Some XB360 Games May Be “Fixed” For Games On Demand Downloads
Microsoft will be offering full retail games like Assassin’s Creed and Mass Effect as downloadable games via Xbox Live Marketplace Games On Demand starting this August. They’ll boot straight from your hard drive, just like installable games.
That’s all great. But some games don’t quite work as intended when played from the hard drive. Games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Halo 3 don’t perform up to par, because they were designed to be streamed from a DVD. And Microsoft may be addressing that problem when it launches Games On Demand.
Microsoft reps said that any game planned for a Games On Demand will go through a “rigorous” QA process to make sure they work precisely as intended when played from a hard drive.
And mega blockbusters like Halo 3 and GTA IV may need to be “fixed” to become a Games On Demand, something Microsoft seems willing to do.
Oh and one other thing. Those Xbox 360 games you can buy as Games On Demand downloads will be available for purchase via the Web Marketplace, but not through Amazon.com.
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
I seriously don't get why everyone is so up in arms about this, it's not like they are saying you can never go to a store to buy a game again. They are IMPROVING their service, WTF are you complaining about?
@ph15h: Golden Sun. The Last Guardian! Natal: That elevator loading is what put me off the game! :(
MrPaulJames
@Madness: or you can take that HDD with you instead of games.
funnily enough i install gta4 on the harddrive to prevent it from freezing which happens during streaming
I hope that their fixes will translate into patches for those that bought retail copies.
@TeknoVagrant:
I seriously doubt MS would allow something like that. You cannot even re-download Xbox Live Arcade games at a friends house, you think they'd allow you download full 60 dollar games?
There is probably going to be some license transfer issues as well.
I don't get it, why not get your ass to the store and buy the disc?
@ph15h: Golden Sun. The Last Guardian! Natal: You can re-download as many times as you want.
@jcb231: Only $360?
@Valnen: Not quite that easy. You can upgrade the HDD yourself but it's not easy and it's illegal.
Switching between games without switching the disks? Yes, please.
So is this rental or is this once you get it, you have it?
xXSlayer77Xx
If it's the same price as retail, I really don't see the point.
@Jim Gallo: Really? I seem to remember saying "day one" for Crackdown 2 and Shadow Complex, as well as defending Halo 3: ODST against someone's incorrect assumptions.
@Theoutlet: It would probably be 8 bucks a rental, just like Hollywood or Blockbuster.
@Clarke: Only for cable television. Not for games.
@MooglesInMyFace: Really? So we could just take apart the shell and put another 2.5 inch drive in there? How does that work?
@Madness: you re-download it. you can also sign on at a friends place and download whatever games you own and play.
@FyreWulff: Are you kidding me? I ran that game through my Mac to play online and had a blast.
I seriously had more fun with that game at lan parties than I did with any of it's sequels.
I just hope they sell the Guitar Hero games. PLEASE MICROSOFT PLEASE. Disk swapping isn't the end of the world, but it's inconvenient enough to where I would rebuy my entire music game collection if I could play it all straight off a hard drive.
@BrywalkerX: I would like such a service, but it would most likely be priced too high and I would never use it. Like most things on XBL and PSN for rent.
Sweet! Now where the hell am I going to put these game on my 13GB hard drive?
Oh wait. Could this be some clever ruse to get me to buy an over-priced hard drive?
Surely Microsoft wouldn't do such a thing!
That's really odd- I installed GTA4 on my HD the minute I had the option and it works perfectly. What issues were supposed to pop up? I mean- it loads about 4x faster and I haven't seen any game problems with it? I heard about Halo 3 so I didn't install that one- but GTA4 seems to run BETTER with it intalled.
@Soliduma:
Just 120GB? This system needs more storage and it needs it now. I can't imagine buying any of these direct to drive games....why waste my hard drive space? The disc will probably be cheaper anyway, if Xbox Originals are any indication.
Seriously MS...where's that 360GB hard drive? 360GB on the Xbox 360, it markets itself.
jcb231
@BrywalkerX: That would be pretty cool.
