How long does it take to start playing?
One thing that people always mention on retro gaming sites is how quickly you can plug in and play a cartridge based video game. Unlike disc based games, there's no loading (well, ok, extremely tiny amounts of it). I was bored tonight and I wanted to measure exactly how long it took to turn on my PS3, sit through all the loading screens, and begin playing a game.
It takes approximately 25 seconds for the system to power on to the point where you can then select the game, or do whatever else you're going to do with the console. Those seconds are included in these numbers. I started a new game for each one, and all intro cut scenes were skipped if the option was available. The timer was stopped at the moment you first gain control of the character, even if it's for a tutorial (such as in the case of Fallout 3).
I have 8 PS3 games on me at the moment. Here's how long it took for each one, rounded to the nearest second:
6:25 - Metal Gear Solid 4
3:50 - Fallout 3
3:45 - Killzone 2
3:20 - Bioshock
2:39 - Twisted Metal
2:36 - Final Fantasy XIII-2
2:15 - Catherine
1:36 - Final Fantasy XIII
FF13 was the quickest game, though if you didn't skip any cutscenes, it would be Bioshock.
MGS4 has a unskippable intro cutscene, plus a two minute install when selected a different act (since the last time I played on was on the last act, you have to do it again). It does have another initial install when you first play it, but I didn't need to do that and it wouldn't really be fair to include that anyway. So you can subtract two minutes if you don't want to count that "act install."
If anybody would like to add their own times to this list, start timing from when you press the X button on the game to load it up, then end it when you first gain control of the character. Then add 25 seconds for the final time.
It takes approximately 25 seconds for the system to power on to the point where you can then select the game, or do whatever else you're going to do with the console. Those seconds are included in these numbers. I started a new game for each one, and all intro cut scenes were skipped if the option was available. The timer was stopped at the moment you first gain control of the character, even if it's for a tutorial (such as in the case of Fallout 3).
I have 8 PS3 games on me at the moment. Here's how long it took for each one, rounded to the nearest second:
6:25 - Metal Gear Solid 4
3:50 - Fallout 3
3:45 - Killzone 2
3:20 - Bioshock
2:39 - Twisted Metal
2:36 - Final Fantasy XIII-2
2:15 - Catherine
1:36 - Final Fantasy XIII
FF13 was the quickest game, though if you didn't skip any cutscenes, it would be Bioshock.
MGS4 has a unskippable intro cutscene, plus a two minute install when selected a different act (since the last time I played on was on the last act, you have to do it again). It does have another initial install when you first play it, but I didn't need to do that and it wouldn't really be fair to include that anyway. So you can subtract two minutes if you don't want to count that "act install."
If anybody would like to add their own times to this list, start timing from when you press the X button on the game to load it up, then end it when you first gain control of the character. Then add 25 seconds for the final time.
Comments
Let's download a game from PSN:
1. Take forever to download.
2. Take forever to install.
3. Take forever to update.
That's partly why I play primarily Xbox 360.
And all the other systems are comparably slow to load as well. PS3 is just the better system overall, so to me it's worth the wait for more features and such.
Originally posted by: dra600n
FF XIII-2, if you consider "playing" as Lightning in the very beginning as playing (which it's still the intro, they just made it interactive, and I think a battle or 2) then sure, otherwise it's much, much longer than 3 minutes since you have the whole fight scene, the scene where Noel comes out of the gate, then going into the gate, and meeting Serah.
I skipped the cutscene and stopped it at the battle with Lightning (after skipping the tutorial as well).
Originally posted by: Super Slash
When I popped in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, I was surprised that I had to install the game before I could play it. I have no idea why they force you to do it, but it took like 15 minutes.
It's because the blu ray drive is actually really slow. So they make you install it so they can stream alot of the data of the hard drive instead.
Originally posted by: scaryice
Originally posted by: dra600n
FF XIII-2, if you consider "playing" as Lightning in the very beginning as playing (which it's still the intro, they just made it interactive, and I think a battle or 2) then sure, otherwise it's much, much longer than 3 minutes since you have the whole fight scene, the scene where Noel comes out of the gate, then going into the gate, and meeting Serah.
I skipped the cutscene and stopped it at the battle with Lightning (after skipping the tutorial as well).
That shouldn't count then since a first time player most likely won't skip the cut scenes. Maybe toss that as an alternate start time and a "first time" start time for games like that?
I fired up Mega Man 3 last night and actually sat through the intro just to hear that great music.