COD4 storage issue clarified: not required

by Richard Mitchell { Jul 23rd 2007 at 5:30PM }

There was quite a bit of falderal surrounding the recently released conceptual box art for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. For those who are unaware, the box art released featured an icon with the text "Storage Required" underneath it. This led many to believe that Call of Duty 4 would break Microsoft's mandate that all 360 titles be playable without a hard drive. Have no fear though, for it looks like it was all a misunderstanding. MyGamerCard.net reports that Infinity Ward Community Relations Manager, Robert Bowling, has confirmed that storage will not be required to play Call of Duty 4. According to Bowling, the icon was added to the concept art in order to represent how the box would appear once logos and icons were applied. It looks like all the people without memory cards or hard drives (both of them) can breathe a sigh of relief.

Tags: activision, callofduty4, callofduty4modernwarfare, cod4, infinityward

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

CJ @ Jul 23rd 2007 5:51PM

I wish MS would renig on this. I know they still have to core but you would have to believe that 99 percent of people purchase hard drives or atleast useless memory cards. I dont know how it would, but I hope this does not hinder developers in any way from making games for the 360. I am hoping the MS has a price drop this fall and also eliminates the Core. Why would you play a damn game if it can not be saved?

mccomber @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:02PM

OK, if MS has a mandate that all games be playable on the core... why does that icon exist? It seems strange to me that such an image would have ever been created if it wasn't meant to be used at some point in time.

Jared @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:05PM

agreed. This issue needs to be resolved NOW.
It seems absolutely INSANE that the company that introduced (and highly-touted) the inclusion of hard drives to the world of game consoles would make it an "option" in the very next gaming cycle. WTF?!

Many companies including Bethesda (in their work on ES IV: Oblivion) essentially said that the 360 owners that didn't have HDD were RUINING it for the rest of us!

Forget the memory cards; if you don't have a HDD you should be ashamed. buy one on ebay ya jackass.

Giddieon @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:19PM

Sony having a HDD on every system is look better now...

Many games in a year or so will use caching more and more and the HDD will be needed...

Tony @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:21PM

It hasn't hindered anything so far, I doubt it magically will now. Games can have hooks in them to notice HDs and then make use of them properly. Hell, Oblivion is how old? and it managed to do that even.

I think the core having no HD is stupid as well, but this has turned into a big argument over nothing. You should see the comments on the Joystiq post about this.

Ithilis @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:40PM

I wish it was 'storage required', because it would mean that we're getting the best build of the game. Due to the Core, we're going to get a version that's optimized for memory usage only, while the PS3 gets the version that uses HD caching for better framerates.

Awesome!

Token @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:45PM

Isn't there a rumor going around about Microsoft price dropping the 360, and getting rid or the Core all together?

Token @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:45PM

Why is this a big deal?! Of course you need a storage device. How the hell are you going to save, and download the kick ass map packs and other stuff IW has up their sleeve.

Jerry @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:35PM

I just cant believe how retarded people are, You must be getting your information from your secret source 'the toilet ' All console games are disc based and it will continued to do so.
360 owners are happy people because we have the best game play and good looking games , and when the day comes that storage is required who the hell will complain nobody has core.

BTex @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:52PM

Well I for one am very happy that the guy without a hd will be able to play.

ccc @ Jul 23rd 2007 8:19PM

The core system is a cancer to us and needs to be dealt with. Even Rock Star said they had to take special steps thanks to the fact that there are 360 gamers out there without Hds. What kind of person would shell out the cash for a system and not have some way to save game progress or at the very leat thier profile? Think about the core for a minute, no gamerscore or achievments? WTF do they do when they buy a game that last over 5 hours long? Just play strait through? The core system is pointless in all aspects except 1. If U dont have a 360 its a cheaper way to get ur foot in the door, but by no means should it be a way to exist in this generation of gamming.

Anticrawl @ Jul 23rd 2007 8:49PM

Hmm, damn and I was considering buying this game. But without a feature like installing a portion on the harddrive to eliminate pop-up increase draw distance and improve framerates this is just another Call of Duty to me and nothing to special.

I was really interested into seeing what a game like this could do, but they just shattered my hopes. Damn yous all, damn yous to hell.

ZeroCorpse @ Jul 23rd 2007 9:19PM

Really... What kind of dumbass has a 360 and doesn't at least have a memory card?

