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[Matlock]

<Reality> PSP takes 15 seconds to even boot to a logo for Ridge Racers.
<Sony Fanboys> The graphics are worth it! Let's justify it by making references to archaic hardware!
<The Rest o' the Fanboys> Solid state formats don't have that long of loading times. Seriously, that's annoying--especially on portables.
<The World> Durrr, pretty graphics.
<Reality> PSP = quadrillion seller

 

[sonycowboy]

GBA has a sleep mode as well, well, most games have it. And I don't use it at all.


Usually because you forget about it. Playing a game, the person who you were waiting for shows up. Can't save so you put it on the sleep mode. Next day you're wondering why your batteries are dead.

Sleep mode is a "fix" for something that shouldn't be a problem. Fact remains, handhelds shouldn't have loadtimes over 3 seconds. Then again, I don't think handhelds should go 3D either.

Reason why the GB-line sold so well was because nice graphics weren't possible on the machine, so games had to sell based on their gameplay. With 3D, and very good looking 3D at that, coming in the picture we'll going to have loads of games which look nice but play like shit

CONSOLES SHOULD STILL BE 2-D!!!!

[\face_rolling_eyes]

 

[Lord Error]

Huh? Sleep mode is a God given thing on handhelds. On PDAs, you'd have to wait for the OS to initialize every time you power it on otherwise. GBA must manage it horribly if the batteries drain after only one day of being in sleep mode.

 

[Spiritreaver]

What I would *really* like to know, is if it's really true that RR on PSP has to re-load the track again even if you want to just replay it right after you finished the race on it - and if so, why? I remember IGN said you have to wait for a reload of the same track when you play in the WiFi multiplayer mode, but what abot the single player mode. They also said that to view the replay of the race, there's no loading involved. So why would there be any loading if yo uwant to replay that same track?

Nah, I'm pretty sure IGN said that replaying a track required no loading, what would be the point of that? I think you confused the replay comment. I took it as replaying a track. Looking at it in context...

Finish a race, and there's zero load time to start a replay. However, when you select to go back to the car and track selection screens, the game goes through about ten seconds of loading (this is where we got confused yesterday).

 

[Fafalada]

What is the transfer rate from UMD

~2MB/s.

What I would *really* like to know, is if it's really true that RR on PSP has to re-load the track again even if you want to just replay it right after you finished the race on it - and if so, why?

Typically returning the application into "start" state (for say - the current level) is easiest by simply "rebooting" - free all allocations and reload everything from begining.
So the most likely explanation for RR is - because it was easier that way.

Replays are probably not done simulation style (where you would literally replay the game from the start by playing back recorder player inputs) - as a Ridge game isn't exactly using real physics simulations that are difficult to playback - so you don't need to load again for those.

 

[Miburou]

When will people stop judging the PSP based on GBA standards? Yes, it has loading, it's more expensive and the battery doesn't last as long, but it also has the most powerful chipset, the best screen and can also play music and video. You either take the good with the bad or you don't take anything at all.

 

[Matlock]

what did you say about my PSP

I think the major point here is the derivation from the norm with the loading times. It's been a big thing to pick-up-and-go with any handheld so far, but to wait that long is just off.

And, of course, I don't think many people are going to buy it just for mp3/movie capabilities.

 

[dark10x]

I think the major point here is the derivation from the norm with the loading times. It's been a big thing to pick-up-and-go with any handheld so far, but to wait that long is just off.

And, of course, I don't think many people are going to buy it just for mp3/movie capabilities.

Is that how people really play their handhelds? Just for a minute or two at a time? Whenever I would play a handheld game, it was usually because I had an hour to kill or something. The handheld games I often played weren't exactly the type that you could just turn on and off at will (unless I never wanted to get anywhere).

I guess the severity of the loading depends on how you use a handheld.

 

[DarienA]

I think the major point here is the derivation from the norm with the loading times. It's been a big thing to pick-up-and-go with any handheld so far, but to wait that long is just off.

And, of course, I don't think many people are going to buy it just for mp3/movie capabilities.

Seems like a beef similar to the one that console users had to adjust to when optical media started finding it's way into consoles.... in the end early adopters will adjust, and successive iterations of portable optical media gaming systems will adjust(i.e. quicker loading). I think it's interesting that we haven't seen detailed loading times on any others games... do we even KNOW if RR is the norm?

Welcome to the bleeding edge b*tches.

 

[Matlock]

Welcome to the bleeding edge b*tches.

