Delusions Of Grandeur

So the developers over at Namco have been making some pretty big claims recently. They suggest that their upcoming multi-platform beat-em-up, Tekken 6, will be influencing the specifications of the next Xbox. Apparently the game is pushing the 360 to the limit and the fighting maestros are struggling to keep the game running at a respectable 60 fps. Apparently the disc format is to blame. It runs out that the speeds at which DVDs can be read at are a bit too slow for the graphic intensive game to run at its intended speed.

Whilst we here at We Live In Games are willing to view this as mere hyperbole on Namco's part, I can't help but feel that this does raise the issue that the 360s reliance on outdated DVD technology may be holding it back. Whether this means that the next Xbox will finally cave into consumer pressure and pay Sony for use of its Blu-Ray discs in conjunction with Xbox games, or that we will see a move into true solid state gaming, making the games run straight from the hard drive or flash drive is something for speculation. But it does raise the question of how much longer the 360 can keep outdoing Sony's PS3, with its limited storage space and read speeds of DVD. We already know that Hideo Kojima's masterpiece, Metal Gear Solid 4, wouldn't work on 360, due to its need to arrive on multiple DVDs, how long will it be before multi-format games become unsuitable for a 360 release?

I doubt that many companies would risk losing out on Microsoft's massive installed user base compared to Sony's still lagging one, but we might start seeing a quality jump between multi-platform releases, as more and more developers come to grips with the system. It will be interesting to see if what Namco are saying is true when the game finally hits the street.