Microsoft really rolled the dice with the introduction of the NXE. Taking an interface that many gamers had become familiar with and fond of, and turning it on its head was a gamble it could have easily lost. Thankfully, it decided to pack a bunch of awesome new functionality into the Xbox 360's makeover, sweetening the deal for every gamer who lays hands upon it. One of those new bits of functionawesomenss is the ability to load games straight to the Xbox 360's hard disk.
There have been a number of theories as to why this feature was added, from the noise reduction it assists in to a cure for the "Red Ring of Death" (general hardware failure) that has become a sticking point of owning the console, but one thing is undeniable; it works damn slick. The typical installation goes a little something like this: Place disc in drive, press Y button on “Play Game” section, select “Install game to hard drive”, and wait. Depending on the game, your install will take somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes. Still, it doesn’t matter how smooth the installation process goes if the benefits aren’t there to be had, which begs the age-old question – Is it worth it? That’s what we’re here to figure out, so join us, won’t you?
There’s a combination of things you’re going to need to consider when making the “should I install?” decision. First, and certainly most important, is if you’re really going to play said game enough to make the install worthwhile. If you’re renting the title, skip it. However, if you’ve got a Square-Enix RPG on your hands, or a shooter with a vast online multiplayer component, you’ll probably be glad you spent the time on an install when you’re playing your 50th hour.
The second factor is space. Xbox 360s are shipping with bigger (60 GB) and bigger (120 GB) hard drives these days but that doesn’t mean you have all the space in the world to waste. A game install will take anywhere from four to more than ten gigabytes of space from you, so if you’re stuck with an early-generation 20 GB, or even a newer 60 GB drive, you’ll soon realize that space is at a premium.
Now that we're past those two preliminary factors, you might be wondering what kind of benefits you'll see from the install should you decide to commit. First we'll look at load times. Just like all games consoles, the Xbox 360 loads information from a disc into its memory and then streams more and more information as needed while you're busy blowing the heads off aliens without a care in the world. Installing a game to your hard drive gives the console a bit of a break by keeping all the necessary information close at hand. This cuts down on the time it takes for the disc to spin up to speed as well as the seconds needed for the console to suck the information off the disc.
To give you the best idea of the load time benefits you’ll be seeing, we’ve taken three of the hottest titles of the later part of 2008 and put them on the racks. We’ve timed how long the load times set you back in various parts of the games both with and without the game installed on our Xbox 360's hard drive. The three titles we’ll be looking at today are Gears of War 2, Call of Duty: World at War, and Mirror’s Edge.
The honor of our first test goes to Gears of War 2:
- Initial load
- Without Install - 32.21s
- With Install - 26.28s
- Training Ground
- Without Install - 10.05s
- With Install - 9.32s
- Act I / Chapter II
- Without Install - 18.60s
- With Install - 16.74s
- Act II / Chapter II
- Without Install - 18.13s
- With Install - 16.74s
- Act III / Chapter II
- Without Install - 32.69
- With Install - 29.30
As you can see, the numbers aren't all that impressive. Saving a few seconds here and there on load times, while pleasant, may not be reason enough to spend the seven gigabytes on the installation. However, this is where the multiplayer component of the game has to come into consideration. If you're planning on dedicating some serious time to online play, it puts a very big + in the install column. Keeping your console quiet during hours and hours of multiplayer fragging is something that just might make this option worth your while.
Round 2, Call of Duty: World at War reporting for, um, duty!
- Initial load
- Without Install - 16.34s
- With Install - 12.89s
- Multiplayer map loading (average)
- Without Install - 11.35s
- With Install - 11.16s
- Single Player / Mission 1 Semper Fi
- Without Install - 15.44s
- With Install - 11.58s
As with Gears 2, only the most minor of gains is seen with loading, regardless of mode. But, again similarly to Gears 2, the online component of this title is sure to have you spending many an hour in front of your TV. This might be a game to consider installing.
Round 3, Mirror's Edge shows us some big gains.
- Initial load
- Without Install - 34.04s
- With Install - 26.65s
- Chapter 1
- Without Install - 30.92s
- With Install - 16.33s
- Chapter 2
- Without Install - 22.53s
- With Install - 13.68s
With some the biggest load time advantages of the bunch, Mirror's Edge seems like it's practically made for installation. Saving you up to 15 seconds per load is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but this advantage comes with an asterisk -- for most folks the game is a one play-through experience. Dashing through the story mode will be enough to satisfy most players, with only a dedicated few turning to the Time Trial mode for extended enjoyment. This leaves some folks installing the game, only to remove it a couple of weekends later.