NFSU:U-R loading times--

• From power off to EA logo and title: 30 seconds
• From selecting car/track to start the race: 25 seconds
• Exit the game back to car/track selection: 5 minutes, smoke 'em if you got 'em

 

[Pimpwerx]

Are people serious? You can't wait a minute to play a game? Don't buy the PSP, just stop complaining about totally worthless shit like load time. As has been pointed out, the most popular system by far the last two gens had the longest load times, and one of the most popular games (Madden) has quite possibly the longest load times of any game ever made. Yet the PS1/PS2 and Madden sell like gangbusters. This being a handheld means jackshit. Who is in such a rush that they can't spare 30 seconds to boot up and launch into a menu select? Does anyone actually play their GB for a minute at a time? Get over it. I swear, first it was gonna be too expensive, then the screen was gonna get scratched too easy, then the analog stick was gonna suck, and the battery life was gonna be terrible and blah blah blah. I'm not a PSP whore by any means (I don't think I am at least), but some of the complaints about the system are absolutely pathetic. The load time argument smacks of old-school Nintendo damage control. Load times really helped the N64 a whole lots. :ultramegarolleyes: PEACE.

 

[Miburou]

I think the major point here is the derivation from the norm with the loading times. It's been a big thing to pick-up-and-go with any handheld so far, but to wait that long is just off.

And, of course, I don't think many people are going to buy it just for mp3/movie capabilities.

So what if it has 15 seconds of waiting time? It's still a portable. You can still fit it in your backpack or jacket pocket. If that bothers someone that much (like if their typical gaming session is only 5 minutes) then the PSP is definitely not the system for them. I use my GBA SP in bed (before going to sleep and just after waking up), on the train, at the doctor's office, and on long road and plane trips, and a session is usually 30 minutes at least. A 15 second wait isn't going to ruin the experience for me.

Again, things like the price, battery life and loading are necessary compromises.

 

[AndriaSang]

When you chose to retry a track (the same track with the same cars, without going back to a menu or anything) from the replay screen, the game does reload the data. I believe it's a bit shorter than the full load time, but I didn't write down the number when I timed it.

 

[seismologist]

Playing games on the go isn't like consoles. You have to start and stop your game frequently because of interruptions. Often turning the system off to conserve battery life (probably a bigger issue with PSP).

This is where loading every time you turn the thing on becomes a hassle.

 

[Chittagong]

Miyamoto and Yamauchi overestimated the importance of loading times once. Although counterintuitive, it really doesn't make a difference to the consumer.

 

[CloudNL]

What's wrong with loading times?
Are we all Nbots today? :lol

 

[Brofist]

Oh noes, can't play the PSP in ultra mega 40 second ADD bursts. Geez what are things coming to. I mean really if you don't have the attention span to wait like 30 seconds for a game to load, I've said before handheld gaming is the least of the problems. And there is a sleep mode. Damn why am I bothering to type this, it's like talking to a fucking wall anyway.

 

[Pimpwerx]

Playing games on the go isn't like consoles. You have to start and stop your game frequently because of interruptions. Often turning the system off to conserve battery life (probably a bigger issue with PSP).

This is where loading every time you turn the thing on becomes a hassle.

Please, 30sec is a problem? WTF do you do that makes waiting 30 seconds mean anything? Seriously, I have become frustrated with load times before, but only b/c I was restarting and reloading a million times, which is not how the games are intended to be played. I don't think handheld games are intended to be stopped and started a lot in a short time span. I mean, even a GB takes like 5 seconds to load up. The load time argument is dead, dead, dead. It's been beat since the N64. Consumers don't care about load times. It's an accepted part of gaming, and it will be an accepted part of handheld gaming. I'd question someone who would reject a system based on load time. I mean, what rock have they been living under for the past 10 years? Hell, we've had load times longer than that, most PCs took damn near a minute to boot up in the past too. Seriously, get over it. Or get a girlfriend, you can use that 30 seconds to ask her how her day was so she can then keep talking for the next 30 minutes. :lol I hope you don't play EA Sports games and their criminally slow load times. PEACE.

 

[0wn3d]

So not only is the battery life short, but you are wasting that time by loading games!? :lol :lol :lol I never even thought the PSP would have load times just because I'm so used to Gameboy.

 

[evil ways]

I'll take the loading times as long as there's crisp, CD quality sounds and music in the games.

 

[kaching]

Ideally, it'd be great not to have to deal with load times of any sort in games, but we have been dealing with them in one form or another since the dawn of videogaming, on all platforms and all forms of media. Whether its blatantly labeled a load screen or its just a series of unskippable transition screens, delays of game have been present in one form or another in many games from the start.

Game delays don't just result from media access. They can also result from the need to pre-process level/area data before presenting it onscreen or when the CPU needs to calculate next actions in a turn-based game, for example.

 

[Dracos]

The PSP is so sexy. Of course I don't want smudges on it, so I'll wear a condom.

 

[Lord Error]

Nah, I'm pretty sure IGN said that replaying a track required no loading, what would be the point of that? I think you confused the replay comment. I took it as replaying a track. Looking at it in context...

