set up your Wheel - then the install will be done!! Woo and Hoo

  • ThemisB #11 2 years ago

    @RodHull

    I believe it's because the PS3's Blu-Ray drive is much slower than any DVD drive. Which is the reason most PS3 games need an install in the first place.

    Preordered this a few mins ago \o/
    Edited by ThemisB at 19/11/10 @ 16:00

  • thesombrerokid #12 2 years ago

    incase you're wondering if you have 20meg broadband you could transfer GT5 install over the internet faster than getting it off the bluray

  • berelain #13 2 years ago

    Gah, so we have to install the almost 7gigs of data either way?

    My 60Gig model's HDD is already creaking under the strain of forced installs that I don't like to remove because it means I can't just have a 'quick go' on a game >:-[

  • jonthepymm #14 2 years ago

    @berelain

    "If users choose not to install the data straight away it will do it in stages as news areas, tracks, etc. are accessed during normal gameplay"

    I'm only guessing here, but I understand this to mean that if you don't access everything then you'll save hard drive space. Perhaps if you don't buy all 1000+ cars or visit all circuits, then you'd save some space.

  • Bogie19th #15 2 years ago

    Bummer that my 40gb PS3 is already full as it is. Looks like I will have to uninstall GT5p :(

  • kangarootoo #16 2 years ago

    A great idea. This should really become standard for all new releases eventually. I'd welcome a feature like that for 360 HDD installs too.

  • beastmaster #17 2 years ago

    When is the review out, oh great EG overlords?

  • nuanimal #18 2 years ago

    Doesn't matter if you do the install when booting up for the first time, or as you play - it's still not optional.

    /Pedantic, I know.

  • MaoZedong #19 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:40:08 17-12-2011

  • Rodster #20 2 years ago

    1000+ cars lmao. It's more like 975 Skylines and 25 Impreza's. All they're doing is changing the skin of the car...shit game. Can't wait to read about the Robo AI :D

  • RodHull #21 2 years ago

    @ThemisB

    Thanks, I've been puzzling over that for a while.

    Love the fact that I get negged for asking a question.
    Edited by RodHull at 19/11/10 @ 16:32

  • NewbieZilla #22 2 years ago

    "I never thought I'd bungle the words Gran Turismo 5 will be released on - but I have!"

    Well, you should be surprised you are saying the release date during your lifetime, and not because of being cybernetically enhanced to survive another 200 years.

  • supermaniacs #23 2 years ago

    slightly of topic, but when will the review embargo end??

  • patch #24 2 years ago

    Any other game and a 40 minute install would p*ss me off... with this one I'm actually thinking "wow, that's a hell of a lot of fun being copied to my ps3". Is that weird?

  • Trident #25 2 years ago

    1000 cars.....999 Skylines

    Only kidding.

    Looking forward to it but so far the gameplay vids have not blown me away. But videos never do games justice. Hopefully my copy will arrive before weds!

  • kangarootoo #26 2 years ago

    @Rodster

    "All they're doing is changing the skin of the car"

    Source?

  • Markitron #27 2 years ago

    Whens the review going up? Wouldnt be suprised if it was late, they cant have got it in enough time to go thru it extensively

  • JDub #28 2 years ago

    Oh dear...already juggling space on my 60 gigger...

    A 160/250Gb Slim draws nearer everyday. Get a decent Move bundle going Sony and I might just go for it! :)

  • the_inchworm #29 2 years ago

    I think it's pretty poor form that it's expected that consoles are going to need disc installs to function correctly. If that's the case, put on some decent DRM and avoid boxed product altogether.

  • Markitron #30 2 years ago

    @JDub and Bogie19th

    Ye could Just buy a 320G hard drive and install it yourselves. Its piss easy and way cheaper than upgrading (tho I did upgrade to a slim myself)

    Edit: +1 to jefranklin18 for going the extra mile and providing a link, im fairly sure any 3.5'' disk will work
    Edited by Markitron at 19/11/10 @ 17:34

  • jefranklin18 #31 2 years ago

    For those with a nearly full hard disk, I would strongly recommend upgrading the drive rather than the PS3 (unless you want a new one of course). I have installed this drive (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001J... into my fat PS3, and it was un morceau de gâteau as they would say on Eurogamer France.

    Edit: Markitron beat me to it :)
    Edited by jefranklin18 at 19/11/10 @ 16:55

  • Nuronv #32 2 years ago

    Confirming what MaoZedong said,
    The 360 is effectively taking an image of the DVD. Once this is done the 360 accesses data from the HDD instead as it quicker. Generally it doesn't install as such, 360 games have to be designed assuming that there might not be a HDD present.

