4 ms·

I wonder how the average game install size trends vs. bytes per dollar of different storage types (HDD and NVME separate). My gut reaction suggests that storage

I wonder how the average game install size trends vs. bytes per dollar of different storage types (HDD and NVME separate). My gut reaction suggests that storage is scaling faster than game install needs, but then I remember back to how MW2019 took up some 200GB. The other muddy thing in this comparison is that it seems gamers play higher proportions of older games as time goes on, the AAA scene is definitely not what it used to be 5-15 years ago.

rm_-rf_slash 4y ago
Older games have a tiny footprint. Timeless classics like KOTOR 1&2, Fallout New Vegas, Mass Effect etc take so little space I barely notice the storage. The entire library of video games ever made before the year 2000 could fit onto a single SD card off the shelf from Best Buy for the cost of a mid-range restaurant dinner for 2.
- rasz 4y ago
  Not so sure about the last line. DOS games alone eXoDOS v5 is ~500GB packed, ~600GB installed, ~1.2TB every game unpacked. Not quite SD level, but $50 dodgy Chinese 2TB SATA SSD sure. Windows up to 2000 will probably be another couple TB.
- syntheweave 4y ago
  It comes close to that, but there are some confounding factors wherever you introduce analog elements - and Golden Age arcade games were doing all kinds of wacky analog things that necessitate high fidelity digital sampling. See "Journey" and its tape playback of rock band Journey, or "Dragons Lair" and every other laserdisc game. Classic pinballs are likewise presented digitally through a mishmash of ROM emulation and simulated physical hardware. It's definitely the case, though, that games have essentially topped out on what they need to support a high fidelity experience in terms of "just" pushing more data down the pipe. While new AAA can push a little farther still, there is broad consensus that diminishing returns are here, and...well, the future is going to be in having AI do the details and make the optimizations, and the resulting size from that is most likely going to stay linear with the number of assets, rather than having each asset metastasize further detail.

rm_-rf_slash 4y ago

Older games have a tiny footprint. Timeless classics like KOTOR 1&2, Fallout New Vegas, Mass Effect etc take so little space I barely notice the storage. The entire library of video games ever made before the year 2000 could fit onto a single SD card off the shelf from Best Buy for the cost of a mid-range restaurant dinner for 2.

rasz 4y ago
Not so sure about the last line. DOS games alone eXoDOS v5 is ~500GB packed, ~600GB installed, ~1.2TB every game unpacked. Not quite SD level, but $50 dodgy Chinese 2TB SATA SSD sure. Windows up to 2000 will probably be another couple TB.
syntheweave 4y ago
It comes close to that, but there are some confounding factors wherever you introduce analog elements - and Golden Age arcade games were doing all kinds of wacky analog things that necessitate high fidelity digital sampling. See "Journey" and its tape playback of rock band Journey, or "Dragons Lair" and every other laserdisc game. Classic pinballs are likewise presented digitally through a mishmash of ROM emulation and simulated physical hardware. It's definitely the case, though, that games have essentially topped out on what they need to support a high fidelity experience in terms of "just" pushing more data down the pipe. While new AAA can push a little farther still, there is broad consensus that diminishing returns are here, and...well, the future is going to be in having AI do the details and make the optimizations, and the resulting size from that is most likely going to stay linear with the number of assets, rather than having each asset metastasize further detail.