The last, and most overlooked, factor of installing a game onto your hard drive is the stress it takes off of the console itself while you're enjoying your game. Obviously, if the console has all the information at hand it doesn't need to spend the energy on disc processes to keep doing what it does. With the Xbox 360's history of hardware failure, this is a major advantage to installing your games. If spending 10 minutes installing a game will add an extra year to the life of your console, it seems like a no-brainer, but there's no way to know for sure if it actually does.
So in the end, the decision to install really is a simple one: If it's a game you love and you've got the space to spare, why not save your ears the noise, and save your Xbox the stress, and commit to an install? Your system might thank you.
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Comments (31)
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Mat Bitner (6:19 PM on Wed Jan 14, 2009)
The 120 GB hard drive can hold quite a few games before even coming close to getting full. I think the installation aspect of the NXE all depends on how much you are going to play the games you install. If you play a game once in a while, it's probably not going to be worth it as much as a game that you play everyday. I play Call of Duty 4 practically every night. While I can't say how long it takes to load in comparison to loading times from the disc, I can say that my Xbox 360 is much, much quieter.
paul k (11:07 PM on Wed Jan 14, 2009)
It is not so much about the load times as much as it is about the noise my 360 make from the disc drive. That is the main reason that I install my games onto the hard drive.
Mark (4:51 AM on Thu Jan 15, 2009)
How bout Soul Calibur IV?
Does anyone know if it's worth the install?
Anonymous (10:52 PM on Wed Jan 14, 2009)
And also, MS has stated that you won't really see vast improvements in newer games (apart from a MUCH quieter console). It is older games that truly benefit from an installation. Try some older titles and then compare them.
Anonymous (10:50 PM on Wed Jan 14, 2009)
I think the best reason for using the hdd install option from the NXE is the noise factor. Installing Fable 2 to the hard drive turned my Xbox's sound output from a howl into a barely noticeable whir. That to me is well worth an install.
frosty (10:08 PM on Wed Jan 14, 2009)
There is another big plus for some of us. From time to time through our own carelessness or that of our kids, games get scratched to the point where they are not playable. BUT as long as your copy is in good enough shape for the xbox to recognize it for the game it is you can simply borrow or rent another copy, install, and be off and running for as long as you keep the game installed on the hard drive. If nothing else it has saved me from being without certain games until I can afford to replace them with a new disc.
Anonymous (6:30 PM on Fri Jan 16, 2009)
try lost odyssey it makes a huge diffrence during the battles
Anonymous (3:55 PM on Mon Jan 19, 2009)
worth it... I mainly stick to NHL09 and COD... but i also do some NFS sometimes too and those games all have crazy demands for reading off the disc.... I\'d suggest it. I just got a 120 for my 360 and am installing all the main titles i play.
yusuf (12:25 AM on Wed Jan 21, 2009)
honestly..whats having liek 12 games on ur xbox if u still have to pop the cd's in
it would be cool if i can take it to my friends house without having to bring all the cd's i own
well..im just lazy...=]
Luke Axon (12:50 PM on Wed Jan 21, 2009)
yusuf: If this was the case then you could easily just rent or borrow any game and never pay for one again. I'm sure that if this was the case there would shortly be a way that you could pirate games and download them directly to the hard drive via a usb cable.
As for the downloading the games to the xbox, i really enjoy having the feature even though i still only use the 20gb hdd. I just download the game i plan on playing in the near future and wait the 5 minutes instead of purchasing a new hard drive. Although the load times are not largely different, on games such as Tiger Woods '09 where there are frequent load times (between every hole) the 5-6 seconds saved really adds up. Still my favorite perk of downloading the game to the hard drive has to be the level of buzzsaw like sounds coming from my console is drastically reduced.
Allen (5:21 PM on Wed Jan 21, 2009)
This feature doesn't mean much on world at war for me I don't really see a difference BUT NFS Undercover made my 360 sound like a jet engine then the game frequently froze up and lagged so i installed it to my hard drive and wow it was so quiet and it never froze up or lagged.
Anonymous (3:25 PM on Sun Feb 1, 2009)
I just wished Microsoft would allow you to install any hard-drive (like the Sony PS3) instead of their own which is very expensive. My brother installed a 500GIG hard drive on his PS3 for under $150.00, the Xbox360 120GIG hard cost $180.00 here. Man that pisses me off, I would rather play from the hard-drive than the disc any day.
i have questions (12:22 AM on Sun Feb 8, 2009)
does it erase it of the disk wen u install it to the hard drive?
Icepaxx (8:22 PM on Sat Feb 14, 2009)
It would be a lot nicer if you didn't need the to put the cd in after you installed it and had went with a decent cdkey system. Just give every game a cdkey for if you choose to install it on the machine, and if say you rent it and just want to play it you don't have to put one in. But, that would require companies to think about their consumers and not just their pocketbooks. Welp.