@Archaotic: You know, since the MS presser started yesterday, the only thing I've seen you do here is passively-aggressively troll all xbox360 related articles.
Just an observation.
Jim Gallo
will patches be released if i want to install these games from disc? like for the people that already own them?
@okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under): I can't remember the price of an Arcade console; did the price of an arcade + independently bought HD = the price of a regular console? Was it more? I know they wouldn't have made it cheaper. Maybe that's why the hard drives are so god-damned expensive?
anyway, I can't remember.
@Whytookay - Ramming Speed!: I played through the full game on PS3. I bought it for $15 and yeah, I still felt ripped off.
@The Forgetful Brain: You're absolutely correct. It will really hurt their digital model with the prices they have now. I think they should go as far as to substidise them:
20 GB = $20
60 GB = $50
120 GB = $80
250 GB = $120
320 GB = $160
500 GB = $200
750 GB = $280
The cheaper they make it, the more people will buy. An impulse buy is much more likely if a person isn't thinking about space.
@BuffaloDave: It won't happen. The Halo 1 engine is crap for online play.
@Archaotic: This is true. Sometimes Poverty makes decisions for you.
RebelGrape
Digital content is good & all, but I can see tons of pricing and storage issues coming from this
@MechaTama31: I'm glad Metal Gear Rising is multiplatform because it means I have won't have to see as much stupid fanboy bickering over it. :P
@XanderVincent: ooooooooooh no he dient!
But seriously, that game got way too boring.
@+ Watch video
@Acebuckeye13: Damn you, vile southern humidity!
*shakes fist*
@jakinov: They ought to be selling the hard drives at cost, or maybe even subsidizing them. Most of the things people put on their 360 hard drive make money for Microsoft. Arcade games, expansion packs for games, stuff from the video store, etc. I'll bet that all the potential sales to people who don't buy something because they don't have the room for it would more than make up for their profit margin on the drives.
MechaTama31
@[www.pcworld.com]
I think this might help you guys
burgerk1ng
I dont get it... why wouldn't people want to just buy the actual game from the store? That way, you could take it anywhere you wanted. Over to a friends etc... Not to mention what if your HDD fails etc...
@Soliduma: I've got both a 360 and a PS3, and yes, I wish MGS4 was multiplatform and I am glad Rising will be. Is it really so strange to want more of your fellow gamers to be able to enjoy the games you enjoy?
MechaTama31
Xbox Originals sell for $15 even though their original disc counterparts can easily be found for well under that. I wonder what strategy Microsoft will adopt in pricing these as Assassin's Creed and Halo 3 are no longer sold at the $60 MSRP and can be found selling for half that or less.
@Soliduma: The way to sell the 120 GB drives is to not charge 150 goddamn dollars for them. :/
MechaTama31
That's nonsense. GTA IV runs great when you install it. I played through it twice and once for TLAD and the loading times were way better than off the disc.
robpe36
@Clarke: it means that the buyer doesn't need to walk/drive/teleport to the nearest game store to buy a new/old game that they've been wanting. If this system also works for day 1 releases, then I may just have to try it out.
@Kegwen: On demand is streaming.
@TiKiMaN1: I just wish they weren't so fucking expensive, I could install 2 terabyte hard drives in my computer for the cost of a 120 GB xbox 360 hard drive.
@Whytookay - Ramming Speed!: I don't know about him, but I couldn't bear to go through the whole game...
scotty
@BuffaloDave: I wish the copy of halo CE that I bought for the xbox 360 had xboxlive.
T.T
The real failure here is not being able to rent games. I don't care if I can get a game on demand, I want to rent instantly on my system.
BrywalkerX
@VergessenHeld:
My opinion means as much as yours, my apologies.
@urban_ryoga:
Same here. I was so pumped for it too. Climb the tower, get the flags, save the citizen. Over and over.
The main reason I thought it meant some things would be added to certain games is because the word fixed is in quotations, implying it's not technically broken.
