New Monster Hunter on PSP includes installlation option

by Scott Jon Siegel on Feb 10th 2008 11:00AM

Hot on the heels of the mandatory installation controversy surrounding the PS3 version of Devil May Cry 4, comes word that the PSP title Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G will also feature an installation option. The installation will give players the chance to move the UMD's contents to the PSP's memory card, in order to decrease load times for the newest notch in the Japanese adventure series.

Along with this news comes obvious concerns that the pre-installation process may become a new standard in games, ending the good old feeling of buying a console or portable title and being able to just play it. We can't confirm yet whether the installation for 2nd G is mandatory, or whether it's presented as an alternative to load times. We're hoping for the latter. The game is due out in Japan in March 2008.

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Source

Tags: capcom, monster-hunt-2nd-g, monster-hunter, monsterhunter, PSP

Reader Comments (57)

Oh no, I have to wait a few minutes after I buy a game to install it instead of getting to play it NOW!

What the hell is wrong with people? How is getting to install a game a bad thing?

Oh, and it's highly doubtful that the install would be mandatory - they can't expect everyone to have that big a memory card, or that much space.

I concur.

People are too impatient these days. The amount of time people participate to bitch about installation is probably way longer than the install process itself.

Why does the SDF think it's an issue with the install time? Last I checked, the primary complaint was that a mandatory install forces gamers to use up a considerable amount of storage space.

If Monster Hunter is an optional install, there's no issue.

It's one thing when it's for a PC. It's standard for the field (as are many other things, like mods and stuff).

However, it is NOT the norm for console/portable game. Console games are supposed to be about the simplicity of playing. No worrying about compatable hardware, installations, etc. Just put the game in and play.

@BPM VII: Crisis Core

"However, it is NOT the norm for console/portable game."

Neither was downloading games until this generation. Eventually, all games will be stored in the system, and that's simpler than carrying around a bunch of portable games or having to swap discs. There's no difference between reading a game off a disc to store it or downloading it.

The PSP's memory stick and the PS3's internal drive will allow developers to transition to smaller, lower risk, episodic content, improving games. While the DS, Wii, and 360 will be stuck doing things the old way and have traditional games with lower quality. The memory stick and internal drive will be more important than UMD and Blu-ray in the long run.

@name123:
Unlike PS3, storage on the PSP is NOT a standard. Not all models come packed with a MSPD (most do, but not all).
And there's the issue that flash memory is still expensiver, per gig, compared to plate-based HDDs. And Sony's Memory Stick format is expensive compared to SD...
2GB SD = $8
2GB MicroSD = $15
2GB MSPD = $34
(sources = Newegg)

Downloading whole games is one thing (a good thing), but installing from disc-based games is another (a bad thing).

"The PSP's memory stick and the PS3's internal drive will allow developers to transition to smaller, lower risk, episodic content, improving games. While the DS, Wii, and 360 will be stuck doing things the old way and have traditional games with lower quality."
1) Newsflash: 360 and Wii can do episodic gaming, too. Sam & Max is coming to both of them.
2) Personally, I don't see episodic content as an "improvement." It's nice, if it's done right (To learn how to do it wrong, see also: Half-Life 2).
3) Nothing wrong with doing it the old way. It's worked for several (console) generations just fine.

Okay, this installation option is an option and not mandatory. Just like UT3 which would have been a better reference. Instead you must have been jumping with joy for another chance to attack the PS3.

And you wonder why the petition to ban Joystiq from access to Sony products and reviews is getting signatures at a geometric rate.

You argument doesn't hold up, since you can't even get the system this article is about correct.

I'd start a petition to ban them from PC gaming, but it'd only save the world from one ignorant, biased, journalistically-worthless post a month =)

Because internet petitions work ALL THE TIME.

And what in the hell is a 'geometric' rate anyway? Dur.

I'm guessing he means exponential rate.

Even so, I'm laughing at all the butthurt going on here. "Baaaaaw Joystiq is tobias and don't like my precious Sony so I will protect them baaaaaaaaw."

Jerk Face made me lol

internet petitions are a joke. although i do believe that Joystiq has a bias against Sony and PC products, it is usually a pretty well written and intelligent site. now i do believe that this story, among others, only made Joystiq cause it could be flame-bait (seriously, whats the big deal about an optional installation, games do it all the time now) but.....well i dont have a "but" since that about covers it.....

