Xenoblade Chronicles X Will Use Downloadable Data Packs To Expedite Loading Times

Very interesting. While a lot on here bemoan the installing of games on other consoles, it's actually of huge benefit. It's reaching a point where physical media is holding back consoles. Everything inside them is so powerful, but physical media isn't improving at the same rate as the rest of the tech, as quite frankly it's on it's way out. I bet Monolith had to fight pretty hard for this, but well done to them.

Buying the disc needs about 10 gigs to run properly. Time for me to cave and get a HDD.

Ouch. So you're telling me I still have to sit and wait for things to download if I buy the disc, to experience it at it's best?

Does anybody know the file size of this game? I'm betting it will be the biggest game yet on the system.

Looks like this game might be a digital purchase for me then...

I am glad they are giving the option for players who want the game to run more efficiently. I'll be picking up the eShop version so should have the game run quicker from the get go.

@Spoony_Tech it'll be no bigger than 25gb as that's the maximum a disc can hold.

this is a cool idea!

Ahh, I was wondering when Nintendo would get around to disk installs like Sony and MS have been doing for ages. Yeah, this downloads "extra data packs," but it's the same principle.

One has to wonder - why not make an option to just copy the data off the disc? Partial installations are a thing since approximately late middle ages, and it would probably be faster than downloading all this, considering how slow Nintendo's network infrastructure can be at times.

So does this mean the disc version will actually load faster, since it will be loading from both the disc and system storage at the same time?

Either way, I want this game on disc. It will definitely be a huge download, and I don't want to wait for it or store it. Plus, I want this game on my shelf.

Do we know this is coming to the west since we don't even have a date yet? And why is it a download and not off the disc, I really don't understand that part at all?

I just know after all this my HDD will die, better get a back-up plan put into action.

As long as my 1TB Toshiba hard drive is still kicking this is no problem. I accept all solution to a great game make.

Also, this article forgets to mention that the Basic Pack is required for any combination of other three packs to work at all. So it's not entirely a free choice.

@Spoony_Tech The Japanese version is 22.7 gb

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/02/xenoblade_chronicles_x_eshop_page_points_to_online_co-op_and_interactions_also_confirms_hefty_file_size

I'd wager the Western version won't be too different - though it could be bigger, considering the multiple languages it may pack.

@Kifa & @rjejr : Because the disc is nearly maxed out without the data packs. There was not enough room on the disc for the information to download off of.

@gspro15198 Makes sense but I'm sure this above will all add to that making it by far the biggest game yet. Thanks for the info as I forgot about the size limit.

@Ryno Emm. Those data packs duplicate the data that is already on the disc. that is the point. The game wouldn't run at all if they werent. So my question is - if those files are already there (because they have to), why not just copy them over to HDD instead of downloading?

@rjejr: No this is not coming west, they wasted our time at E3 last year just to show us what we wont be getting.

@Kage_88 also thank you as well. Not sure if it's the biggest just from the disk alone but the added stuff sure will make it so.

@Peach64 Disc-based media isn't improving. If they sold us these games on flash drives or SD cards it would be a different story.

The trick would be changing from disc-based to flash-based and not increasing the price by more than $10.

I think I need to make some space, all the awesome WiiUware titles are quickly filling up my 32gb of internal memory.

@rjejr

C'mon, you already jinxed Zelda being 2015, are you trying to jinx X too?

I think I will download it. This thing will be played for weeks and weeks (like HW now) so I would rather read it off the HD. Only bad thing is not having the save file backed up in the Wii U memory.

@rsanchez1 I don't think that is possible yet, not with Flash anyway. Maybe with large mask roms, but that would still be far more expensive than producing optical discs. Look at the prices of reasonably fast thumb drives - they sometimes approach the price of game itself. Releasing everything on large capacity cartridges while maintaining profitability and prices is just not possible in the nearest future.