Andrew (12:11 PM on Tue Feb 17, 2009)
MICROSOFT PLEASE READ
Thoughts :
CD : Should not need if you install it to your hard drive. Why not make it a "by installing this game to your harddrive you are submitting this cd's information ( like a cd key )" to keep the companies ( dvd / cd companies ) and the consumer happy.
NO CD cracks are on the computer but you still need your cd key to activate the game... Why make it any different for the Xbox 360 or any other console for that matter.
* most people buy the console for one reason.. Low cost and you don't need to buy a new one every time a new game comes out opposed to the computer.
MICROSOFT PLEASE READ
Anonymous (5:12 PM on Sun Mar 15, 2009)
FYI, Do NOT install Halo 3 to your hard drive. It's one of those rare games where loading times get worse. There's a reason Bungie actually put a warning sign up after the opening screen to tell you not to do it.
Anonymous (9:00 PM on Thu Apr 23, 2009)
I really do like this feature that came out. I agree with bungie do not install halo 3 to the hard drive. I tried that and it was horrible. I did like the queiter system but the load times were bad. Hopefully bungoe makes a patch/update so hale 3 and take advantage of it. I hope the Halo ODST will take advantage of it too. I have COD4, COD:WAW, GOW2, GOW, Left4Dead, and Halo 3. I have all of the games installed except for halo 3. Its is worth it. Just make sure you have enough memory on your hard drive. I have and elite and including those games installed into the 360... i have 72.4 GB left. But overall i think it is worth.
Jeremy (1:54 PM on Sun Apr 26, 2009)
With Fallout 3 installing on my xbox im certain it will be worth it, sense fallout three is quite a big game it should cut down load times tremendously.
Anonymous (11:08 PM on Thu May 7, 2009)
Hey! Anyone knows whether it is possible to play a game in ones console from PC? maybe using a network? if it is possible, how can one do this. Ty
Cliff - Gaming Reviews
(11:31 PM on Sun Nov 15, 2009)
Nice. Pretty nifty that you compiled the info with load times etc for a few hot games. The benefits do seem to be that if you play the game regularly, it could benefit you. It really comes down to the gamer though. Do the load times bother you that much. How about the noise. I notice that with my 360..., the noise is awful so I utilize the installation feature and it does quiet it down a whoooole bunch. Outstanding review.
Anonymous (6:56 AM on Tue Dec 29, 2009)
Does my CD still work after the installation?
I mean can i still play from the CD if i remove like, GTA 4 from my harddrive=
Anonymous (8:10 PM on Tue Jan 5, 2010)
can u delete the installed game later on???
Ash (2:38 AM on Fri Jan 15, 2010)
Yes you can delete it later on. And yes your game disc still works after installation/uninstallation.
Anonymous (6:19 AM on Fri Jan 15, 2010)
The game image (installation) can be deleted from the disc after install by the user. Quite simple really and I will hopefully see the benefits of hard disc installation. As mentioned above, I loaded TWG 2k9 and have heard massive noise reduction on the optical drive, which will reduce system wear and over heating. Also the game is loading quicker from what I can see.
Anonymous (6:47 PM on Fri Jan 22, 2010)
can you play the games that you installed to your hard drive without the game disc's?...
Stephen Schenck (1:17 AM on Sat Jan 23, 2010)
Not via this method, no; Microsoft requires the disc to prevent piracy. Only a hacked 360... with a modified system kernel can run games off a hard drive without the DVD present.
Ariel (1:08 AM on Sat Feb 20, 2010)
It looks pretty stupid. I figured out this feature was here today and then realized it sucks.
Anonymous (4:19 PM on Mon Mar 1, 2010)
i my xbox tipped over and got that ring on my disc but i can get to the menue without it saying error will downloading it with a friends copy allow me to still play with the scratcehed copy
Anonymous (8:01 PM on Thu Mar 18, 2010)
Hi yeah I just got my xbox from the red rings lol and I was excited for playing mw2 problem I scratched it with the circle I panic but if ur scratch can go to multiplayer and create a class and what not u can install the game and play te scratch cd my game would load and then bring me to the dashboard or lobby so just get the game and install it
JJ (12:47 PM on Thu Mar 4, 2010)
How about Microsoft engineers and develops a console that doesn't freaking fail
The amount of revenue they generate and their systems only last a year before mechanical failures
is something that they should look into...it might just save their company...
I for one am seriously considering a PS3 or next generation playstation...but we'll see what happens...(please do not start a debate of the pros and cons of each console...believe me, i get it )
Anonymous (6:41 PM on Wed Mar 10, 2010)
umm I've had my xbox for 2 years and the only problem I've had is that the hard drivewas loose so an error message poopped up. I fixed it in no time and sarted playing again.