Quote:
Originally Posted by
kanti123 
I understand what you're saying, if my memory or my understanding is right. HDD act as a buffer for Bluray and chipset of the ps3 to be process, thus cut down the loading time. I do have SSD on my PS3 and my GT5 load pretty quick
With buffered data, it can be designed to control the flow of data speed. I think it's Sony marketing that is full of it in trying to say Blu-ray drive on PS3 can't be reading too fast. Even Sony puts a tiny buffer on PS3 that will gets filled faster than PS3 can "consume" the data, once the buffer is full, stop filling it until it's almost empty from sending the data to PS3 (First In First Out style) before the buffer fills up again if the BD is reading too fast. Another advantage is to extend the Blu-ray laser on the BD. Even the drive is still spinning waiting for the buffer to request more data, the laser can be in low power model to reduce the wear on it.
Remember, re-engineering or change to faster hardware are more expensive because they require additional testing. It will also need more testing if newer games are able to handle faster data loading, the game will still run properly. Since Sony has to support the launch model all the way to the latest mode, that adds quite a bit of additional testing (unless Sony does as little testing as possible with the earlier models and hope they can get away). A lot of work and Sony has no interesting in spending a penny more.
Plus isn't one of the rules of game console is the launch model supposed to be behave the same as the latest revised model? Even that's true, Sony already broke so many functionalists of launch PS3 over the years that this rule is simply invalid for PS3 today. Even the later revision of PS2 has faster DVD drive and the firmware has a setting to manually slow down the DVD drive in case of some old game isn't compatible.
Curious, how long do you think of a launch console model is to be supported? Since we know the launch model will have a lot of issues especially old hardware design that will prevent any change to the ability of the console for the rest of the future models and we all know launch models generally have shorter lifespan (with exceptions), it's time to change how the launch model is to be supported. Say after 3 to 4 years after the launch model came out, it's no longer guaranteed that all games will be compatible. If there are one the few launch model owners who have working launch model, and want their launch model to be compatible with every game made to be compatible for the revised future models, it's cheaper for the console maker to give a free console replacement with the latest model. If this can be done, for the same gen console, after 3 to 4 years later, the console maker can improve critical areas like optical disc reading speed, wireless spec, faster hard drive spec, and even total RAM. But this does create a new problem for going to the next gen because now the last gen spec has been upgraded to more decent hardware and will be capable to exist longer. The console maker also needs to be convinced that the R&D put into improving the last gen doesn't turned it into competition with the next gen. For hardcore gamers, they will never be happy even they get a new improved hardware every month, but to the console market it helps to keep the old gen more value and capable longer.
Edited by Vortex3D - 11/21/12 at 10:48am