Not quite sure about that download requirement. It has to be something technical. Maybe for security reasons there is no ability to transfer raw data from the disk to the console memory? Doesn't even sound right as I type it. They wouldn't do it for nothing though and if you don't want to walk away while they download once you can just use the disc and wait for longer multiplied by how ever many hours you play.

@Shiryu I'd say to just buy a hard drive, but @rjejr is listening.
<_<
>_>

Getting the disc version + download pack. This really is the best of both worlds

@aaronsullivan Never mind, I have just remembered that I have a empty 32gb SD card stuck in there. I will move eshop games onto it when the time comes.

Thank you Monolith for having common sense! When games like Mario Party 10 have Sonic 06 esque loading times there absolutely has to be a disc install or equivalent option for future games. I will be buying physical so I hope these download packs are available pre-launch so I can play straight away..

@Shiryu Except that you cannot use SD cards in the front slot to store any Wii U software. You would have to stick it in a USB 2.0 card reader, and then plug that into Wii U, but I'm not sure about the performance of that solution.

@Shiryu Same here. Between MP Trilogy and DK:TF I only have ~3Gigs left.

Sees article "that's great!"
Sees total size "Fu**!"

@Kifa I will have to test it.
@I actually own everything on physical format. My Wii U is really filling up with eshop games, saves games, update data and DLCs.... I don't think anyone could survive with just 8 gbs.

Great news! It would be nice if the install could come from a disc instead of being downloaded... but either way this is awesome for people like me who prefer owning physical media.

@rjejr

If I recall correctly, wasn't Monolith struggling to get this on one disc? This may be a direct result of that decision. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, as sometimes I struggle to understand this part of the game making process.

@MoonKnight7

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/01/xenoblade_chronicles_x_is_so_sizeable_that_it_almost_needed_more_than_one_disc

@aaronsullivan "Maybe for security reasons there is no ability to transfer raw data from the disk to the console memory?"

That actually does make sense as a security measure, if you consider how easy it was to mod a wii and rip games to the hard drive. Writing to the console from the disc could be something that was removed from the Wii U architecture at the hardware level? I'm not sure how technically sound that is. Or perhaps Wii U discs are programmed in a certain way that makes it impossible.

Good news. I'm all for installing stuff as long as it improves the gaming experience.

So if you don't have the internet you're getting the bum deal. I'm assuming the eShop version will have these 'Data Packs' installed already, making the file size bigger than what one Wii U disc is. So instead of releasing the game on 2 discs, they chopped a bit out of the retail version? Hmm...

@Kifa I'd imagine the Wii U can stream from two sources at once thus increasing bandwidth and data being streamed at any one time.

@liveswired Well thank you for stating the obvious. I am just wondering why the data could not be copied of the disc since they are there already. It's not related to being or not being able to stream from two sources at once.

@Sir_JBizzle That would actually make sense, at least logically. Still other systems have no trouble doing that (both PS4 and XB One install games to their hard drives), so it would mean that Nintendo simply designed their system poorly. Also - some Wii U games create extra data, for which you have to have a sort of template to copy over. Because I really doubt that Wii U requires devs to create all such structures manually inside the code, that would be ridiculous. O.o

@Baker1000 No they'll let you download the files BEFORE the game is available so you hit download before you go to bed several nights before the game is available and then when you take the game home it's ready to pop the disc in and start

@sinalefa I still would've liked it be a 2-disc game! Sure, you had to get up and change discs occasionally, but I dunno, I'm still a supporter of physical media. 10 gigs will take up a huge portion of my tiny 32gb hdd...

@Link-Hero Oh right! That is interesting. Does this apply to other disc-based games then?

I have a 250GB external harddrive I am good to go. As far as the game I am going disc based. Hopefully we get a release date at E3!!!

@Moon 3rd party games generally play significantly better with digital version, Splinter Cell Blacklist is a perfect example.

These are the times when I feel really glad I got a 2TB HDD with my Wii U. Now over 20 retail titles bought and 100+ eShop apps, and it's not even 15% filled.

My HDD growls hungrily
Patience, my pet. We are ready to gorge when the time is right...

