Report: GTAIV designer 'limited' by HDD-less 360s

  • By thorsen-ink, GameSpot
  • Posted May 4, 2007 3:06 am GMT

At the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Microsoft announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would arrive on the Xbox 360 on the same day as the PS3. Since then, console partisans have exchanged potshots over which version would be superior. After last month's Game Informer revealed that the GTAIV...

At the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Microsoft announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would arrive on the Xbox 360 on the same day as the PS3. Since then, console partisans have exchanged potshots over which version would be superior.

After last month's Game Informer revealed that the GTAIV shown during the teaser was for the 360 version, fans of Microsoft's console were visibly gloating. However, now it looks like the PlayStation 3 side may be getting some of its own ammo, courtesy of a recent interview in the UK version of Official PlayStation Magazine republished by its online collaborator, Computer & Video Games.

According to C&VG, the OPM UK interview was with none other than Dan Houser, founder and chief creative officer of Rockstar North, GTAIV's developer. When asked if the fact that, along with the greater storage capacity of the PS3's Blu-ray discs, the Xbox 360's lack of a built-in hard drive--which is absent from the basic $299 Core model--presented limitations to the studio's design team, Houser reportedly gave a blunt one-word answer: "Yep."

Houser's response sparked a firestorm in games forums, as it was often represented as a blanket attack on the 360. However, the famed designer's monosyllabic response was just part of a series of remarks he made vaguely outlining each platform's high and low points. "Both have their own particular pleasures and pains...[and] both have enormous challenges," Houser told the magazine. "To be honest with you, we haven't solved all those riddles yet." As of press time, Rockstar reps had not commented on requests to comment on Houser's comments.

Luckily, Houser still has a fair amount of time to solve those riddles: Grand Theft Auto IV is due out in North America on October 16, with a UK and European release to follow three days later.

1172 Comments

  • Percypoo

    Posted Nov 24, 2007 8:21 am GMT

    just buy an external hard drive for the core system. duh

  • davidtriggerman

    Posted Jun 13, 2007 4:31 pm GMT

    the ps3 is better than the x b0x 360 period no but about it sure it may cost,more but with blue ray's superior storage capacity all games can become larger however unlike the x box 360

  • JB2B

    Posted Jun 12, 2007 7:41 am GMT

    Blu-Ray allows the PS3 to have bigger games, but the reading speed of the Blu-Ray drive is not very high. The X06 DVD drive is much faster. So PS3 will probaly get those illegal long loading times. That's the problem the devlopers of Oblivion had with the PS3. Devlopers rather have a fast drive than more storage.

    See: http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/17/ps3s-blu-ray-drive-speed-could-be-reason-for-oblivion-delay/

    I think the real problem is the same problem there was with older GTA titles and the problem is a Rockstar problem. The GTA team should master good compression techniques. Apart from that, I think GTA is a PC game. Not because of the game itself but because of the fact that you can get some great trainers to make you enjoy the game much longer.

  • lightdante_hd

    Posted Jun 11, 2007 3:14 am GMT

    I just bought a 32" HDTV for on $750 brand new and my PS3 looks unbelievable! It's worth saving for. This is how games should be played! Even DVDs look great.

  • lightdante_hd

    Posted Jun 11, 2007 3:13 am GMT

    I just bought a 32" HDTV for on $750 brand new and my PS3 looks unbelievable! It's worth saving for. This is how games should be played! Even DVDs look great.

  • Sparky2002

    Posted May 21, 2007 5:37 am GMT

    Put ur Hole Damn PC on just 1 Disc holden1985 my mate
    LOL FOR FUN He-Man

    PS Cringer my fearless friend of M$ Fabulous powers where Revealed to me the day I held aloft its magic sword & said BY THE POWER OF BLUE RAY.................................
    ...
    "I HAVE THE POWER" & PS BECAME THE MIGHT BATTLE STATION & I CAME BLUERAY THE MIGHTIEST DVD SYSTEM IN THE UNIVERSE......
    ...

    only 3 others share this secret our friends The MOVIES MUSIC & The PLAYSTATION We DEFEND AGAINST THE EVIL FORCES OF M$

    lolololoolll

  • Sparky2002

    Posted May 21, 2007 5:34 am GMT

    SEE THE 54GB DISC SPACE YEP DVD IS HISTORY MY FRIEND LONG GONE DEAD & DIED & GOING TO HEAVEN...