It should be mandatory. It's stupid to make it an option when most people are going to install it.

I know exactly what the topic of the article is about but I am pointing out they used the article to try and point out a PS3 issue. The people that apparently don't know what the article is supposed to be about is joystiq. They are the ones that brought up the PS3, not me. You can be a bootlicking acolyte if you want but you shouldn't be an imperceptive, blind boot licking acolyte.

Please use your superior skills of perception, to point out where they slagged the PS3 specifically here.

They expressed fear of this becoming a trend in gaming (I assume because it has now shown up on two different games, on two different systems).

Instead of noticing this, Colonels in the Sony Defense Force like yourself bust an artery screaming "bias".

- Scott

Well, to be fair, this was supposed to be the Xbox advantage last gen. Several games installed small portions of the game itself onto the hard drive. Sony further took this idea on PS2 with the hard drive.

So in reality, this IS nothing new and I'd prefer more PS3 games give the option. However, mandatory installs should be removed.

Thats funny, the contents of the game will already be on my memory card.

I'm surprised it took someone that long to say that.

Hm... but what if I use the option to install the game when I'm running the game from the memory stick in the first place?

I would hope that the install option means you'll be able to actually execute the game from the Memory Stick, so that you won't have to have the UMD in the drive, but I know that's just wishful thinking.

Option good. Making it madatory in the future is bad. If you have 4 or 5 games its no issue. I have over 75 360 and 30 or so PS3 games. If they all are mandatory in the future you would loose your ability to buy and play new games without loosing already game saves / downloads. BS

For some reason I think you will need a UMD for to play off of the memroy stick. Personaly when its optional I don't mind and the people who brought up the PS3 here were the Sony defensive people. WhatI do have an issue with is the load times the PSP has to begin with, I mean in order to rectify their load time issues(legnth) Sony first turns out a new revision which has more RAM and claimed it would be for caching games, making them load faster(which is now also being used for features that the orignal PSP can't do and could hinder the expirence of the owner(this isn't a backlight added in ala GBASP, this is a major change and really shouldn't been allowed to go under the PSP1 title anymore) and now they have to use the memory stick to help load times down even furture on some games, Monster Hunter being an example. So what can we gather from this. There's something wrong with the optical media format you chose for the ssystem if you need to go THIS far to get the games to load at an acceptable speed for most portable gamers.

For the record I do own a PSP 1(the one with out the extra RAM, in my eyes that's PSP 2) so I'm not a Nintendo DS only owning fanboy.

Ummm... you people do know how much a UMD holds right? 2GB assuming it is MANDATORY you better stock up on 4 and 8GB memsticks if this becomes a common practivce. Otherwise you wont even be able to PLAY the game with out dropping another 30-50 first!

You know I don't think the full game will be installed on your memory stick just a few portion of it, mostly textures and sounds to make the loading times short.

Holy crap, when did gamers become such spoiled bitches they can't even wait a few minutes! The REAL problem here is the storage space it takes up, but so far the PIRATES downloading ENTIRE games (that are killing PSP game sales) seem to get along just fine with it.

(Also, this pretty much confirms the PSP 2 will have a huge harddrive)

Not at all.

Instead of bitching about install/not install from UMD onto memory card, like for the PS3 with Blu-Ray onto HDD, I'm just going to reach out for a very old yet relevant debate.

FLASH CARTS > UMD.

Yeah!

*yawn*

WRONG!

UMD + Memory Card installation > Flash Cartridge

With UMD + memory card installation, you get speeds almost as fast as a flash cartridge without paying the higher costs.

Without paying the higher what? Because your memory card is free?

@ThornedVenom

One memory card + UMDs for multiple games is cheaper than multiple flash cartridges.

Since WHEN were the UMDs themselves cheaper than flash carts?!!

And what kind of memory stick are we talking about?

@ThornedVenom

Since when has flash storage ever been cheaper than disk storage?

And you don't need a huge Memory Stick to use the installation option. The whole game isn't installed onto the memory stick, so a moderately-sized Memory Stick should be fine.