Oh boy...I'm gonna need an HDD.

This game is overwhelming in every way.

Yeesh. I might need to get a HDD.

@MagicEmperor

Your HDD:

Or if you're not a wrestling fan:

Ah,Nintendo.I only wish you had given the Wii U more memory.I wouldn't have minded paying $50 more on the Wii U if I meant it would have,lets say,100 GB?32 just runs out too fast for games
What's the point of getting the physical copy if I need to download what is ultimately a patch to have the game to run the way its supposed to?I'm probably making this a bigger problem than it really is,but I still find it annoying in the industry as a whole

Oh well.Time to cave in and get that 1TB HDD

2TB HDD locked and loaded. Come to me XCX...

@sinalefa @Ryno - You sillies, I know the game is coming, I meant the downliadable parts. Maybe we will have to do without it, or maybe by then they'll figure out a way to have it install off of disc, or maybe they'll include 2 dics in the boc, 1 to install and 1 to play. Thats 3 other optins from the 1 presented here.

THATS what I meant by we dont even know if this is coming to the west.

@rjejr

Ok, your usage of the word "date" made me assume you were talking about the game, not the patches.

And since patches do not need localization and the game is coming, why wouldn't they? NOA is odd, but not that much as to withhold something like this that improves performance.

@DiscoGentleman

Yes, the article says this only applies to the disc version.

I'm a digital only person anyway. I hope the nx makes physical media obsolete, to be honest.

And as I understand it, digital downloads have no concern whatsoever? I bought a nice big harddrive for all of my wii u titles and xenoblade will surely become one of them:)

So they weren't joking about the game filling up the game disc. Damn monolith, you guys are crazy. I really hope this game turns out to be absolutely awesome.

Very handy with a usb-HD right now... Looking forward to this game..!!!

I find it amusing that wii u owners rush out and buy a hard drive.
Haven't you already 'paid' for that disc drive that's sitting idle?
Thank you for the install option monolith!!!

@Kifa So You Need The Basic Pack?

@Killabyte28 Very Amazing, Indeed

What I don't understand is why aren't they letting us install the game from the disc? A download seems unnecessary when all the files are located on the disc and could be copied to the harddrive from there.

So this has some "optional" installs. The only other game off the top of my head that had some sort of install was Watch Dogs at about 150MB. Are there any others? (Not including patches, DLC, etc, just installs for improvement from disc)

@Discostew Maybe, Only Time Will Tell 🕒

If only the disks were dual layered like everyone elses...

Goodness this game is gonna be huge.

@rjejr
1.Yes we know for a fact it is coming to west
2. It's not off the disc as the basic game on the disc is a little over 24 gigs and the disc cap is 25gigs. Not enough storage.

@rjejr
1.Yes we know for a fact it is coming to west
2. It's not off the disc as the basic game on the disc is a little over 24 gigs and the disc cap is 25gigs. Not enough storage.

@sinalefa - "NOA is odd, but not that much as to withhold something like this that improves performance."

I gave 2 alternatives to large downloads that improves performance - a 2nd disc or install off the game disc like a Playstaion game. So NOA wouldn't be withholding something, they would be improving the way it's implemented over the 6 months we have to wait for the game. i.e. no big downloads.

And yeah, that should have been 2 different sentences, 1 about the date and the second about the 4 downloads, but my point was w shouldn't worry about MAYBE having to do downloads before we get the release date for the game.

I'm just making things more confused, aren't I?

@LordofMentos - So every time I do a large install of a Sony game off the disc that's separate data on the disc than the actual game? Seems like a really convoluted way of doing things, no? [I only have a PS3, not a PS4, which seems to install every game completely and run of the HDD.]

@rjejr

So that means you are not praying to the Patch gods anymore?

Two discs may prove expensive and not sure wii u can install anything. But even games like Halo MCC and Unity get installed and then require huge patches, so that solution isnt perfect.

Nobody Responds To Me...

