Games still on cd's!?

[OhHenry]

Ok, they still make put games on CDs and DVDs but stop making next generation AGP cards... What's the rational behind this? I know that that dual layer DVD are pretty expensive retail but what does it cost the publisher to put games on DVDs vs CDs? I got lucky getting a DVD copy for BF2 on the day it launch without reserving it but my bro picked on a copy of COD2 on black Friday and it came with 6 CD's :*( still installing as I type and swap. Maybe it's for the obese kids of America. Give them a work out swapping CDs.

 

[xtknight]

There was a great paragraph about this in one of my old Maximum PC mags. I think it was because tons of people still are stuck with CD-ROM drives. Hell, I just got a DVD drive a month ago, lol. CDs are probably a lot cheaper, but I'm just guessing. I'm pretty sure CD-Rs are already a lot cheaper than Floppys.

 

[Pocatello]

Most of games that require 5-6 CDs require a pretty powerful PC with expensive hardware, and windows XP, not just any PC with CD-ROM will do. It's not likely that you're going to buy Quake 4 if you have a PII system with just a CD-ROM drive.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: Pocatello
Most of games that require 5-6 CDs require a pretty powerful PC with expensive hardware, and windows XP, not just any PC with CD-ROM will do. It's not likely that you're going to buy Quake 4 if you have a PII system with just a CD-ROM drive.

Ohhh no people will. Trust me.

I have seen Windows XP on a Pentium 166 with 16MB of RAM. Why did those people put it on there...and better yet HOW did those people get it on there. I do not understand.

Also I doubt that the cost of one DVD is any different than the cost of 6 CD's to manufacture. Dual Layer DVD+R are still so expensive because it's new tech and they can charge more. It's really very inexpensive to manufacture. What you ARE paying for is for all of the R&D money put into developing the product. Once stuff like this is out and being manufactured it's pretty damn cheap to do.

Dual Layer will drop to where Single Layer is within a year or two....also because HD-DVD/Blu-Ray will be coming out.

Also have you heard of the 300GB discs and such? Can you imagine what they will charge for those? It will be crazy I'm sure. Oh well...eventually DVD+R 4.7GB discs will be as cheap as CD-R.

What I can't wait for is those DVD's that store tons and tons of info to be as cheap as CD-R. That would be so helpful for backups.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: Pocatello
What I can't wait for is those DVD's that store tons and tons of info to be as cheap as CD-R. That would be so helpful for backups.

Do you think they will be reliable though? I've moved away from doing backups on DVD, because I've had so many corrupted over time and what not.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: tasburrfoot78362

Originally posted by: Pocatello
What I can't wait for is those DVD's that store tons and tons of info to be as cheap as CD-R. That would be so helpful for backups.

Do you think they will be reliable though? I've moved away from doing backups on DVD, because I've had so many corrupted over time and what not.

I've never had a single problem with DVD backups.

 

[ElFenix]

license fees are way higher on dvds than on CDs

edit: they can also sell the 'ultra platinum dvd special edition' version of the game for $20 more

 

[Shadrack]

OdiN you don`t have a clue.............

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: Shadrack
OdiN you don`t have a clue.............

I've also never had a problem with my DVD backups. Perhaps your burner was faulty somehow?

Its like this though, CDs are still much cheaper to produce than DVDs, for a variety of reasons. Its often cheaper for the publisher to produce several CDs than 1 or 2 DVDs. It would do them well to have a DVD version of any game with more than 3 CDs though, just my two cents.

 

[pabs]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
license fees are way higher on dvds than on CDs

edit: they can also sell the 'ultra platinum dvd special edition' version of the game for $20 more

QFT lol, game publishers love to charge 20 bucks more for the 'extra content' that merits the DVD. What happens to those guys who want the content but are without dvd drives?

I really do hope that companies would start releasing DVD standard versions of games since its such a pain to have so many CDs to pop in and out every time you install.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: pabs

Originally posted by: ElFenix
license fees are way higher on dvds than on CDs

edit: they can also sell the 'ultra platinum dvd special edition' version of the game for $20 more

QFT lol, game publishers love to charge 20 bucks more for the 'extra content' that merits the DVD. What happens to those guys who want the content but are without dvd drives?

I really do hope that companies would start releasing DVD standard versions of games since its such a pain to have so many CDs to pop in and out every time you install.

With stuff like this or even this, how can you be without a DVD drive if you might need one?

