XBox Memory Cards... Do you really need em???

**Pimpn419** · 10-22-2001

If the xbox has a hard drive.. you shouldn't need a memory card right? Well, that's what I've been told. So why are there memory cards for the xbox then? What purpose do they serve? I was told they have memory cards so you can take your saved data over to a friends house. Is this the only reason why xbox has memory cards?

Should I go out and have a memory card reserved so they won't be sold out by the time I decide to get one? Will I be able to play and save my games I'm getting w/o one.. or are they a must have to save games???

Thanks,

-Matt

you can get a hold of me at Pimpn419@aol.com

**oxMUDVAYNExo** · 10-22-2001

You dont need a memory unless you want to save a game and bring it to a frends house to play on there XBOX the hard drive can keep saved files I wouldent get a memory card.

**SciFi** · 10-22-2001

that is the main reason to get memory cards, unless you think you can use up 8gig's or want to orgenize your game saves....

**Pimpn419** · 10-22-2001

Cool... Thanks Guys! I didn't think you needed a memory card with the xbox's hardrive and all...

-Matt

**sinizuh** · 10-23-2001

the only reason for memory cards is if you friend sucks at Halo and needs your help... just give him your save file

**Bakero** · 10-23-2001

What if say you fill up 1 gig (I know 1 gig is alot) of saved game and extras on you're hard drive? And a game like needs 7.3 Gigs of memory, how does the game deal with that? I mean does the games recognize how much room left and adjust game graphic needs?

Or maybe Software developers programs games to just use about 6 gigs of X-Box Mem?

Plasticman · 10-23-2001

I don't see anyone using 6GB. The Xbox does have RAM, and it can stream the information off the disc onto the HDD. I'd say the Xbox would use 4GB max to load a level. While you're playing through a level, new information can be streamed onto the HDD for the next level. A full DVD is just over 8GB, and I don't see the need for the whole disc to be put onto the HDD. That would be like FFX for the PS 2 or much like a PC.

**Milkman Dan** · 10-23-2001

The way Xbox HD memory works is this. Games cache information to the drive and leave it there. So the first time you run a game like Oddworld or DOA3, it may take 2 or 3 whole minutes to load. Once the game information is cached, subsequent loading times are negligible, mere seconds. This data persists even when you change games or turn off the machine. So from then out, the game loads like lightning. If another game is played, it grabs it's own "cache area". If all cache area's are full, the least used or oldest cache is rewritten with the new cache information. If this happens, you're in for another extended loading period the next time you play that old game.

Memory cards, according to MS, are only necessary if you want to transfer saved information between two Xboxes. MS will not, I REPEAT WILL NOT, cripple a save feature where you can ONLY save to the mem card and not the hard drive.

JeRams and the Insidious Entrail Sock Puppet

**Milkman Dan** · 10-23-2001

Oh, I forgot to mension, the current demos you see running on kiosk do NOT cache HD information (like the Oddworld demo level). That's why the Oddworld demo takes so long to spin up. It is not representative of a typical game loading time.

**SciFi** · 10-23-2001

so your saying that the 1st time we load a game it will take a load of time, like installing on a pc....

**sinizuh** · 10-23-2001

Originally posted by SciFi
so your saying that the 1st time we load a game it will take a load of time, like installing on a pc....

no...

when you play a game, certain important information is saved on the xbox. kinda like the Cache in your web browser... takes information (cookies, images, docs) and if you go back to the same page, it will load quicker...

it doesn't "install" and i'm sure it doesn't take 2-3 minutes to load a game the first time you put it in.

**Jigglypuff** · 10-24-2001

Originally posted by Plasticman
I'd say the Xbox would use 4GB max to load a level.

A full DVD is just over 8GB, and I don't see the need for the whole disc to be put onto the HDD.

Ahaha, oh hoho, that's funny. Show me a game that uses a level 4 GB is size. That's bollocks.

Show me a game that has managed to fill a whole DVD with neccesary features.

In fact show me a game which has more than 4 GB of level data on the disc.

In fact show me a game (not including music, fmv and speech) that uses more than 4 GB of disc space.

Do you have any idea how long it would take to make a game this big? Years and years and years and years. Not going to happen this generation babe.