Sony Doubles Loading Times in PS3 Games, Forces Customers to Watch In-Game Ads
UPDATED: SONY has removed the ads from Wipeout HD, saying they want to make sure the ads do not effect gameplay. No word on what’s in store for the ads in the future.
Free never stays free. SONY has begun to release patches to games like Wipeout HD, which will allow advertisers to run ads during loading screens. In order to run a full commercial however, the loading screens have been artificially lengthened to allow the full commercial to play. Loading screens are now twice as long (if not longer) and cannot be skipped while a ‘State Farm’ commercial plays.
To add to the frustrations, some users are complaining that games are crashing more frequently as a result of this patch. So, longer loading times, less reliable games, and commercials.
What’s even more degrading is that the ads don’t show up immediately after you install the patch. It can take up to a week before the ads will start to play. So far only State Farms ads are playing, but more are expected to roll out towards the end of the year.
When the idea of in-game advertising first hit the waves, people were generally open to the idea. Then again, most people only excpected to see something like a Pepsi billboard on the side of a racetrack, or Pepsi machines spread throughout the game, like in Bionic Commando. But soon PS3 games have full commercials playing during loading screens,
Wasn’t the entire point of installing games to the PS3’s hard drive so we could reduce loading times? So much for that idea.
4 Comments
SONY Doubles Loading Times in PS3 Games, Forces Customers to Watch … | In-game marketing news
August 4th, 2009
at 12:17am
[...] more here: SONY Doubles Loading Times in PS3 Games, Forces Customers to Watch … Share and [...]
savedR
August 4th, 2009
at 1:30am
See, that’s it. I don’t own a PS3, but two of my brothers do; through them I’m intimately familiar with the problems with the system.
I just really don’t see any reason at all NOT to get a 360 at this point. Just as HD, digital surround, very similar media features. Oh, but add a much more fleshed-out store, the eat multiplayer experience, no mandatory game installs, rumble in controllers (first), no mandatory installs, and NO IDIOTIC MANDATORY HOUR LONG INSTALLS.
My older PS3-owning brother made the comment once that he was going to have to uninstall a couple games because he was running out of hard drive space. “Wow,” I thought, “its 1998 again, and we have to uninstall one game to okay another (PC).”
This has just gotten totally rediculous. Sony has consistently failed where the PS3 is concerned over and over and over again. Let’s vote with our wallets, shall we?
Lost In Exploding Chili Polaroids ~ Windows Fanatics
August 4th, 2009
at 7:45am
[...] has doubled the loading time of games on the PS3, and is forcing customers to watch [...]
Justin
August 4th, 2009
at 3:55pm
SavedR, I think you left out one juicy detail. I’ll take an hour long install over a 2 week RMA because my console is broken any day IMO.
Also forgot to point out the total cost of ownership…
PSN=0$
Live=60$ year
60GB Hard Drive Xbox=99$
320GB Hard Drive PS3=89.99
wireless headset xbox=60$
emmerson BT headset=20$
Buying the cheaper system only to realize that all of the accessories combined are more expensive than another console= Priceless