Disappointed by long load times for current gen

You know, game devs are at least hiding most loading screens behind cutscenes and what-now now, but I am pretty disappointed that "next-gen" has focused on better graphics and physics while neglecting the reduction of load times and installation times. To be honest, a good looking last-gen game with no load times or installs would be just fine with me. Instead we have games that have increased 8 fold in size and have *increased* load times and installation times.

We have come to the point with this generation of gamers where they expect instant access with instant load times.... I give you Exhibit A. Load times is not a big deal. Just be happy that developers are willing to upgrade the graphics and size of the game. At least we are not still in arcade-style simplistic-style games. Unfortunately technology isn't that advanced yet to give us what we want.

This expectation existed with cartridge games and the concept of loading started with the introduction of optical media. I have not played a game on the NES,SNES or N64 with a loading screen. This generation of gamers have come to expect loading times and not the other way around.

load times were god awful last gen in some games also. I remember playing Oblivion on my 360, each time i did a fast travel and it had to load, it felt like a 2 minute wait or more. I aged horribly by the time i finished the game.

Longest loading game i played recently is the witcher 3. I have a new 512gb crucial SSD and even with that it loads slower than you would expect since most other games load faster. I think the way the game loads it basically loads every single thing it needs for the map area into your system ram and video card ram. It would be nicer if the game would get you quickly started in the game, and do some smart loading in the background for the rest of the map area instead of making you wait for it all to load. But its possible they did it this way to avoid any kind of stuttering while playing which could exist if the games graphics weren't all loaded and ready to go at all times.

I want to make sure I understood your comments correctly. The last sentence... is that directed towards the generation of gamers who grew up with cartridges and then were there when the gaming industry went to disks or the newer generation of gamers who grew up with the disks and expect them to be instant load times?

i havent tried a PS4 or X1 yet but the wiiu is certainly off the pace. the disc drive is not fast enough (it's so lacking that monolith recommend downloading around 10GB worth of texture packs to compensate for xenoblade).

the nature of optical media is to blame (god i remember the loading times for wipeout on the PS1....a pain) but the benefits of its use far outweigh the downsides of course. it would be nice if the manufacturers thought more about how to keep the console fed with data fast enough. i suppose the issue is cost. they could do things like have all games on 2+ gamecube sized (physical) discs that slot into a drive which would basically be 2 blu-ray drives in a raid 0 configuration. but it would raise the cost of the console and blu-ray movies would be a non runner. they could also use a faster blu-ray drive but, again, cost and noise.

Technology isn't advanced enough? Install a game on an SSD on a PC and behold instantaneous to 5 second max load times on every game out there. The tech has been here in the consumer market since 2005, it's just that console makers have given it the cold shoulder due to cost.

But we now live in the day and age when a 250 GB SSD costs $65 USD. That's half the storage space of most consoles off the self. If they were to put another SATA 3 port in consoles, you could have both speed (for installed games you are currently playing) and storage (for whatever). But apparently that's too hard to grasp for Sony or MS.

Had no issue with the Load times of Witcher 3 on my PC SD drive etc?

I wasn't talking about PC. I was discussing console games. I understand PC games are more advanced, but I can't pay that much money to continue to upgrade over and over again. I do understand your point though.

They are on the right way to push the feature and the graphic improvement to the cost of the loading times. Okay some people like you could not be agree but most people should be.

That's crazy. I've a Crucial 512ssd too, and just played the Witcher 3 a few hours ago. I'm into the main menu in 10 seconds (hitting x) and load into my game in another 20 seconds ish. 4790k 4.8, 16gb 2400, 980ti 1463hz. I forget my ssd...I think it's an m500? Or some such? I'm too lazy to look it up.

@darkknight9174: So expecting big game worlds and not load times? You can't have both mate

some gamers are just so picky

If you play your cards right, you don't have to pay more than you already would buying a new generation console every x number of years.

This doesn't bother me. In fact, I like the way The Witcher 3, and I'm sure other games too, are set up. Sure there is a load screen for a bit, but once the game is going there are very few unless you switch areas, enable cut-scenes, etc.

Seriously though, have some patience and get over it. We've come a long way since the Commodore 64 tape games.

My issue is that I don't know what to get....or even what to look for?

Agreed. I hate when I die in The Witcher 3 or Far Cry 4...expect a minute of loading before you respawn.

Games are getting more complex and they require more data to load. The consoles are limited by slow mechanical drives (5400 rpm) that are also limited by SATA II speeds and weak CPUs. Even if you put an SSD in the consoles, you don't get the results that you get on PC.

@The_Last_Ride: It isn't impossible.

On the PC, I can go from the desktop right into running around The Witcher 3 in under a minute.

While load times have gotten to be quite long, I'm noticing them less often.

I'd much have a few long load time than lots of little ones.

That is still considered loading time mate

If you mean in terms of parts, this subreddit is amazing at providing recommendations, and often will provide an entire "buy this" guide based on your budget. Don't get overwhelmed if some people have a $3,000 budget. Many others have come in with a $500-700 budget.

https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/

also, check that subreddit's side-bar for guides if you just want to research the subject yourself:

Resources

Choosing Parts/Components:

• Guide to PC Components
• Part Selection Resources
• Logical Increments PC Parts Guide
• ChooseMyPC Build Generator
• PCPartPicker.com (How to Use)

The Build:

• Assembling the Components
• Operating System Guide
• Finishing Touches

Yes you can and it has been done.

Which game does not have load times whatsoever, proof please...

Jak and Daxkter

Only way to fix this would be to increase the RAM and then start using a SDD drive