@sinalefa - Oh well. Maybe I'm just tired of so many rumours and so much speculation - DeNA, NX, Yoshi in Fall, Zelda in 2016 - and so few facts.

@UltraLaserTen Who is to say it can't? Anyways, dual-layer discs are slower at being read than single-layer. Very likely a reason why the other platforms went for the mandatory install of their games.

@Technallergy The basic pack is not required, it is merely required if you wish to download the other packs to expedite the loading times.

@Technallergy You have been noticed.We're now bloodbrothers
As for the Basic Pack thing,I'm not sure.Sounds to me like you might want to download it if you want faster loading for the overworld.Download all if you want faster loading times in general.That's what I make of it

I wonder if it wouldnt have been easier (and cheaper in the long run) just to print a seperate installation disc.
I mean, games generally have a rather finite printing cycle, but the download packs will have to be available indefinitly in the eShop, causing traffic.

What about if you have the download version? Is all of this basically already installed?

Regardless, I have a 1000 terabyte HDD hooked up to my Wii U so BRING IT ON!

@Baker1000 except I bet you can download all those in the background and then the day after you play it 1time it will be installed making the game just a little better. I am happy to see this, but it means I'm finally getting a hard drive for my wii u

Why not have an install disc included? It's not just about space for some people. Some people don't have the internet speed or data amount to downloaded

Good grief. Kinda glad Xenoblade isn't my thing. Nearly everything these days is bloated. The art of game compression is a dying art. Just look what the N64 could do with 32 or 64 Mb. I'm sure they could reduce the game to 10 Gigs using rudementary compression techniques. Cut back on loading times too by inflating the data as it's loaded into RAM.

@StarDust4Ever You want the game to have have low quality models, terrible sound and textures that look like horrible JPEGs?

@Giygas_95 Where in the world did you get a 1000 TB HDD and did you have to sell both of your kidneys to pay for it?

Now I;m actually considering getting an external HDD and a digital copy of the game. I'm almost out of free space on my 32GB Wii U due to all the recent Virtual console titles being, especially Metroid Prime Trilogy. Also I got Wind Waker digitally from some promotion.

My seven years old 360 lets me install huge games from discs into my little hard disk to enjoy them at their best.
It's time for a firmware update that would allow the next-gen WiiU to match the old-gen consoles...

Huh, that's interesting. I'm not sure if I'll even need these - I mean, it's just loading times. I nearly 100% LEGO City Undercover, no load time could schock me. But I'm VERY glad that these installs are optional - forced installs are a sign of lazy development, at least if they're mandatory to even run the game.

An interesting @ThomasWhitehead 's prophecy from 2013.
"Nintendo has other priorities right now, clearly, than concerning itself with producing new Wii U models with more storage; it has to improve sales and secure the platform's medium term viability before all else. As time goes on and developers shift work solely to the One and PS4, keeping the Wii U's place at that table isn't just dependent on showing these developers that it's worth scaling and adapting for Wii U, but also showing infrastructure support. Running everything off a disc is becoming increasingly rare and challenging, with GTA V perhaps being a reminder, so Nintendo may need to adapt to that reality."
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/08/talking_point_the_wii_us_limited_hard_drive_space_and_future_install_headaches

@felix330 X likely stores its data in just a couple of big files. They can't just copy the whole file, so they extract the critical data to make the download packs. Then it goes on the eshop because its free and easy to access.

So is this the "day one dlc" that was being speculated about a few days ago?

@RaiRiggs So instead of paying $50 more for slightly bigger internal flash memory, you can get a small 2,5" HDD with at least 1GB for the same price and call it a day? I really don't understand the problem as this design choice is positive for everyone- those who need more memory and those who don't.

@scamander I assume you mean 1TB? $50 for 1GB seems really expensive.

This is a really good idea which should be standard for all Wii U games. Just as it is on PS4 and X1. Let's hope this means more Wii U games will have this awesome feature If we ever get Lego City Undercover 2, this needs to be included.

