New PS4 Smell

[djskribbles]

Amazon Canada has PS Plus 12 Month Subscription Cards for $29.99 http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/ref=pe_638070_97703360_pe_row3_b4_t/?ASIN=B00FJ4CDGQ

TheSource.ca also has them for 29.99. Walmart, Bestbuy and Futureshop also had them but sold out. Seems like PS+ will go on sale more often. Wasn't going to get PS+ because I rarely go online, but at $30, why not... picked up two.

 

[mrcorbo]

Hm ? PS3 can recognize PSP, Vita and PS3 game packages. For the first 2 packages, it simply leaves them in bundle form. For the last type, it will automatically install them unless you choose background install.

You said that a reason to separate download from install is to allow download of content for other systems. If the system can differentiate between its own content and content destined for other devices this is not necessary. Again, I don't think it's an amazing feat of software engineering to have a PS4 both able to install PS4 content as it downloads and able to download and store content for other devices.

It's not really a big deal to separate download from install.

No, but it would have represented a strange lack of development of what was an markedly inferior system for them last generation on the PS3 compared to the 360's implementation. One of the reasons I became enthusiastic about the PS4 in the first place was the fact that they seemed to really understand all of the shortcomings of the PS3's user experience and had worked to address them on the PS4. If they had missed this one, it would have been disappointing.

Fortunately, as I said, I think what actually happened was that a combination of the graphical indicators and labeling in the UI made me think that all of the data had been downloaded and the game was then carrying on a separate install of that data off of the hard drive (which it was doing ridiculously slowly if that was, in fact, the case). What I believe it was actually telling me was that enough data had been downloaded to allow limited play and the continuing install process actually involved downloading the additional data and installing it simultaneously.

They are already doing that.

It's just that there are:
(a) Foreign bundles
(b) Background install (a la PS4 style)
(c) Straight install right after download
(d) Background download (Doesn't auto-install on PS3, perhaps for security reason)

Just so I'm clear; are you advocating a digital download system that would grab ~47 GB of data from the internet and store it on the hard drive, and when that's completely done would then move that data somewhere else on the hard drive to "install" it? It was backward when the PS3 did this and it would have been even more backward for the PS4 to perpetuate it.

 

[patsu]

I think you misunderstood. By separating them, it doesn't mean they have to be serialized.

It just means the system can handle download and install separately and cleanly if necessary (e.g., downloading PSP games on PS3). Obviously, they can combine/integrate both processes where it makes sense. PS3 already does that except for when you do background install.

PS4 does that too, but introduce background download. Clearly, it doesn't require full download to install or play. But the download process and install process are still separate. The game developers are the good folks who make these happen correctly using Sony's tools and facilities.

 

[Arwin]

Yeah but PS4 and Vita download a package that is close to executable/unpacked while downloading, and only requires small OS registration and setup of icons and live area, where the PS3 install is basically an encrypted zip-file that needs to be unpacked to a new location after it had completely downloaded. And then of course the PS4 has the added benefit of partial downloads allowing you to play before you have everything, etc. Good and important progress for sure.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Yeah but PS4 and Vita download a package that is close to executable/unpacked while downloading, and only requires small OS registration and setup of icons and live area, where the PS3 install is basically an encrypted zip-file that needs to be unpacked to a new location after it had completely downloaded.

I don't think that's true. Download size is exactly the same as installed size IIRC. That was always the great conundrum about PS3 downloads - what the heck is it doing when 'installing'?

 

[Arwin]

Typical game assets are and remain compressed files after 'unpacking' (JPEG, mp3, avi etc)

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It's possible they are 'compressed' into a package without any compression applied, but I'm pretty sure Richard Leadbetter told me directly that the .pkg files are downloaded complete from the store and 'installed' in the same monolithic structure.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I don't think that's true. Download size is exactly the same as installed size IIRC. That was always the great conundrum about PS3 downloads - what the heck is it doing when 'installing'?

My guess is that the download packages are unpacked, encrypted using Sony's variants of AES-128 using one of the keys unique to each PS3, then written out. I don't believe the PPE has any instructions to accelerate this which would explain why all writes are slow.

 

[patsu]

It's possible they are 'compressed' into a package without any compression applied, but I'm pretty sure Richard Leadbetter told me directly that the .pkg files are downloaded complete from the store and 'installed' in the same monolithic structure.

In the PS4 case, do they "just" have many smaller pkg files arranged such as the starting levels are in front.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I've no idea. Google found this which points to .pkg still existing as a format, but that might be a launcher and content downloader for all I know. eg. Download a 40 MB .pkg that downloads the executable and first part of the assets before launching, and this downloader runs in the background. Although such a downloader really wants to be at the OS level I'd have thought.

 

[scf]

I sniffed PS4 downloading some indie game and the pkg was 1.5GB.

 

[Cornsnake]

I was just playing Killzone MP and suddenly the game paused on me, and said the battery is low. I quickly plug in the recharge cable, and nothing. It still won't respond. I had to grab a second controller and log in before I was able to interact with the game again. Shouldn't a controller always work when it's connect by cable?

 

[ERP]

I was just playing Killzone MP and suddenly the game paused on me, and said the battery is low. I quickly plug in the recharge cable, and nothing. It still won't respond. I had to grab a second controller and log in before I was able to interact with the game again. Shouldn't a controller always work when it's connect by cable?

I don't know what the final decision was, but at one point, the intention was to have the controllers only connect via Bluetooth, and just use the USB connection to charge.
But I'd imagine that even then the controller would be able to pull power from the cable and still function.

 

[DrJay24]

I don't know what the final decision was, but at one point, the intention was to have the controllers only connect via Bluetooth, and just use the USB connection to charge.
But I'd imagine that even then the controller would be able to pull power from the cable and still function.

They obviously do in the demos at the stores.

 

[patsu]

When I was testing the controller battery life, something weird happened too. I didn't break out my second controller, but I can't remember what I did.

 

[Gradthrawn]

I noticed in KZ that if the controller battery is down to 1 bar, audio will not play through it (audio logs). Nothing strange about that. But what is strange is that it doesn't appear to notify the game, so, playing audio logs doesn't come through the TV either. You're also not given any feedback as to the reason. Thought that was odd (or perhaps just an overlooked bug).

 

[scf]

I've played with discharged controller connecting it with USB cord and had no problems.

 

[BoardBonobo]

Don't you have to allow USB charging in the settings, same place you can control the speaker volume on the controller?

Sent from my Xperia Z using Forum Runner

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Has Sony added the option to pause downloads in the latest firmwares? Downloading the 40gbs of BF4 cannot be done at 4mbps without pausing at my end.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Don't you have to allow USB charging in the settings, same place you can control the speaker volume on the controller?

The only controller options I have are Enable Vibration and Volume Control. Are you thinking of Power Saving Settings -> Set Functions Available in Standby Mode where USB charging is one of them?