I think we could both agree that hybrid technology should be the way. Somewhat similar to this (the example uses a hard drive, but it uses flash memory technology for caching, so load times should go faster):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_drive

It's similar to the UMD/memory card in some aspects, except that with a hybrid memory storage, each game would have its own flash memory to buffer.

@ThornedVenom

I do agree that a combination of disk and flash memory is the best balance between costs and performance, but my problem with hybrid memory storage is that having flash memory on each game cartridge/disk isn't cost efficient. Why use flash memory on each game when you can just use the flash memory on the handheld?

I do prefer flash carts on portables, myself. I hate when I'm in a quiet place with my PSP and have to listen to those damned RRRRRRR ERRRRRRRRR RRRRRRR drive noises. I don't know why it irks me so much, but it does.

After a bit of thought, I now understand a little bit better the decision to keep games on flash carts.

It's not only about the load times, it's also about the durability. Unlike the UMD, the flash cart has nor is a movable part. That being said, movable components have lower durability because they are more prone to damage.

It's not as relevant as static home consoles, but portable consoles are bound to be dropped.

Sorry for the whole price debate, it was kind of silly.

So if they do this that means you need to have at least 1gb memory stick or bigger if not then your out of luck then. I havent touched my PSP in months last thing I use my PSP for was to play SNES and NeoGeo games. Thats all its really good for now.

As an option, this is fine. If it is a requirement like DMC4, then we have serious issues. The entire purpose of a home video game console is to play games without the hassle of the PCs inefficiencies. The problem is, over the past few years, game consoles have been acting like PCs. Bugs, crashes, installs and the incremental cost of owning one isn't any less than a decent gaming PC (again, if you have to get a new PC, getting it ready for high-end gaming is just as much as a 360 or PS3). This is not a good trend.

Exactly, it's a horrible trend that nobody seems to care about. Sad, really.

It certainly isn't getting easier to code programs. Hardware is only becoming more complicated. Are you really expecting consistent perfection?
Either pay for cutting-edge hardware and endure the side effects, or return to your PS2 / XBox. You simply can't have it both ways.

I've had more problems since the release of the 360 with console games than PC games. Saint's Row crashing on me regularly (among other things), Crackdown being a coded piece of junk and the joke that is Mass Effect's technical abilities (really, BioWare must have fired their QA department years ago). The PS3 isn't immune either, what with the needing to patch Assassin's Creed just so I could play it without a crash and even Ratchet and Clank failed more times than Crysis did.

The primary reason for code failure in the PC environment is an unforseen complication, usually involving unpredicted hardware combinations or some other software program messing with the program. The excuse just doesn't exist on a console. One console, same hardware, no extraneous software sitting in the registry, no excuses. Every PS3 is the same where it matters as is every 360.

What I don't think people are udnerstanding is that if this becomes a mandatory and standard thing, we'll have to buy more storage. On the PS3 this is a problem. On the PS3 if every game had a MANDATORY (See this is the key word) install, then how many games could you play before your hard drive was full? If it's full and you want to play a new game, you'll have to take the data of your harddrive to instal the new game. And if you want to play the game you deleted the data of, you'll have to install it again over something else. It's extremely lazy on the part of the developer, and the decrease of loading times for the PS3 version of DMC4 are minimal. It's not worth taking up 5 gigs of space and 20 minutes of install time to decrease the loading tiems by a little bit.

I really hope this doesn't become and industry standard, unless they make it optional. More options are always better. Don't force the consumer to do something they don't want to, especially if it is as inconvenient as this is.

Using the same reasons nobody should be forced to download anything either, we should have the option to stream games or download them. That would be stupid.

Mandatory large installs for the PS3 are poorly thought out and awful. Some people only have 20GB hard drives in their PS3s.

Name123, we aren't talking about downloadable games, we are talking about games on a disc and the possibility that devs are going to make a 5 gig install mandatory for every game. Downloadable games have nothing to do with this, I don't know why you brought it up.

All devs have to do is provide it as an option. Sure, it might take more work, but its that or severely inconveniencing the customer.

requirement bad
optonal good

This must be quite the installation, because it even warrents an extra "L."

Headline:

"New Monster Hunter on PSP includes installlation option"

Deja vu!?

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New Monster Hunter on PSP includes installlation option

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