    All PS3's come with HDDs so developers can assume that there will be HDD space to unpack, expand and install data files

  • kangarootoo #33 2 years ago

    @jefranklin18

    I put exactly that HDD in my own PS3.

    It literally took about 5 mins to install it.

    It literally took bloody AGES to back everything up beforehand, and restore it afterwards :) ...... but I've never looked back.

    I then got a cheap caddy from ebay for about £5, stuck my old 20GB drive in that, and I can now use it as an external for either my PC or my PS3.



    Quick word of advice for anyone using their old drive externally if they want the PS3 to recognise it as well as a Windows PC.

    You have to format it as FAT so the PS3 can read it (not Sony's fault, FAT32 and NTFS are MS owned). However, stoopid Windows won't let you create a FAT partition bigger than 2GB (I think) so you have to use a 3rd party app to format the whole drive. I found a really handy one, but I can't remember its name offhand. A quick google search will sort you out I'm sure.

  • Noble6 #34 2 years ago

    @MaoZedong

    We're all xcited for GT5 but it still does not mean you can twist facts that way. Dvd drives are faster than blu ray and those are technical facts. Since dvds dont have the capacity of blu rays, they're the ones that normally need unpacking. There's a reason we have to install most games, its to keep up with internal data streaming speeds.

    Saving files at various locations on hdd ? Basics of data storage - files are never stored as entire chunks in a single data location be it an image or not.
    Edited by Noble6 at 19/11/10 @ 17:12

  • MinerWilly #35 2 years ago

    No problems , I have a 640gb bad boy installed . Incidentally the biggest install i have seen was Everybody's Golf . Im sure it was over 6gb . Rainbow 6 V2 wasnt far behind either.

    @rodster , your just making yourself look jealous !! I like the look and sound of Forza and accept its not available for my console, end of story .
    Edited by MinerWilly at 19/11/10 @ 17:15

  • f00b_inc #36 2 years ago

    Also would like confirmation of when review is arriving! :-)

  • Cappy #37 2 years ago

    It's worth mentioning that upgrading your HD will lose you any locked saves such as Demon's Souls. That one in particular would be a disaster, but the unlikeliest games are locked on the PS3 due to Sony letting developers do what they like with saves.

    The only way to keep a locked save is to transfer via Ethernet from one PS3 to another.
    Edited by Cappy at 19/11/10 @ 17:22

  • kangarootoo #38 2 years ago

    Noble6 speaks the truth. Don't shoot the messenger.

  • kangarootoo #39 2 years ago

    @Cappy

    I'm pretty sure that the proper Backup and Restore utilities found on the XMB will take care of everything including locked saves. I haven't specifically verified this, but everything transferred fine when I did this and there was bound to be a locked save or two in there somewhere (Uncharted saves are locked I think?).

    The disadvantage of this method is that you need another HDD big enough to act as the backup device, plus as I mentioned, its very slow in either direction (thought I was backing up to an IDE drive in a USB 1.0 caddy, so maybe that was just my fault).

  • Noble6 #40 2 years ago

    @Kangarootoo
    Cheers buddy.

    @Rodster
    Come on man, dont be a killjoy. Been waiting years for this game.

  • Markitron #41 2 years ago

    @kangarootoo

    Im fairly sure using the backup utility wont properly transfer locked saves, but I think locked saves are more of an exception to the rule rather than the standard. best thing is to google the games you REALLY care about to see if they are locked before starting the process

  • Jamiesan #42 2 years ago

    Actually, on the topic of the speed of the install:
    (IIRC) PS3 uses blu-ray 2x speed which is 8MB per second - this is constant because the disk spins at varying speeds to compensate. I don't know if this has lead some devs to just dump the data anywhere on the disk, adding to seek times.
    A DVD x12 can go from 8.2MB-16.5MB depending where the data is physically stored on the disk, because the disk will always stay at the same rotational speed. This has lead to devs strategically placing high use data in the faster areas of the disk. Dual Layer DVDs have long transition times between layers as well, which can be a pain to work around but is doable for 95% of games.

    The GT5 installer is probably doing some extra work like compression, rather than just dumping the data onto the HD, which is what XB360 installs do, hence they are pretty fast.

    Finally, @Kangarootoo, I hope so too, although the 360's filesystem is pretty shoddy (can't handle lots of smaller files AT ALL well) It'd probably be more hassle than it's worth for any game it would give a real advantage to.

  • TONYgr #43 2 years ago

    Cappy

    I 've done that,changed my hdd and the demon's souls saves is ok.You lose the save if you change the ps3,not the hdd.

  • Katanax #44 2 years ago

    I upgraded my 80Gb PS3 Phat with a 640GB drive off Novatech (this one http://me.lt/5egg ) for just over £50 a few months ago (free delivery too). Works perfectly and the install is really simple.