  • Holden1985

    Posted May 21, 2007 2:52 am GMT

    Sparky2002 wroteAlso Just Want to add my HATE of DVD Sound quility its BS..

    How many of u Rented a Movie & the Sound Was all out of Whack
    The voices are so so Quite & the background music 10x way to loud. None!!! i have never found any problems with DVD sound quality its like saying CD's have bad sound quality also. DVD's will still be kicking it for years to come.

  • rorzo

    Posted May 20, 2007 2:54 am GMT

    I''ve had a PS2 and then got an Xbox360; which I see to be superior , MYSELF. I think that GTA:IV will look better on 360 because they've had longer dev times

  • TheRoshow

    Posted May 18, 2007 8:54 pm GMT

    GTA4 should stay an Playstaion game, Xbox already haves a GTA style game, witch is much butter. It's called Saints Row, Saints Row2 on the way for both PS3 and 360. Cause thats more money in the bank for both compeny's. I will buy GTA4 for PS3, and Saints Row2 for 360...... Me..... The.. Roshow.....

  • Sparky2002

    Posted May 18, 2007 12:07 pm GMT

    Also Just Want to add my HATE of DVD Sound quility its BS..

    How many of u Rented a Movie & the Sound Was all out of Whack
    The voices are so so Quite & the background music 10x way to loud.

  • Sparky2002

    Posted May 18, 2007 12:00 pm GMT

    All the PS3 Fanboys & XBOX Fanboys best know

    If Xbox Swaps to Blueray Which is The next Video Generation anyway away from this console war All the arguements will be in vain & pointless lol

    ROCK ON BLUE-RAY I am a ps3 owner why BLUE-RAY not for ps3
    ALL MOVIES & MOVIE COMPANIES ARE NOW SLOWLY SWAPPING TO BLUERAY DISC CAUSE ITS S***LOAD BETTER THEN DVD
    LIKE COMPARING VHS VIDEOS WITH DVD QUALITY SAMETHING WITH BLUE-RAY...

  • pepitko

    Posted May 18, 2007 3:06 am GMT

    well, they could just supply multiple dvds for the 360, different parts of city would be on different dvd, so you'd have to swap them during the game, if you saved yourself a few dollars on the harddrive, and if you have hard drive you would just copy everything on it and enjoy the game with no loading or swaping disks..

  • smoothn00dle

    Posted May 18, 2007 12:48 am GMT

    I remember when blu ray first come over.. People say it is going down.. M$ said PS3 don't give gamers' a choice. Now Xbox360 developers have limited CHOICES to patch their games.. haahhaaa

  • Dawg9000

    Posted May 17, 2007 9:45 pm GMT

    Screw you all. PS3 is better. When there is a PS3 flaw all fanboys of the 360 say "AHA! The PS3 SUCKS" But when PS3 fanboys say something, its garbage.

  • frostbach_basic

    Posted May 17, 2007 7:15 pm GMT

    Why can't they just say the HDD is required...it's not like its uncommon or anything...most people have one anyway...

  • alistica

    Posted May 17, 2007 9:11 am GMT

    this is a slightly aggrevating obstacle for the rockstar team, but they have pulled through on many many other occasions, so i think that they will figure out a way to deal with this. or his is a simple fix. make the game with use of the HDD and just make it a requirement to play the game. I don't know why you would even own a 360 without a hard drive anyways. you need it for basically everythign you do with the system. pretty stupid idea to not have one if you ask me.

  • rbenns2

    Posted May 17, 2007 8:18 am GMT

    LAME! If they need more storage space, make it a multi-disc set, like many of the later PS1 games became. Also, who bought a 360 without a hard drive? Are there really enough of them to be of any influence.

  • TTDog

    Posted May 17, 2007 7:23 am GMT

    "bradley134: It's true, the 360 kinda sucks. Its lack of "Fun" games that appeal to younger audiences are making it stink up the place."