 

[hclarkjr]

here is a site that shows you how to convert the multi cd games to dvd and has step by step instructions on how to do it for most games link

 

[Elcs]

Luckily in the UK, I got HL2 on DVD rather than 3+ discs.... although unfortunately it would probably have been better if Id bought online.

I wish more companies would make the step up to the modern age. 4 cd's for a game isnt really acceptable to be honest...

 

[sonoma1993]

fable and need for speed most wanted are one cd-rom. i think both games have at least 3-4 cd just to install the game. It would be nice if they came on a dvd instead.

 

[Davegod]

In UK (and presumably rest of europe?) it's getting pretty rare to get more than 2 CD's in a box. Quake 4, HL2, Serious Sam II, Far Cry, Deus Ex II, UT2004, all games in my collection on DVD. It's either a regional market or regional disk manufacturer (cost/availability) thing.

I'm not sure reliability of the disks can be an issue, for one because as mentioned other areas get DVDs, and anyway the reliability of a single DVD cant be that much less than 3-4 times that of CD (since you only need one of them to fail).

DVDs are faster and more convenient for the consumer.

 

[GOREGRINDER]

CD's need to just die already for pc gaming

 

[cpacini]

Originally posted by: OhHenry
Ok, they still make put games on CDs and DVDs but stop making next generation AGP cards... What's the rational behind this?

They release games on cd rather than dvd because it is the method that makes them the most money. If they could make more money by releasing games on dvd then they would. The gaming companys would lose more money in sales by losing people that dont have a DVD drive then they would make by saving money in the manufacturing process.

Originally posted by: tasburrfoot78362

With stuff like this or even this, how can you be without a DVD drive if you might need one?

Because the vast majority of computer users buy thier computer from Dell and Gateway and do not have the slightest idea that they can buy a DVD drive for $20, nor would they have any idea how to install it.

 

[Chacranajxy]

The industry needs the balls to say "get a god damn DVD drive." Seriously. It's been what... 7 or 8 years since DVD drives started coming out for computers? You can't be serious about gaming unless you buy a drive for the $20 or so it'd cost.

As it is, I always buy the DVD versions of games when I can... there's less stuff to keep track of and installing stuff is more convenient.

 

[kravmaga]

Funny, if it costs more to liscense dvds than CDs why have all the freebie games I've gotten over the past few months with hardware been dvds? Farcry, BF2, CoD 2 (all coming with various hardware I've purchased) all dvd's. You would think that if it was so much cheaper than they would make the free bundled games CD's. I've actually avoided buying certain games because the DVD version either didn't exist or was a limited time thing.

 

[cpacini]

Originally posted by: kravmaga
Funny, if it costs more to liscense dvds than CDs why have all the freebie games I've gotten over the past few months with hardware been dvds? Farcry, BF2, CoD 2 (all coming with various hardware I've purchased) all dvd's. You would think that if it was so much cheaper than they would make the free bundled games CD's. I've actually avoided buying certain games because the DVD version either didn't exist or was a limited time thing.

It costs more to license a DVD than a CD, but it is cheaper to use 1 DVD than 6 CD's

 

[Compuzen]

I had to upgrade my computer when Doom3 came out. If I didn't allready have DVD drives I wouldn't have minded upgrading those also. Whats a $50 drive when you pay $400 for a video card.

The only good thing I can see about the cds over the dvd is that if you use a program like gamedrive to keep from having to put in the disc to play. I wouldn't want a 3Gb image file on my HD.

 

[Schnozzinkobenstein]

In Steam's latest hardware survey, 20-30% of people had CD drives.

 

[Fox5]

Originally posted by: Schnozzinkobenstein
In Steam's latest hardware survey, 20-30% of people had CD drives.

And 90% of the people on Steam are playing counterstrike, a game that runs ok on a 200mhz Pentium MMX.

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

Originally posted by: Fox5

Originally posted by: Schnozzinkobenstein
In Steam's latest hardware survey, 20-30% of people had CD drives.

And 90% of the people on Steam are playing counterstrike, a game that runs ok on a 200mhz Pentium MMX.

WEll they still have dvd drives right?

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Originally posted by: Chacranajxy
As it is, I always buy the DVD versions of games when I can... there's less stuff to keep track of and installing stuff is more convenient.

And when you fit six CD's worth of data on a DVD, one little scratch is six times more likely to screw up your game's installation.