Saving games to the Xbox 360's hard drive makes them look better
As I wrote on Wednesday, I have found Microsoft's updated version of Xbox Live to be a mixed bag navigation-wise. And I haven't used a few key features like parties or Netflix yet.
But there's one feature I'm using that is undeniably awesome: Saving games to the hard drive. As soon as I got the NXE (new Xbox experience) beta test, I immediately saved "Fable 2" to the hard drive, mainly because the game is constantly accessing data from the disc and it is loud, even by Xbox 360 standards. I was hoping I would no longer be distracted by the noise of a disc spinning with such fury it could fly out of the machine and behead me and I was right. The 8 minutes or so it took to transfer the game to my hard drive was well worth it, because the 360 is now virtually silent while I play.
But there was one extra, unexpected benefit: "Fable 2" looks noticeably better. The graphics are sharper and brighter. So much so that it's like the game, or my graphics processor, has gotten an upgrade. Perhaps someone more familiar with programming can tell me why, but I assume it has to do with the fact that it's easier for the console to access and process all the requisite data, so it has to make fewer compromises to deliver me graphics in real time.
Nobody at Microsoft (or anywhere else) has talked about this benefit that I've seen I can't say whether it will happen with every title. But presuming so, it really makes transferring games to the hard drive a no-brainer, so long as you've got the space. Who doesn't want their videogames to look as sharp as possible?
(In terms of hard drive management, I imagine I'll be regularly transferring and deleting different games based on how much space I have and what games I'm playing the most at the moment.)
Chris Morris reports on the business and culture of video games and offers analysis of recent events and industry trends.
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Posted by: flash development | November 27, 2009 at 03:12 AM
"I find this to be a useless function.Dungeon Fighter gold I have my 360 connected to a good surround sound. I am not looking to make things quieter,DFO gold and heating has not been an issue. If I have to put in the disc I am wasting my time to load to my hard drive. cheap darkfall goldI find this to feel like a reason for MS to sell hard drive with the guise of it's less noisy and runs a tenth of a second faster. I was hoping to be able to switch games without having to walk over and stick in a disc.darkfall gold I am doing that now then there is no reason for me to waste 6-8 gbs of hard drive space per game."
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Posted by: Home solar systems | November 23, 2009 at 01:45 PM
Glad I found this.....doesn't seem to make any difference to the games I've tried
Posted by: Gamer | November 17, 2009 at 02:13 PM
good article, but i prefer computer games!
Posted by: essays | November 09, 2009 at 01:24 PM
you need the actual disk to load up the game stored on the hd. so, no, you can't just rent games and save them.
Posted by: infants | November 05, 2009 at 05:19 PM
I think I can honestly say that the sound of the xbox has never bothered me. Maybe you need to turn up your tv!
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in addition to my previous comment i would like to add that i think the rpm of 360 drives are below 5400..
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Posted by: Blu Ray Ripper | October 25, 2009 at 11:12 AM
That is strange since this is not how it should be.. the hard drive has a slower rpm than the optical drive.. so moving the games to the hard drive should reduce quality not improve them.
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Posted by: Faraz | October 25, 2009 at 11:11 AM
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Posted by: cash gifting | October 21, 2009 at 12:11 PM
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i buy games at gamestop,they will guve money back if the game doesent work. that means i can buy a game for my 360 and install it on the hdd and return the game and get my cash back...free games!
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Posted by: Andrew Lukas | August 19, 2009 at 01:06 AM
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Posted by: 111 | July 10, 2009 at 06:06 PM
damn you leanr something new every day. But its abit shameful on Microsofts part for them to have to make you install the games if you want them to see the full potential graphically
Posted by: Xbox 360 | June 12, 2009 at 05:04 AM
i still dont see a point to this because you still need the disk to play the game, and its not like the games load quicker
Posted by: thx 1138 | May 28, 2009 at 01:51 AM
After installing the games 2 your hard drive can any gamer profine in my hard drive play on it ???
Posted by: SLADEY | April 09, 2009 at 07:29 AM
Yeah, its good that I can install Fable 2 to my Hard Drive, I noticted straight away that when I paused the game with the disc spinning it took quite a bit (4 seconds), where as with it installed to the hard drive it took less time and this is awesome. Every game I have installed seems better off in some form.
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Wow you are all noobs. His games look better because the load time of rendering textures has been reduced making the image look cleaner. Studies have shown this to be one of the few perks to saving a game to hdd although it is only true for a few select games Fable II being one of them. Another major perk that most people have not discussed is the fact that you are now not running the hell out of your rom. This will greatly improve the lifetime of it.
Posted by: Vanguard | February 13, 2009 at 06:35 AM
It also helps if you have a scratched disk to download the game. Download time may take a few extra minutes but you can play the game like it is shinny clean.
Posted by: Jon | February 12, 2009 at 10:34 PM
Is there a way to insert a disk into the tray that is used to trick the xbox into thinking that it is game you are playing. This would make it much easier to use because you would no longer have to switch disks, and you could just rent games and copy them.
Posted by: Jamas | December 29, 2008 at 05:40 PM
Ahhh..good thing i got 120GBs I love my xbox360Elite it was worth it
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