Why do games have 2 discs?
As a lifelong gamer and industry analyst, one of the top questions I get asked is: why do many of today‘s biggest games come on two Blu-ray discs when one used to be enough? This pivotal shift comes down to three key interlocking factors: massive and rising game file sizes, increasingly non-linear game design, and the slower pace of console disc drive evolution. Let‘s dive deeper into each one!
Rampant Game File Size Explosion
Game install sizes are expanding exponentially with each console generation. Back in the PS1 era, discs held up to 700MB – quaint by today‘s standards! Fast forward to the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and many cross-gen titles now exceed a staggering 100GB source. For comparison, that‘s over 140 times larger than early 32MB cartridges like Super Mario 64!
| Console | Media Format | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| PS1 | CD-ROM | 700MB |
| PS5 | Ultra HD Blu-ray | 100GB |
What‘s driving this exponential file size inflation? Higher resolution textures, more detailed 3D models, elaborated game physics, swelling sound and music libraries, high-bitrate video cutscenes – you name it. Game worlds keep getting larger and more complex to traverse. Ultrawide support demands higher rendering resolutions. Expectations for visual fidelity and immersion continue rising.
As both a developer and gamer, I believe these heavy install sizes are warranted if it allows groundbreaking experiences like The Last of Us Part II, which would not be possible otherwise. But it comes at a literal cost – storage capacity.
The Double-Edged Sword of Non-Linear Designs
Alongside swelling game asset sizes, modern titles also increasingly embrace open world environments and branching storylines that empower gamers to tackle objectives in a nonlinear fashion. Game maps keep expanding wider. Narrative choices proliferate. It‘s now standard for the critical path to divert in numerous directions based on player agency.
However, such flexibility necessitates duplicating and pre-caching game data across locations the user may travel to next. Fast streaming also relies on intelligently distributing assets across each disc to minimize costly swapping. Developers walk a tightrope balancing where content resides while hiding complexity from gamers.
For example in sci-fi darling Mass Effect 2, BioWare intentionally designed story missions and planets across the two discs so players can fluidly jet around the galaxy without frustrating disc churns after each hyperspace jump. Such tricks epitomize the care and foresight of veteran game makers. Gamers rightly expect uninterrupted immersion.
Console Disc Drives Lag Behind
While game file sizes balloon and nonlinearity abounds, console disc drive technology and media standards improve at a much more gradual pace dictated by industry committees and hardware lifecycles.
The optical drive in Sony‘s PlayStation 5 supports up to 100GB Ultra HD Blu-ray discs – double the 50GB discs supported by PlayStation 4. However both pale in comparison to the bleeding edge 200GB capacity offered by triple-layer Blu-ray specs finalized in 2021. Microsoft‘s Xbox Series X drive has similar constraints. This chronically slower evolution forces titles to add more discs rather than pushing the envelope on quality or scope.
Cartridge formats once dominated the industry for their speed, reliability and capacity thanks to bespoke form factors. However the rise of CD and later DVD standards lowered costs while boosting flexibility for developers and gamers alike. Streaming and solid state media hold promise to unlock the next generation of gaming innovation when infrastructure and pricing mature.
For now though, game makers and players will continue navigating the blessings and curses of multi-disc releases as home console roadmaps chart an evolutionary rather than revolutionary trajectory on par with gaming‘s meteoric rise.
What games spanning two or more discs occupy a fond spot in your library, and what future mega-installs top your wishlist? Let‘s connect in the comments!