That's what I thought at first, but in another article they definitely said the game has to re-load the track when you want to play the same race again - in WiFi multiplayer mode. I wonder if it's the same deal in single player mode?

This is where loading every time you turn the thing on becomes a hassle.

And that's where sleep mode comes in so there's no loading or waiting of any kind at all when you turn it on. With a comment that it takes almost ten seconds of holding down the power button to completely power the PSP off, I have a feeling that the user is encouraged to use the sleep mode, again, much like on a PDA.

 

[Spiritreaver]

That's what I thought at first, but in another article they definitely said the game has to re-load the track when you want to play the same race again - in WiFi multiplayer mode. I wonder if it's the same deal in single player mode?

Yeah, apparently so, as Andria mentions. But it's not that bad really if it takes less time than starting it for the first time.

 

[Tabris]

God, people whined about the same thing during the whole 32 bit era.

Get over it. Load times are a fact with optical media.

 

[Lord Error]

When you chose to retry a track (the same track with the same cars, without going back to a menu or anything) from the replay screen, the game does reload the data. I believe it's a bit shorter than the full load time, but I didn't write down the number when I timed it.

Either they load something during the race, which is very doubtful, or it's just a bit of a sloppy coding - which I guess is understandable given the deadline and everything they crammed into the game. I hope they'll redo that load routine for a US release, though.

How did you like the game overall? Impressed / not impressed?

 

[mumu]

Those impressions were already posted ... twice!

 

[seismologist]

The load time argument is dead, dead, dead. It's been beat since the N64. Consumers don't care about load times.

No load times are still an issue. Especially on Sony hardware. Why do you think people like HD loader so much. (It's not just the piracy). I bought Pinball HOF for PS2 the other day and it's almost unbearable playing from the DVD thanks to the 7-8 second load time every time you restart the table. Maybe I'm just spoiled from the other consoles.

 

[TekunoRobby]

The PSP is so sexy. Of course I don't want smudges on it, so I'll wear a condom.

:lol A condom on every finger!

 

[teiresias]

Maybe I'm just spoiled from the other consoles.

No, there's a far more truthful reason you're complaining about it, and it's evident in your posting history within PSP topics.

 

[sonycowboy]

No load times are still an issue. Especially on Sony hardware. Why do you think people like HD loader so much. (It's not just the piracy). I bought Pinball HOF for PS2 the other day and it's almost unbearable playing from the DVD thanks to the 7-8 second load time every time you restart the table. Maybe I'm just spoiled from the other consoles.

 

[TekunoRobby]

I know it's silly to worry but Lik-Sang have had the unit for how many days now and they haven't tested the battery life yet? They are probably doing something really in depth to quell any answers.

 

[Brofist]

No load times are still an issue. Especially on Sony hardware. Why do you think people like HD loader so much. (It's not just the piracy). I bought Pinball HOF for PS2 the other day and it's almost unbearable playing from the DVD thanks to the 7-8 second load time every time you restart the table. Maybe I'm just spoiled from the other consoles.

OK so we know 1000000x over you don't want one, and never have any intention on buying one, touching one p) or anything else. So why are you in these topics? Why??? WHy????

 

[seismologist]

I would want one if all the concerns I had were addressed. So far it's not looking good
I figured there was an outside chance that since the disks were small, load times would be closer to Gamecube instead of PS2.l

 

[FriScho]

Nintendo said, loading times are bad and sony sold 100 million ps1... and now nintendo has gamecube with loading times, too. And a few seconds are not horrible. It's not minutes we are talking about like NeoGeo CD.

 

[MrPing1000]

Denis Duck Fat must be crying in his grave

 

[kaching]

I'm sure everyone's picture of the utopian game machine would involve no load times thanks to access to infinite amounts of infinitely cheap data storage accessible at infinite speeds. But since we don't have access to that kind of utopian technology, we instead must live in a world of trade-offs. Arguing for or against load times given the reality of the situation is simply a matter of arguing different ways of restricting game design, based on your own personal preferences.

 

[Brofist]

I would want one if all the concerns I had were addressed. So far it's not looking good
l

I don't believe that at all, nor do I care to.

 

[AndriaSang]

How did you like the game overall? Impressed / not impressed?

VERY Impressed * 1,000,000

 

[TekunoRobby]

VERY Impressed * 1,000,000

What games did you play and can you bost brief impressions? I would be so oh very happy!

 

[mrklaw]

I know it's silly to worry but Lik-Sang have had the unit for how many days now and they haven't tested the battery life yet? They are probably doing something really in depth to quell any answers.