XanderVincent
@jakinov: Ebay has new and refurbed ones for 65-85. I got one off there awhile back and it performs prefectly, There is zero reason to pay retail price for the 120hd. It's way over priced.
@RebelGrape: Likely because, like me, you had no choice when you bought your system.
@Archaotic: hey but you know you can delete purchased games and re-download them later right? Not only that, but you can delete the game without deleting the saves. I hope thats how it works. When I look in my hard drive I see all my GTA San Andreas saves but I deleted the game to make room for BC Rearmed.
tnmnsquare
@Hooligunn: Man, before I got my xbox, I have some awesome memories of going over to my friends house and playing halo 3 with him all night. Around launch I'd head over to his house after school and we'd play for 4 - 5 hours straight. Good times.
Personally, I don't think halo is the most amazing fps ever, but it seems to be the only one that allows multiple person per system online multiplayer.
Oh well, now my time is consumed by COD4 :D
@Soliduma: You still have space to download stuff? I can barely fit saved games on my damn drive anymore....they really need to drop drive prices.
Darkest Daze
@Clarke: It's as "on demand" as Steam is, but that seems obvious. Doesn't seem misleading to me.
Kegwen
@Archaotic: I thought they would announce a price drop as well. I can't believe how much they are still selling for. Seems silly that I ever bought a 20 gig.
RebelGrape
This whole plan fails because of MS insistence on making their harddrive proprietary (ie expensive) and the fact that they already said they will be the same as retail price.
jacksons98
@MooglesInMyFace: Once a year though, right? Or was that limit on the licenses transferring to a new console.
@porcuPINE: I sure hope so. I would be all for 250GB. I have a 120GB and it is almost full. I love installing my games to the hard drive.
Hopefully they remove the elevator loading from Mass Effect and handle it according to how long it actually takes to load :( After installing it still took forever to load on my friend's 360. I know it's built in, but hopefully they can remove it or adjust it to fit the actual load time. >.> That and Assassin's Creed's white space needs to die.
Either bc Beyond Good and Evil and put it up for download or GTFO.
cwatson71
@GrimCW: Damn dude, that must feel awful.
I have the 20 gigs and I feel my heart beat stop when I download an arcade game or a demo.
Soliduma
@TiKiMaN1: im sure bigger hard drives are on the way
@XanderVincent: Did you:
a)Actually play through the game
b)Play a demo of it at some store/try it at a friend's house
c)Base your opinion on the numerous articles by people who never played through the entire game
I like how they're trying to confuse the market. It's not really "on demand" if it's installed. Seems like they're trying to make it seem like OnLive for Xbox 360.
@Strangelove: I'VE BEEN THERE.
My rock band 2 disc got scratched and I can't install it because of the space... damn.
Soliduma
Really wondering why they are not offering larger hard drives than 120GB. For this Games on Demand service it seems like it would be a no brainer.
@MooglesInMyFace: When you've downloaded as much shit as I have, that's a lot more time consuming than you might think.
@Soliduma: What does Metal Gear Rising have to do with my 360 having no available hard drive space?
@The Forgetful Brain: Exactly. I had heard rumors they were going to drop the price of hard drives at this E3...looks like that didn't happen. Sadness.
@Teliko:
Totally.
MooglesInMyFace
@Goldwings: Has no idea why his avatar is a smiling sun: O.o
I will now PULVERIZE you for burning all of the layers of my cornea...
...if only I can use my eyes to see where you are!
@sentroshi:
Well, it was a learning experience. Never use brackets or whatever they're called unless I plan on using html or something.
@jakinov:
The price has to do with Microsoft's poor decision to make the drives external. They are just 2.5 inch drives in a plastic shell. 2.5 externals on Newegg go for similar prices as the 360 ones.
The other issue is that 20 gig and 60 gig hard drives aren't really made anymore. Thats another reason they're so expensive.
MooglesInMyFace
@XanderVincent: lol. That was one of the worst first purchases I've gotten for my 360.
