DVD capacity becoming an issue for 360

Some developers are starting to whisper about the fact that the use of DVD storage on the Xbox 360 is finally leading to capacity issues. A dual-layer DVD is capped at about 9GB of available storage per disc, and with the PlayStation 3 sporting a Blu-ray drive that is able to handle discs with a capacity of 25GB to 50GB; it is easy to see how developers can start to feel cramped with the max of 9GB on a standard DVD.

According to our source, the problem is that when you know you have all of that extra storage available on the PlayStation 3 platform, it is becoming harder to make the cuts and reductions in content necessary to pare down to only a 9GB max capacity. This is why quite a few of the recently released Xbox 360 titles are arriving on two DVDs and now sometimes require installation of the second disc to the hard drive.

Word is that Capcom is the latest to feel the pinch with its upcoming release Lost Planet 2. While the first game fit on one disc, the second game required significant cuts in order to fit within the capacity limits of the Xbox 360. According to the whispers we hear, it is still undecided if the game will be one DVD or two; but the material that was cut will likely be molded into some sort of DLC content to be released at a later date.

With no potential help for this issue on the horizon, one has to wonder how developers are going to be able to curb their creativity in order to make it fit on a 9GB disc. In the end, it is just a limitation that consumers and developers will have to live with. It could be worse, as no one ever thought that a single game could take up 9GB, let alone 15GB; and now with 50GB possible, we have to wonder who will be the first to claim they are out of space with the Blu-Ray format.