Hmm good excuse for me to buy a new hdd. I have a 1.5TB I can put on the Wiiu if I clean it off. I wonder if you can control where it downloads? My 32 GB usb stick has been more than enough since I buy my games retail, but I don't want to fill it with patches...and yet a TB drive seems too much... I'll have to look into this more.

Brilliant idea to allow people who have the disc version to download some of the most used data to their console. Because the internal memory is faster than an external HDD, it will be a very noticeable load time increase.

Nintendo should bring out at least a texture download pack for some of their games.

@Einherjar This is what I'd rather see. What's wrong with a 2nd disc that lets you install the data, again optionally.

I do feel sorry for anyone hoping to download this directly from the eShop. Before the final file size is confirmed it already sits at 10GB of data just to make it more smooth. 50GB final size? They'd better put that pre-load file up a week before if anyone hopes to play it at launch!

@Donutman On that note then, what sort of hard drive is recommended for the console? Anything or are there specific things I should look for that work better for console use?

@leo13 I hope you're right, I'd kind of like to jump straight into the game. Well, I wouldn't download these right away if it meant having to wait a few hours on the day.

@Baker1000 To be fair, a nassive game needs a massive HDD
And no one here wants Nintendos arbitrary size limitations from the WiiWare times back.
I think its awesome that Monolith went above and beyond with this title and made it as big as they possibly could.
And lets be honest here. A 1TB HDD isnt really all that expansive anymore.

To your "What do i have to look for" question:
There should be a WiiU Wiki that has a pretty good list of compatible drives.
Mainly: Either one with a seperate power supply or one with a double headed USB cable, one for Data, one for Power.
HDDs where Power and Data go through the same cable are not supported.

And i also hope leo is right in that they release the data packs preemptively. And even then, its "just" a loading time thing.
You can enjoy your first play session right off the bat, its just going to be a bit slower. And when youre finished, start all the downloads, let them finish over night and continue with a faster game

uhh... ya im getting digital version

No matter, I'm buying digital anyway. I'll put it on my second external HDD in case mine craps out by the time I get to play this awesome looking game.

Kind of messy but at least this way there are options.

@Knuckles Eh...sorry. I MEANT 1000 GB as in 1 TB. Yeah, I can see why that caused some confusion...

As long as it's all optional.

Personally I'd rather they'd left out the normal maps and halved the bitrate of the sound, but I'm an old cranky man that way around.

I have a 1tb HDD so this won't be a problem for me. Though a 10gb download is relatively demanding and seems like a big concern. This could potentially ruin the experience of the game for a lot of basic bundle owners.

@sinalefa

Yup that's what I was thinking of. Thanks for the link.

I still have like 13 GB of space so no problem here.

I like that they are getting around loading issues with options like this but it's painfully obvious that Nintendo should have included a bigger internal drive. I love that it's easy to use an external drive but a 100gb internal could have made this easier on everyone, I think. I don't like the idea that I have to carry around this giant dongle attached to my console, I'd rather they find a way to include that on the inside (but I've heard Wii U has a fast disc read rate? at least there's that).

Its up to the box art now, this is the type of game I'd prefer to get in physical format, and was what I was planning on, but the loading times do make a difference in the experience, so if the box art ain't all that, I might be tempted to download it,
but who am I kidding, its gonna look spectacular and I'll probably buy the special edition :/

@Einherjar Thanks. I see a lot of these HDDs where the power goes through the USB and I did wonder if it would be wise to have one hooked up to the console when it's probably not in use all the time. I'll have a look around and see what there is.

Hmmm, does this mean the basic game is VERY slow!? I am not very fond of the idea of flooding my hard-disc with big data-packs just so the game plays smoothly. Well, at least I have a big hard-drive (and those packs are free).

@Baker1000 When i got mine, i asked the clerk if he could open it up so i could see how exactly that thing gets its power. Its rarely a thing that is advertised on the packaging sadly.
Though let me give you a hint:
My HDD has an external power supply and shuts down with the device its connected to, which is awesome.
The downside: It also has an idle stand by mode when not used for some time.

