Microsoft confirms players could be waiting just a bit longer.
April 21, 2010 - If you're a fan of Halo 3, you may want to reconsider trading in your game disc for a digital copy.
Back when Microsoft first introduced the "game install" feature on the revamped Xbox 360 dashboard in 2008, it was concluded that Halo 3, when installed on your harddrive, actually performs worse that when streaming from the disc. Instead of decreasing load time, as is the case with many titles, Halo 3 actually increases them.
This issue was apparently never addressed when Microsoft announced Halo 3 would be available for download through its Games on Demand service earlier this month. Microsoft acknowledged players "may" experience longer load times while playing the downloaded version, but said gameplay will not be affected.
"Halo 3" has undergone extensive testing to ensure that players will have a positive experience, whether the game is played from a DVD, hard disk drive or USB drive," the company said in a statement given to IGN. "When installed to the Xbox 360 hard disk drive, players may experience longer than average mission and map load times, but regardless of where the game is installed, gameplay performance is not affected."
Halo 3 was made available for download on Xbox Live yesterday. The digital version costs $29.99.
MovieMiguel.com
