PS4 Preloading Tease Sucker Punch

For several years now PC gamers have known the comfort that comes with pre-loading a digital copy of game. Rather than wait until the title unlocks (usually at midnight local time) and then downloading, pre-loading lets gamers get the agonizing installation process out of the way ahead of time so they can get to gaming as soon as possible.

But while pre-loading has become practically a given on PC it has yet to reach the console space. There have been some rumblings regarding the feature from both Sony and Microsoft, but neither company has made any firm decisions on the matter.

However, if a recent quote from inFAMOUS: Second Son developer Sucker Punch is to be believed, pre-loading might be on its way to the PS4…and soon. According to their tweet, gamers might be able to pre-load new digital versions of games as soon as next month.

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Now, obviously there is the question of whether Sucker Punch is talking about pre-loading all Sony digital games or just copies of inFAMOUS: Second Son, but either way this is potentially exciting news. With many current-gen games requiring upwards of 25GB downloads, pre-loading would be a huge step towards shortening the time between game unlock and actual play time. Moreover, pre-loading's inclusion on PS4, and presumably Xbox One, would further bridge the gap between the current-gen consoles and PCs.

At this point, pre-loading on these consoles doesn't seem to be a question of if but rather of when. Not that long ago an option for pre-loading Titanfall appeared on the Xbox One store, but it was promptly removed by Microsoft and cited as an error. Some assumed that the snafu was our first hint that pre-loading was on its way to Microsoft's system, likely alongside the launch of Titanfall, but unfortunately that never came to pass. Still, we think the feature is on the way.

And as far as the PS4 is concerned, it appears Sucker Punch has spilled the beans ahead of an official announcement by Sony. We do know that a PS4 firmware update is on the way, so perhaps a pre-loading feature will be packaged in with that whenever it hits, or maybe even sooner. At this point, any game release that goes by without support for pre-loading feels like a missed opportunity. And after that: digital discounts.

Do you think pre-loading is a must for these current-gen systems? Should the console manufactures have implemented the feature at launch?

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Source: Sucker Punch