When the Xbox Live Arcade launched, Microsoft was pretty stingy with their file size limiting it to 50 megabytes. The reasoning for this seemed sound at the start, Microsoft wanted hard drive owners and memory unit owners to be able to store XBLA games. At the time the memory unit size was a meager 64 megs. Since those dark times, however, we have seen the introduction of 256 and the 512 megabyte cards.
Last year the file size was increased 150 megs due to the influx of larger games and Microsoft granting more ‘hall passes’ to developers. Now, it seems, the good people at Microsoft have decided to up the ante again. This time we’re looking at a 350 megabyte file size for XBLA games.
It seems a combination of good and evil. On the one hand its kind of awesome that bigger developers are attempting to do bigger things with the XBLA platform. Capcom in particular has Street Fighter Two Turbo HD remix and Bionic Commando Rearmed on the way, both of which promise to clog the intertubes upon their release.
On the other side, by allowing companies to use larger files they are being less creative with their games. Some of the most interesting films I have seen are shorts limited to 5-7 minutes. Once you allow people to go over that things just start getting included ‘because they can.’
How high will the XBLA file size be raised? Conspiracy theorists would think that Microsoft will increase the file size every six months until entire retail products could arrive directly to your Xbox. I mean, they are already doing it with the original Xbox games. But I don’t think that’s going to happen… yet.
[via Console News]