I also think they should ditch the Core and move to a HD Required situation so that developers can make the best games possible. Effing Core users are ruining it for the rest of us...

Of course, on the other hand, I think MS could have made it better for us all if they had just allowed us to install our own hard drive instead of paying a premium for theirs. That was a bad decision, I do believe, and it's a buzzkill for those people who can't afford to drop the cash on a hard drive.

Steve519 @ Jul 23rd 2007 9:36PM

Wow, I posted this three days ago at least and also debunked this three days ago when I contacted Robert about this.

http://www.daking240.com/?p=292

http://www.xblradio.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2311

Frantic 1 @ Jul 23rd 2007 10:50PM

You don't need a hard drive for current gen. games, altough you are required to have one for all backward compatible games, now that is retarded. So, technically MS has always required a hard drive, they just won't admit it.

Gemini Ace @ Jul 23rd 2007 10:59PM

Yea, why is that icon even an option to use on the box? Just stick a random icon there if it's just a placeholder. They're BS-ing us.

Jeramy @ Jul 23rd 2007 10:56PM

HD = high definition
HDD = hard drive disk

not to be a dick or anything, but shit, man.

ccc @ Jul 23rd 2007 11:10PM

@16

Heh confusing ur reading I C.

@12

Its not completly all bad. I do believe the developers can give the HDD owners updates that fix the issues originally coded on this disc for the Non-HDD players. But we pay with our memory,granted in very very small amounts but still....

GWolf @ Jul 29th 2007 12:21AM

I can understand why MS doesn't want to have a browser or allow the hard drive to get out of their control. How hard would it be for some bad men to infect 360's with malware, viruses and other such nasties. PS3 may be living on borrowed time given how accessible it is. Given fan boy hostilities for the various systems it's only a matter of time.

sirpilf @ Jul 23rd 2007 11:49PM

@19

the ps3 browser isnt gonna just let you download anything... you cant download any software/exe's except fromt he official store. so unless some a$$hole xbot makes some virus that somehow tricks the PS3 into thinking youare just downloading a JPEG then when you view it it bricks your PS3, then a virus on PS3 isnt to likely. sure it may be possible, but thats what people get for downloading uncredible 3rd party software from uncredible websites like the bricked PSPs.

BananaBoat @ Jul 24th 2007 1:02AM

That's a pretty damn specific icon to put on a box when it wasn't previously designed (as in, I doubt THEY designed it and not Microsoft). Microsoft is probably readying games in the future that will require caching, and this was our first taste of the icon. Atleast, that's my theory

LordAlu @ Jul 24th 2007 2:36AM

"This led many to believe that Call of Duty 4 would break Microsoft's mandate that all 360 titles be playable without a hard drive"

This was broken over a year ago with the release of Football Manager 2006... check out the logo in the bottom left of the cover:

http://www.gamersreports.com/grimages/650/1139331423/2/1/gr.image.jpg

Turboman @ Jul 24th 2007 4:36AM

Awww, I wish it would be required. :/ We could probably get larger games or something in the future because of this. :S

Keef @ Jul 24th 2007 4:45AM

errrrrrrrrrr yeah.......... the same image is shown on splinter cell..... and that does not need a storage device to be played, its just for saves and downloads...

its already already been stated here http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/23/call-of-duty-4-xbox-360-box-art-features-storage-required-stic/

its just for saves and downloads...

mattclarkie @ Jul 24th 2007 5:14AM

Championship Manager requires a HDD. The box says requires HDD, sold seperately. So clearly MS doesn't demand that games can be played without a HDD, just that if possible that they can.

stewis @ Jul 24th 2007 6:07AM

Excuse me for being stupid but no where on that image does it say HHD required only storage... so you could use your memory card if you so wish...

And does anyone complain that there PS/PS2 needs storage to save games?

Michael Paul @ Jul 24th 2007 9:47AM

THE most irritating aspect of this no-storage-REQUIRED mandate is having to PICK my hard drive as the place to load/save games from/to. NO, they didn't bother to LOOK for a hard drive or memory then if only one existed use it by default. Nooooo, I have to tell "Ultimate Alliance" to use the HD every freaking time.