    Couple of tips which would have helped me out:

    - Make sure you have a spare drive with enough space to copy all your files onto from the original PS3 HDD, formatted to the file structure the PS3 likes (I can't remember if this is FAT32 or NTFS). Oh, and this backup Will.Take.Hours.

    - Don't get a drive above 5400RPM. The drive you're replacing runs at this speed, so by spending more cash on a faster drive with loads of extra room on the cache, you're making the chances of compatibility issues rise, and spending more money on drive features that (as I understand it) either can't or won't be used by the PS3 itself anyway.

    The drive linked above worked perfectly, and it's been so awesome that I've got a second 640GB drive and a 2.5" drive caddy waiting to be wrapped as part of my brothers xmas present.

    *EDIT* To clarify for people - transferring saves from the PS3 to an external device through the Game Data menu does indeed have issues with certain games not copying over, however using the backup utility and a drive with enough space to dump everything across from the settings menu WILL also transfer the saves you may have been having issues with.

    There is an issue with the trophies after you've instaled the drive and transferred the content back over (this Will.Take.Hours too) in that the drive has no knowledge of game progress, even after getting the data from the server. I found that they showed up fine with percentages in the XMB, however when launching a game for the first time (and accessing the trophies list whilst running the title) trophies for that game were back to zero. Fixes itself if you quit the game and restart it though. Thats the only minor issue I had. After restarting each game once and sorting the trophy issue, you'll never need to do anything else and the drive install process is sorted.
    Edited by Katanax at 19/11/10 @ 18:07

  • Cappy #45 2 years ago

    Ah right, I had to change my PS3 at the same time anyway due to an ailing Blu-ray drive. The Ethernet transfer was the only way I could retain my saves, my external HD is Firewire only so I was stuck.

  • HenryFitz #46 2 years ago

    "I cant wait another 5 days, I need councilling"

    "I cant wait another 40 mins, I need councilling"

    You both require the help of your local authority? I know you desperately want the game, but I doubt they'd be able to pass a by-law demanding an earlier release date or a quicker install. If I were counselling you, I'd suggest some friends in the gaming retail industry might be more helpful.

  • Miths #47 2 years ago

    @Kaminari "Fragmentation says hi!"

    If I'm correctly informed, on its internal disk the PS3 uses a proprietary file system based on or similar to the Linux ext3 file system (unlike the old Fat32 it requires on external devices, no doubt for compatibility reasons), meaning that fragmentation is as good as non-existent.

    I'm guessing the problem here is huge load of small files that need to be copied from disc, although a whopping 40 minutes for a - relatively speaking - measly 6.4 GB does sound surprisingly inefficient, even for a fairly slow Blu-ray drive.

    I suspect I'll be opting for the background install - I can easily live with 5-10 minute installs, but I'm not sure I have the patience to sit through one lasting 40 minutes :).

  • icelt #48 2 years ago

    1st Gran Turismo REVIEW-ish and In Depth Impressions here (for those interested ;):
    http://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread...

  • Loghorn #49 2 years ago

    @RodHull: Well, that's what happens when Sony decides to have a very slow Blu-Ray drive on their console. A 6x or a 8x Blu-Ray drive would've been far better.

  • FuzzyDuck #50 2 years ago

    @Loghorn

    And what would the cost of such tech been in late 2006? The PS3 does show its age and flaws at times but it plays some awesome games, so no sweat about it.

    Personally i'll set it to the full install and put the dinner on.

    Didn't Virtua Tennis 3 install chunks of data as you played it too, all the way back at Euro launch?

  • thesonglessbird #51 2 years ago

    I'll do the 40 minute install. I'm sure I can find something interesting to do while it installs. Like have 10 wanks.

  • obscured021 #52 2 years ago

    Time to dust of my play seat and g25 :)

  • makeamazing #53 2 years ago

    @Loghorn, are you a tech idiot ? You know the reason why it was a 1x speed BR drive when it was first made right... it was because thats all they could put in the machine... BR was pretty new... you know thats why the console was delayed.

    Yes its slow to copy stuff to the disk, yes its slower to stream than a dvd..... but you dont need a game to be on multiple disks, and once you have the data copied to the hard disk there isnt a problem.... Sony have got BR into mass market, now the tech can mature and speed up. PSP4 will have a pretty speedy BR drive and if MS have any sense will move to it also.

  • spiritsnake #54 2 years ago

    hmmmm ps4 having speedier blu-ray, i cant wait to see what a beast that machine will be, probably GT6 will be a launch tittle for it. But no more aliasing next gen please!

  • DarkSeptember #55 2 years ago

    I did buy NFS : Hot Pursuit today , knowing that GT is out on Wednesday...This is a very expensive hobby ! ! !
















