XBLA game size limit tripled to 150MB!

[BrynS]

DailyTech is reporting that Microsoft have increased the game size limit for XBLA games from 50MB to 150MB:

[...]
“The new size limit offers developers increased flexibility and continued opportunities for innovative game development, while also ensuring that the millions of gamers on Xbox LIVE can continue to easily access, download and play all Xbox LIVE Arcade games on Xbox 360,” said Chris Early, product unit manager for Xbox LIVE Arcade and Microsoft Casual Games at Microsoft. “If you take a look at current games like ‘Roboblitz’ and ‘Small Arms,’ it’s clear that our developers deliver amazing game experiences within a compact size limit. Our focus is on continuing to provide developers with an environment that allows for the creation of cost-efficient games and that nurtures an artistic and creative approach to game development.”
[...]

What are the likely implications for Arena? Was Gaia Industries anticipating a bigger limit and designing Arena around that or if not, will they be able to exploit the additional capacity before release? Presumably, Microsoft must have informed XBLA developers sometime in advance of their plans to raise the limit.


On a related note, Microsoft have also announced a 512MB XBox360 memory card.

The memory card will be released to stores in early April and cost $49.99. It will also come pre-loaded with the popular Xbox Live Arcade title Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. The 64 MB memory card will get a price reduction as well, from $39.99 to $29.99.

Slightly off-topic, but while scanning through the GDC website to see if the Arena devs were presenting/showcasing any Arena/XBLA developments, I came across this bio (P.123) for Frank Savage (lead engine designer for WC3/4 IIRC) -- seems he's now the development manager for the XNA Game Studio Express team.

Cheers,

Bryn

 

[Bandit LOAF]

The actual press release mentions Arena:

"As we prepare to launch our first Xbox LIVE Arcade game, 'Boom Boom Rocket,' we're able to see how dynamic and creative this platform is," said Chip Lange, vice president of Online Commerce for Electronic Arts Inc. (EA). "Having 'Wing Commander Arena' on Xbox LIVE Arcade allows us to take full advantage of the online play and bring to life a 16-player online arcade experience that delivers unparalleled arcade action."

That said, one of the interviews with Sean Penney last week specifically mentions that they expected the size limit to be raised before Arena was released.

(The version I saw was 127 megs -- but that was before anything had been optimized.)

 

[BrynS]

While all the materials released so far definitely point in this direction, it's good to know that Arena is pushing the technical envelope on all fronts like its predecessors -- it wouldn't be WC without it!

 

[ChrisReid]

Slightly off-topic, but while scanning through the GDC website to see if the Arena devs were presenting/showcasing any Arena/XBLA developments, I came across this bio (P.123) for Frank Savage (lead engine designer for WC3/4 IIRC) -- seems he's now the development manager for the XNA Game Studio Express team.

We have a video of him talking about his XNA role and his past Wing Commander experiences at https://www.wcnews.com/news/update/7520

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Have they announced a pricepoint for the 512 meg Ybox memory card? While it's great that they're offering this support, I can't imagine not spending the ~$90 or so to buy the 20 gig hard drive if I needed it... unless these new cards are amazingly cheap for some reason.

 

[BrynS]

According to Firingsquad, the 512MB card is due in April and will apparently cost $49.99. The 64MB card will drop to $29.99, so the 20GB HDD would offer much better value or as I believe you guys have recommended: just get the Xbox360 Premium package for the best value.

Assuming one has the Xbox360 Premium, is there any reason/advantage to also picking up a memory card, e.g. being able to transfer save games between different 360s?

We have a video of him talking about his XNA role and his past Wing Commander experiences at https://www.wcnews.com/news/update/7520

Ah, must have missed that -- thanks for the link.

 

[floundericiousMI]

One more important thing here, for those of you who are uneasy about Arena, this may mean there's more room to get some additional tweaks or ideas in. Keep them coming and share!

 

[Mace]

Nand-flash memory based hardware is extremely cheap at the moment.

You can buy a moderate USB-stick with 512MB on it for under 15$, that harnasses thesame technology. and 49,99 is a descent price for an original microsoft expansion.

 

[ChrisReid]

Assuming one has the Xbox360 Premium, is there any reason/advantage to also picking up a memory card, e.g. being able to transfer save games between different 360s?

You can transfer savegames between different 360s with the hard drive itself. It just pops off the top and you can put it into another system just as easily as a memory card. I took my HDD to ace's house last year to show him my progress in Dead Rising.

The memory card does allow you to transfer things between two hard drives however, and it allows you to conveniently store an XBox live account identity if you were to go over to someone else's house so you could both log into some XBox Live game with your own gamertags. You can also download stuff off in-store kiosks with it.