I'll call it poor programming no matter how many excuses the developers come up with, or how many Microsoft Programming Standards pamphlets that tell them what to do they wave at me: taking the initiative to make the game less obnoxious is a sign of a good design, and this crap shows no signs of that...

xenocidic @ Jul 24th 2007 9:09AM

i find it hard to believe that anyone out there has a 360 without a hard drive or memory unit and uses it for gaming.

if it's a non-issue, they should loosen their mandate if it will improve games.

baby sea tuna @ Jul 24th 2007 9:29AM

"the ps3 browser isnt gonna just let you download anything... you cant download any software/exe's except fromt he official store. so unless some a$$hole xbot makes some virus that somehow tricks the PS3 into thinking youare just downloading a JPEG...

Posted at 11:49PM on Jul 23rd 2007 by sirpilf"

Um, this is a 360 fan site. I'm not saying that people can't have differing opinions or anything, but can't you mods just enact a blanket ban policy on any cocksucker who uses the word "Xbot," PLEASE?

Mr BoomStick XL @ Jul 24th 2007 9:46AM

Not to be a D**K here but I agree with post#1 I'm tired of catering to the "Cheap" people who only have a "Core" system. The 360 has been out for almost 2 full years already. This is hurting Developers from reaching their full potential with the 360 because of the memory limitation!! Come on now!!

Hithere @ Jul 24th 2007 10:04AM

That's not how you spell folderol.

Richard Mitchell @ Jul 24th 2007 10:15AM

"That's not how you spell folderol."

Yes it is. There are multiple ways to spell the word.

Folderol, falderal, falderol: they all work -- though Firefox doesn't recognize any of them :)

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=falderal

Richard Mitchell @ Jul 24th 2007 10:22AM

"Um, this is a 360 fan site. I'm not saying that people can't have differing opinions or anything, but can't you mods just enact a blanket ban policy on any cocksucker who uses the word "Xbot," PLEASE?"

Banning is (generally) reserved for overt insults and trolling. Xbot isn't that bad (it's even kind of funny). Just roll with it. There are *much* worse things that could be said. Cocksucker, for example, is much worse. (No worries, just making a point.)

lunarx3dfx @ Jul 24th 2007 12:32PM

I"m glad I have a PC and will be able to play the absolute best version of the game. FPS' on consoles. pfff. You want the best quality game, get a real game system.

Anticrawl @ Jul 24th 2007 12:32PM

You should just drop the banhammer down on GodiasMyth right now then Richard. Don't see why that hasn't been done, that's one evil little troll.

Richard Mitchell @ Jul 24th 2007 12:47PM

"You should just drop the banhammer down on GodiasMyth right now then Richard. Don't see why that hasn't been done, that's one evil little troll."

He's only commented once here at X3F, and that comment was deleted. I'm am thankful that I rarely have to deal with Joystiq's commenters.

Richard Mitchell @ Jul 24th 2007 12:48PM

"I'm am thankful" ?

Silly typos.

Jldowning @ Jul 24th 2007 1:15PM

I forget who said it, but who ever said the PS3 will get the better version of this game, is prop wrong, and this is from a PS3 Fanboy.

Rockstar said that GTA4 was being held back by the 360's lack of HDD, and DvD limitations. However rather then releasing the best game they could on BluRay, compiled everything, and got rid of content.

So what Do we PS3 owners get form 360's lack of Memory, and DvD space? Notta!

What do 360 owners get? Exclusive downloadable content...

So yeah, the PS3 version of COD4 will prob be dragged down with the 360 version!

Anticrawl @ Jul 24th 2007 1:20PM

Heh yeah I suppose so. I see him around alot but I frequent all the fanboys as well as joystiq.

I'm am thankful he atleast doesn't not come here.

Haha sorry dude.

FFXI @ Jul 24th 2007 4:44PM

Jerry, you must be retarded. Not all console games are disc based. In fact there is a 360 game that installs entirely to the HDD although the disc is still required to be in the drive to play due to a Microsoft requirement.

FFXI is installed on the HDD in it's entirety.

MYPS3KilledMy360 @ Jul 24th 2007 9:47PM

@26 please tell me you didnt compare the 360 to a last gen system obviously new games a larger demand more memory like caching to decrease load time resistance fall of man is the best example if you wanted to see fast loading. i dont understand how the 1st xbox had a HDD in every console and the 360 doesnt?