    Its trying to get away from the younger audience to distance itself from all the sad immature PS fanboys... good idea that.

  • ParasiteArtist

    Posted May 17, 2007 6:26 am GMT

    Eh, no big deal. Each system has their pros and cons.

  • bradley134

    Posted May 17, 2007 5:04 am GMT

    It's true, the 360 kinda sucks. Its lack of "Fun" games that appeal to younger audiences are making it stink up the place.

  • chubbyc

    Posted May 16, 2007 5:35 pm GMT

    straight goods, of coarse psm magazine gonna talk smack n hint 2 u that the ps version mayb a tad better. but wut ever 360 ALL THE WAY

  • Cerebyss

    Posted May 16, 2007 5:09 pm GMT

    this whole thread has been rendered completely pointless. once again, what could have been an intelligent discussion has been reduced to a console flamewar by those who feel the need to their compare **** sizes.

    like someone else here mentioned earlier, I'm going to go actually PLAY my console rather than waste any more time reading this bs. GTAIV will be a great game, regardless of individual console limitations.

  • AmittyVille

    Posted May 16, 2007 4:38 pm GMT

    They should have the 360 version given to thier north american studios and the PS3 version to thier europian studios(or the other way around) and told to stick to the same story line, but do the best job they can with the console they have. And if they made this game in HD, every 360 owner who really wanted to own this game would buy the HDD and an HD-DVD player(if they have the money) and increase sale of those items. The game isn't next gen if it's not in HD.

  • ajcali08

    Posted May 16, 2007 3:12 pm GMT

    WHo ever said 360 has twice as much ram..couldnt be more wrong. You can't just look on Paper and start to compare both consoles. You have to understand how the PS3 works because its not like a 360 which is more like a desktop computer. The Ps3 has 2x 256 xdr ram in the system which is equal to xboxes 512.

  • Sparky2002

    Posted May 15, 2007 12:40 pm GMT

    Yeah 360 will still getting GTA IV but most likly will be Cut down a few notches possibly, same game thou still........

  • Holden1985

    Posted May 15, 2007 11:48 am GMT

    So is this game coming for Xbox360 and if Yes will it be the same as in PS3. Plz answer

    It is coming to 360 i think thats what it been demoed on it will be the same game on both consoles very little difference grahics wise etc.

  • blood4

    Posted May 15, 2007 10:45 am GMT

    So is this game coming for Xbox360 and if Yes will it be the same as in PS3. Plz answer

  • LiquidZ08

    Posted May 14, 2007 8:12 pm GMT

    Not a big deal at all really. Its all in how they code the game.

  • uncledeath2005

    Posted May 14, 2007 3:58 pm GMT

    Meh will just buy both versions.....

  • Warghost2k

    Posted May 14, 2007 12:33 pm GMT

    Honestly, Oblivion has nothing on GTA4. This game will have NPC doing much, much more than just walking around. The AI is supposedly amongst the best ever seen in a game, with NPCs drinking coffee, eating food, talking on cell phones, etc.

    And remember, the game world will probably be just as big as Oblivion's, but will include buildings, signage, vehicles, elegant storefronts, and other various elements which will make up the environment. Oblivion just had trees and rocks, with the occasional cave or cottage. Yes, there were villages, but nothing really huge...and there weren't that many of them.

    Bottom line is, this is why I am hesitant to buy a console. Yes, they are cheaper than PCs, but you only get one every few years. So, the games can only be made so good before they stress the hardware beyond its limits. This is especially important now, where first-gen console games were already stressing the consoles (Oblivion suffered poor framerates and occasional pauses). With a PC, when that happens you can simply upgrade a single component (usually the video card) and get another year or more of satisfactory performance.

    But, the best part of owning a PC is the user-made content for games. I am looking forward to GTA4, but moreso the planes that will surely be created by the player base, not to mention the tricked out cars that are always being made.

  • TTDog

    Posted May 14, 2007 3:53 am GMT

    Funny how the Official Playstation Magazine feels the need to get in a few cheap shots at the 360 (nothing to do with being scared about the PS3 failing... no no nothing to do with that) whereas the Official Xbox Magazine doesn't feel the need to mention his comments that the PS3 is a bugger to code for as its not relevant to their readership. Just shows the maturity level of the OPM readership that they feel the need to take cheap shots at the competition all the time to make themselves feel better... very sad.