@Hooligunn: only question i have about the pic and any form of the arbitor out of the game is.. everytime i look at him i see him with a darker steelish looking armor, but everything else makes him golden... maybe i'm just colorblind..
@Archaotic: I'm in the same boat. I have less than 2 gigs left on my 20 gig HD and I have to swap out demos. With another year of rock band and summer of arcade games, I'll be out of space entirely.
I'm a bit miffed.
@Str8_Jihadin: that is totally not much better. Considering what is inside that shell costs maybe $70 tops
[www.newegg.com]
that sounds interesting but I still have doubts that some consoles might work because some are old and have problems with the system and microsoft does not fix them.
@Teliko:
Very astute observations.
@Archaotic:
You can re-download anything you've bought.
MooglesInMyFace
@XanderVincent: If you're not going to do anything except troll, please just keep your mouth shut.
VergessenHeld
@Archaotic:
You're telling me, dude. I have the 20 gb, but have 325 downloaded Rock Band songs. Shit, I can't even install Rock Band 2 to the HD because I don't have enough space left.
they should release a halo ce xboxlive with this, god that would be amazing
@Soliduma: even the 120's get filled FAST with all the stuff out there from add ons to movies and arcade games.
mines already near full and i've hardly installed any games (i keep only the ones i'm currently playing installed) a few tv eps and a couple of arcade titles.
they'll either need to offer a bigger HD or a way to upgrade yourself like the PS3 (of which i actually have run out of space on the HD :p time to get a new one..)
@Archaotic: True. Nobody should delete out of lack of space, but it creates the dilemma of whether you should download or not. What to do, what to do...
If they sell crackdown ill buy it even though i have it already. Im stuck at 499 god damn orbs(I can hear it when i walk around a monument but its not around or above it-I fear it might be glitched inside X_X) :( and while i could play it fine im kinda spoiled with installing games to the hdd.
(Joke About the Removal of Genitals Here)
*It seems it didn't like my brackets, sorry about that last post.
By fixed do they mean they will make the story in Halo 3 worth paying attention to or make the character models of humans not look like poo?
The fix is in!
Bouchart
@Goldwings: Has no idea why his avatar is a smiling sun: but those balls look shot
@Archaotic: Yeah... they need to bump the price down on those harddrives. It's almost highway robbery.
And now? That price is neeeever going to come down.
Boo... almost makes me want to sell mine and buy an Elite. But that kind of sounds like a waste of money.
@Archaotic: But whoa dude, I remember your posts of wanting the new metal gear to be multiplatform and you do have a 360?
What the hell.
Not angry but I don't know, if it was really exclusive you could still play it since you have both.
Soliduma
God that picture brings back gaming memories. That was all over news stories back just a few months before Halo 3's launch - it was way overused.
It's weird to think ODST is coming out two YEARS after release. Feels like Halo 3 was out just yesterday.
Hooligunn
When you said "fixed" for it, and I scanned over Assassin's Creed, I thought you meant they'd be made enjoyable. =P
XanderVincent
@jakinov:
You can get one for $120 at Amazon.com
[www.amazon.com]
This looks like it could be very useful. That is, if I finally get enough coruage to send my 120 GB HD to Microsoft for repair. I knew I should't have taken it to Atlanta!
Acebuckeye13
@Bruticus:
Hang that somewhere for your maximum pleasure.
@Archaotic: Which is not to say I don't WANT to download anything, but I'm one of those crazies who doesn't believe in "cleaning out the fridge". I don't delete a game once I've spent money on it. Especially since I can't sell it or get my money back. =/
$170 for a 120GB harddrive...
jakinov
I would be psyched for this, but I have a 20GB hard drive, which is to say I won't be downloading much of anything after having a 360 for almost three years.
Perhaps this is a way to sell those 120 GB drives?
Either way, the dudes that like games and own 360 already have those 2 games that, as far as I know, are the only one that do that.
Soliduma
I prefer my games to have balls.