Take VC games for instance. Smaller games get loaded completely into the systems RAM and only back up their battery saves on shutdown.
Since the game isnt accessed on the HDD all the time, the HDD goes into idle mode. If you turn the system off while playing said VC games, the HDD doesnt activate quick enouh to write the battery save before the system shuts down.
And since the games run in the WiiUs RAM, everything gets wiped on shotdown.

To prevent this, just go back to the systems home menu and shut it off from there. This wakes up the HDD early enough for the system to recognize it, write your files and then turn off the HDD afterwards.

@Henmii Well, define "VERY slow".
I guess its like early Unreal Engine games, in that models take longer to pop up. Say you change your equipment in the menu, the preview pic will probably take its time to show up and reflect the changes.
Likewise, scene transition will take quite some time, since the whole game world has to be loaded on the fly.

To be honest, 10GB of HDD space is basically nothing. Take a PS4 for instance. Pretty much every game has to be installed in its entirety.
And with that system, you have no way to just plug in a cheap external HDD.
Diablo 3 for instance takes up about 50GB.
And the worst part is, if you used the system already, there is no way to simply upgrade your HDD. If you switch the internal HDD, you have to wipe it no matter what.
With teh WiiU, if you hooked up a 1TB HDD and want to switch to a bigger one, just hook them both up, hit transfer and all your data lands on the new one.
Its much more comfortable.

@Peach64 Physical media is certainly holding back consoles, but that unfortunately includes standard hard-drives. Loading times nowadays from discs on Wii U, or the hard drives on the Xbone, PS4 and PC are ridiculous compared to what they were 10 years ago.

When it comes to loading times on modern games, anything short of loading from an SSD leads to anything from long to ridiculously long loading times.

What I'm really wondering about these data packs however is how having all of them will compare to a straight up digital copy. Will it be equal? Or, if they did this really well, will it be better? Seeing as it could have accessed both the Wii U's NAND/USB Drive and the disc at the same time.

@Contrite Nintendo held back the Wii U by using a silly little 32GB SSD which was no doubt chosen to help combat the serious issues they had with their Wii U OS. Unfortunately the one they seem to be using is incredibly slow - that or else the ARM processor powering the OS isn't up to the job.

Loading times unfortunately come with the territory now - games are more complex and demanding than they ever have been - large SSD's are still too expensive to put in low cost consoles, I have found the Seagate Hybrid SHDD in my laptop to be a godsend.

I installed a cheap Samsung Evo 128GB SSD to replace the 60GB HDD in my original model PS3 over a year and a half ago, I have to say it loads installed and partially installed games insanely fast, plus games with texture and assets streaming from SSD have benefited greatly as well - the jump has been clear even for a system not primarily designed for SSD.

The future however is looking up!

@liveswired Yes, I think they held back the OS quite severely by using the slow ass NAND storage they afaik are using. Skimping on the size is one thing, but if I remember right games installed on an external hard drive load faster than ones installed internally... Which is kinda ridiculous.

And yes, SSDs are a godsend. Especially in fighting games I must say, loading each stage in MKX in literally two seconds is amazing. Buying a 500g SSD when I upgraded my GPU was a pretty good idea.

@Einherjar,

I can't define it, because I first need some hands-on experience of course. But I find it strange/suspicious that they come up with those packs. Hopefully the game won't be a crasher!

But I get what you mean. In Xenoblade chronicles characters needed time to appear. If this is also the case in X, then a data-pack could potentially make that quicker. We'll see.

@Henmii I dont think its due to the game crashing. If anything, acessing data from two different locations would casue some problems, and i doubt that they are offering the "one time opportunity to turn your game into a broken mess today !"
Thats Ubis job.

My best guess is that Nintendo themself came up with the idea to offer several install packs instead of one with people in mind which dont own a HDD, so they can eliminate the load times that bothers them the most.

And, you know, when has Nintendo done something the conventional way ?