  • SilentHillX

    Posted May 13, 2007 9:18 pm GMT

    -Axe 336

    LOL just about right, I agree.

    You gotta pay to play in the big leagues

    ...Unless your imitating harry potter on that disgrace of a video game console they call a Wii. In that case, your average mcdonalds employee can afford one.

  • theKSMM

    Posted May 13, 2007 4:37 pm GMT

    If there were a perfect console, we would all have one in our homes right now, and all the good games would be released on it. (And maybe we could do away with fanboy flame wars.)

    As with everything else on earth, however, there are tradeoffs in whatever system you buy--cost, processing power, compatibility--you can't have it all, so something's gotta give.

    The challenges of porting games or developing them across platforms isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so the developers know better than any of us gamers about the inherent shortcomings (and all consoles have them) of any particular system.

  • General_Lee45

    Posted May 13, 2007 4:12 pm GMT

    I'm Definitely getting a PS3 no doubt about it and it's all because of Grand Theft Auto.

  • killaaaaa2002

    Posted May 13, 2007 2:20 pm GMT

    they need the hdd for extra space to load,dvd-9 is out of space,what does Oblivion have to do with this game,has any of u played both of them,I rented the 360 one and load time were 10 to 25 seconds long with hdd and it slowed down all the time.I just bought the ps3 one and everything loads in 4 seconds and hardly slows down.

  • Captainintendo

    Posted May 13, 2007 1:14 pm GMT

    *snicker*

  • zux2000

    Posted May 13, 2007 8:53 am GMT

    i don't care I own a 360 and will get GTA 4. if its comes first to ps3, well I have to buy that console to, don't I?

    My gamertag on xboxlive:

    zux2000

  • Holden1985

    Posted May 13, 2007 4:33 am GMT

    Gears of War maxed out on the 360, which is pretty sad because right now we are seeing the best PS2 games not PS3, PS2. So it took them a year to get the best of the 360, where the PS3's power will never be fully exploited.

    Waste of time if they can't get the power out of the system because sony did a crap job.

  • WalterPaladines

    Posted May 13, 2007 4:15 am GMT

    Of course the Wii is going to be selling like crazy, it costs $250, if you priced either the 360 or the PS3 at that price, the Wii would be dead in the water. I just have this feeling that the Wii is going to be a fad, it won't just totally disappear but the hype will go away. I mean it really sounds enticing that you can buy a new gaming system for only $250 when the others cost $400 (you can't do **** with the core 360) but to people like me who play a lot of games, after a few hours of swinging the controller around, it gets boring, very boring. And I also have to look at last-gen graphics, which is definitely a huge downfall. When it comes to talking about how its a bunch of things that you already have in one, I can guarantee you that most people dont have a blu-ray player, something that WILL be in most homes in the future. Blu-ray had it's first movie (Casino-Royale) sell over 100,000 copies in only 9 months, two months faster than it took the first DVD to reach the same mark. Also to get what the PS3 has in terms of processing power, a majority of people don't have that in a PC either. Of course it seems like a lot of extra stuff but when you own one, and you have free online play, the ability to store music, photos, movies, download movies, download games, go online, and have soon to be great online system (Home, that looks to be very good, and a potential system seller for the PS3) you have something that is worth way more than only $600. It also doubles as a PS2! Sure some games don't play, but a majority do. Just think, it costs sony $840 just to make the thing and they sell it for $600, and when companies sell things don't they try and make a profit? Basically everyone who has one knows they just got a great deal, and when you look at the line up of games coming out (the ones that aren't even system sellers like KH3, FFXIII, MGS4, GoW3) you know that you made a good choice. If microsoft was smart, they would have made the HD-DVD standard in all their systems. People would have either had to wait for the PS3 or a Wii if they didn't want it but people would have still bought it. It would also have switched how the race between Bluray and HD-DVD is going, which really could have left Sony for dead. And if you really want to get down to price, the only one worth it out of the Wii and 360 is the Wii. The Wii has innovation, a lot of it, while the 360 is just an upgraded last-gen console. It has been stated that Gears of War maxed out on the 360, which is pretty sad because right now we are seeing the best PS2 games not PS3, PS2. So it took them a year to get the best of the 360, where the PS3's power will never be fully exploited. So back to the price point:

