On Xbox 360 the openworld game comes on two discs: one mandatory "install" disc and one "play" disc, both around 8GB in size.
ORIGINAL STORY: Rockstar has warned Xbox 360 gamers not to install the Grand Theft Auto 5 "play" disc. The Digital Foundry Face-Off - due tomorrow morning at 11am - is based on comparison of the two retail disc versions of the game."
"GTA 5 isn't available for digital delivery on Xbox Live, but we are curious what the impact - if any - will be on the PS3 version, as that is available as a PSN download. It's not game-breaking stuff, but it does take you out of the moment when it does manifest and for that reason we can't recommend installing the play disc. Why stream just from the hard drive when you can run in data simultaneously from both the disc and the HDD? Based on what we're seeing on the Xbox 360 version, perhaps running both DVD and HDD assets from just the one source slows down access times, impacting streaming performance. "So what's the story here? Well, optimal streaming is achieved by making use of all the available bandwidth in the system. However, doing so impacts the game's ability to stream texture data, resulting in regular pop-in of in-game objects and textures.
It takes up an additional 7.8GB of storage. Now, there's absolutely nothing stopping you installing disc two - the 'play' disc - onto the hard drive too, using the Xbox 360's dashboard to do so. "When you first get the game, the first order of business is installing the mandatory content from disc one - this accounts for 7.7GB of data to install on your hard drive. "Rockstar recommends that you shouldn't install the GTA 5 play disc on Xbox 360 and it's sound advice," Digital Foundry chief Richard Leadbetter said. Access to special features require internet connection, may not be available to all users, and may, upon 30 days notice, be terminated, modified, or offered under different terms.UPDATE 1: Digital Foundry, which has access to the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto 5, has offered an explanation for Rockstar's recommendation against installing the "play" disc.
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Software use subject to license in manual & online at /eula. Unauthorized copying, reverse engineering, transmission, performance, rental, pay for play, or copy protection circumvention is prohibited. Take Two doesn’t endorse engaging in any conduct depicted in the game. This game is fictional doesn’t depict any actual event/person/entity any similarities are coincidental. The ratings icon(s) and all other marks are properties of their respective owners. Rockstar Games, R* & Grand Theft Auto are Take-Two Interactive Software marks. As they slip into debt and are dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very different from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don’t. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, gateway to the land of opportunity. What does the American Dream mean today? For Niko Bellic, fresh off the boat from Europe, it is the hope he can escape his past. The Games on Demand version supports English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.