  • Loghorn #56 2 years ago

    @Astro-Creature: If you wanted the PS3 to sound like a jet taking off.

    LMAO, wow. It's not that, it's because to avoid mandatory installs for gaming, & such. Plus you can install games into the HDD in order to stop the noise. The 360 proved that.

  • Snaggletooth #57 2 years ago

    @Dark September

    You're telling me! i just bought an awesome driving seat, G27 and 3D monitor just for full GT5 awesomeness...... I haven't spent that much on tech....well, ever!!

    This is really the holy grail of games (i hope) and am gagging for it!

    /cancels christmas

  • Sunyavadin #58 2 years ago

    More games need to do this.

    I love how I can keep the Guild Wars exe file on a USB stick and after taking a minute or two to download the game engine files, it streams everything else as and when it comes up ingame.

    Seriously, is this a hard task for developers or something?

  • fr0stynugs #59 2 years ago

    Actually, PS3's BD drive is 54mbps, not 20mbps as stated earlier. It takes longer to install games on PS3 because there is so much more data on a Blu-Ray than a DVD, so there is more to install. PS3's drive IS slower than 360's, but not by all that much. In fact, 360's drive only passes PS3's in read speed when it gets to the outer edges of the disc, the inner edges are slower.

  • orangpelupa #60 2 years ago

    about the PS3 install data, is just copying or its unpacking from bluray to PS3 HDD.

    can someone with dev/test PS3 or jailbroken PS3 check the data?
    see it is different from the data on the disc (unpacking), or its the same (just copying to hdd)
    you can access it with the ftp.

  • Esnedon #61 2 years ago

    @fr0stynugs: Huh? How is there more to install? A 360 game usually takes up ~6.7GB on disk, and most PS3 installs range from 1GB - 7GB. Unless you're assuming that the PS3 copies the entire blu-ray disk over, which, thankfully, it doesn't.

  • ToAks #62 2 years ago

    an install like Fallout 3, The Club and so on then... which installs while you play.

    a really cool idea, wish more devs would use the tech as waiting for an install is really annoying at times.

    anyone remember trackloading from the Amiga days ?, pure genious it was :)

  • weebl #63 2 years ago

    One title that did a background install a bit like this was Dead or Alive on the original Xbox. Problem there was that it would remain on the HDD until you played another game which overwrote it!

    Regarding the disc read/write speeds, the data also has to be decrypted and encrypted which could slow the process down, though I'm lead to believe that the BD drive is pretty slow anyway which doesn't help.

  • Quixz #64 2 years ago

    I find it odd when Ps3 owners complain about HDD space when you can get 500Gb for as little as £35-40.

  • Jamiesan #65 2 years ago

    Actually now that I think about it, Halo 3 does something similar, but to the temp. storage area like DoA did. In fact, the game was so heavily optimised around it that it actually loads slower if you rip the DVD to the HD.

  • FuzzyDuck #66 2 years ago

    Hmm, think this is gonna be 6.4Gb minimum, 10Gb recommended. Could (partially) explain why the 40 minute install exists.

  • cjs #67 2 years ago

    I'm suspecting that the speed issue might be due more to Sony's filesystem used on the HDD than the Blu-ray speed. I've found anything that accesses the hard disk (such as installing games that were downloaded in background mode) to be slow.

  • SeesThroughAll #68 2 years ago

    You forgot to mention Oblivion. Similarly to GT5, it actually installs the entirety of the game in the hard drive during gameplay. Very effective and unnoticeable.

  • Turbotim3 #69 2 years ago

    I don't care either way. If you think about it the best games always have a hefty install. It has never bothered me before. I guess people who throw a pizza in the microwave and then stand there tapping their foot impatiently while it takes an unbelievable 3 minutes to cook might find the install a bit much.

  • kangarootoo #70 2 years ago

    @Loghorn

    "it's because to avoid mandatory installs for gaming, & such. Plus you can install games into the HDD in order to stop the noise."

    Read that back to yourself for a minute.

    You want a faster drive to avoid mandatory installs.... but when someone points out a faster drive would be too loud, you happily advocate installing to the HDD as a solution without skipping a beat.

    And that makes sense to you?

  • jarek98 #71 2 years ago

    Oblivion and Fallout games did the same - they always install in the background and the installation size is about 5 GB.
    Actually many games "without any install" use HDD extensively (e.g. Uncharted and Uncharted 2), so in general smart PS3 developers are taking advantage of HDD in every console....

  • bigtechno #72 2 years ago

    mine arrives on Tuesday (got sent today) I thought I was getting it a day early, little did I know I would have to wait a day for it to install. oh well good ol Sony