    PS3- Blu-Ray Player, Wifi, 60gb HDD, Card Slots, HDMI, Total =$600
    360- System($400) + HD-DVD ($200) + Wireless ($100) + 40 more gigs ($180) with no HDMI = $880 Oh and for all the 360 owners, MS just gave you the shaft with the 360 Elite, because you basically should get a whole new system instead of buying the 120gb HDD for $180, when I can get a MUCH cheaper laptop hard drive for my PS3. Sorry this is so long, I just need some release when all I see is the media bashing the PS3. Every person that I know that has one, loves it and doesn't regret buying it one bit.

  • racerx737

    Posted May 12, 2007 9:14 pm GMT

    that kinda seems obvious to me anyway, idk how you can really expect to paly any games w/o a hard drive, I mean you do have to have a hard drive to save most games right? i guess a memory card could substitute but you could only save so many games on a memory card. idk, I own a 360 and it seems pretty pointless to me to buy the Core package w/o the hard drive and pretty obvious that it would hinder making the save files big for GTA IV. not like it's a really big thing.

  • sidney_765

    Posted May 12, 2007 8:21 pm GMT

    yay! xbox 360 is gay ps3 rules!

  • a_gilruth

    Posted May 12, 2007 7:28 pm GMT

    There's alot of people talking about the grand theft auto iv game world talking up serveral 360 dvd9's, makes no sense because generally 3d objects/scenes take up very little space relative to all the other stuff thats on the disc. Hi res textures are a pain with the amount of space they take up, sound also, but it's video that would push the amount of dvd9's used upwards. We all know that rockstar use very little if any video at all. The advantage of blu ray is that rockstar can throw everything on there uncompressed. On another note all this fanboy crap that goes around is ridiculous. The consoles get talked about by the fanboys like each and everyone of them had a hand (or d*ck) in making it. If only one manufacturer were to come out of the generation "alive" then our luck shall be out, we will no longer have the freedom of which console suits us best we will we left with whatever the victor decides to shove down our throat. Gone will be innovation. If there is no other console to better, whats the point. This deluded fan boy senario won't ever be real though. Ciao

  • Neoyamaneko

    Posted May 12, 2007 6:37 pm GMT

    Man, Thorsen. Have you nothing better to do than bash the 360? Every negative 360 article is written by you. And don't give me that malarkey when you IMed me that you play all 3 systems. Of course you do.....that's your job and you get them for free. Did you shipment of Haterade come in again this week?

  • KnottAnneEmo

    Posted May 12, 2007 3:49 pm GMT

    eash version will rock, but because each console has weaknesses so will its version of every game, like the Wiis graphics will limit it.

  • MissedTheBoat

    Posted May 12, 2007 1:06 pm GMT

    I'm sure on other games a hard drive isn't as important... but this is going to be one large game. In terms of hardware, I can't imagine what PS3's "pains" would be, unless is is everyone's reletive inexperience with blu-ray

  • Kane04

    Posted May 12, 2007 1:02 pm GMT

    some how I TOLD YOU SO just doesn't say it...

    Spongetron_X:
    "who would have actually bought it?"

    more than 4 millions of X360's are core versions, nearly half.

    Spongetron_X:
    "sure, only one disc but a hella lot more expensive""

    Def Jam Icon (PS3) 69,95 EUR
    Def Jam Icon (360) 64,95 EUR

    how do u think you will pay for multiple DVD's game?
    50GB / 7GB(limit for 360 games on a DVD) = 7,14 DVD's

    by the way...
    recordable HD DVD(15GB) 16,99 EUR
    recordable Blu Ray(50GB) 26,99 EUR

  • nobeaner

    Posted May 12, 2007 7:27 am GMT

    I imagine it would be limiting in some fashion to not have the hard drive to work with.

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