I think its more likely that they have no games to test it on, so are keeping quiet. Also they don't want to affect their initial sales

 

[M3wThr33]

I just hope developers realize that this is a problem and not acceptable. I don't want the next gen of handhelds saying "Well, the PSP took 30 seconds, a minute and a half isn't that much more."

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

I tend to remember the hell of not loading games from tape on the C64. If you were playing at school and the load failed, which it often did, your entire class period was shot - no way in hell you could try the load again.

My 2nd grade classroom had a C64, and I distinctly remember reading entire books while waiting for a simple U.S. trivia game to load.

entire books

Are you sure you weren't just walking up to a bookshelf with the same width as yourself and reading one cryptic title which hinted at your next goal or destination?

So, assuming you simply put the system to sleep as opposed to turning it off, you won't be having these initial load times.

It would also continue to eat battery in some very reduced form.

As has been pointed out, the most popular system by far the last two gens had the longest load times

Sure the most popular system has had the longest load times, fewest controller ports, and highest price, but that doesn't make those qualities any better.

I know it's silly to worry but Lik-Sang have had the unit for how many days now and they haven't tested the battery life yet?

It's so long the system hasn't powered down yet! [/glasshalffull]

 

[paul777]

I have a very hard time believing that loading times won't make a difference. The bulk of handheld gaming consumers are as casual as they come. They look for convenience, simple recognizable fun, low prices, and pokemon (notice that the prettiest graphics or newest tech does not factor in at all). PSP can offer the simple fun, but loading times are awfully inconvenient and a deal breaker for a consumer that just wants that simple fun on the go. Factor in the gargantuan competition that the PSP faces in the Game Boy Advance and its pseudo-sequel, DS, and those loading times become an issue if Sony intends for this thing to compete for Nintendo's market.

 

[Belfast]

Shit people, you need to get some perspective. You're complaining about this loading time from the perspective of it being a PRINCIPLE (i.e. Portables should not have load times, blah blah blah) instead of the looking at the reality of the situation. OK, so you're sitting on the toilet, doing your business. ANY game you boot up is going to take at least 30 seconds for you to get into anyway. I'm not talking about loading up, but instead actually accomplishing any goals within said game. When you're done doing your business, you're just going to switch off the game without having actually accomplished anything. The ONLY game that could circumvent this is Wario Ware, but that's because of the way it was designed. Its not worth complaining about since WW plays faster than just about ANY other game out there. This whole thing is about as silly as when people were bitching about FF7 before it came out cause there was going to be swearing and crossdressing and shit. I should know, I was there. I was an embittered Nbot at the time! What I'm saying is that those 30 seconds are ultimately negligent in ANY REALISTIC SITUATION. If you plan on sitting on the toilet for another 30 minutes after you're done, too lazy to move, that it honestly doesn't matter anyway, now does it?

Please, people, get some perspective and quit complaining about absolutely banal (and completely expected, since WE'VE KNOWN THE PSP USES AN OPTICAL DRIVE SINCE IT WAS ANNOUNCED) bullshit. Do you honestly think 30 seconds is going to matter on a long car trip? Do you think 30 seconds is going to be long at the doctor's office (since it usually takes an hour to actually get in there anyway after you've signed in)? Do you think it matters for the average Japanese person on a 2hour commute to work?

 

[Lord Error]

VERY Impressed * 1,000,000

Hehe, good to hear. Can you answer one question that has been bothering me for a while:

Judging by some screenshots, RR runs in 16 bit color mode and has some dithering. Is any of that dithering apparent when you see the game on the actual LCD screen? Also, is there any visible image ghosting when things move fast across the screen. I'm asking about that problem that LCD screens usually have, not the intentional software motion blur integrated into RR

 

[jarrod]

Loading times themselves aren't the problem (they should've been expected with the UMD), I just think it's the length of them that's surprised people. No doubt things will get better though, hopefully Namco can trim things down to for the US RR launch.

 

[neptunes]

I thought namco said you'll be able to play rally-x during load times

Maybe short little games should ba a standard? :lol

 

[drohne]

absolutely every way in which the psp breaks from convention is seized upon by nintendo advocates as utterly, fatally unsuitable to a portable, and no they can't cogently argue why, but we'll have to take their word for it. now that the psp's price is unassailable and its battery life seems adequate, they're harping on load times, as if they routinely play portable games for spans of less than five minutes, and as if there's some abundance of gameboy games that can be enjoyed that way. presumably their next target will be the psp's smudge-prone surface. it isn't even worth addressing.

 

[blackwind]

Loading time........whatever....

better have a PSP and have a 30 second load time than buy a DS....
I used it in the store to play metroid and I've never been so disappointed at a gaming system. It just felt so awkward, a gaming system should NOT have a stylus as a main control system.

I'm so pumped for the PSP! Never been more excited to be consumer...well not since I got my 12" Powerbook.