PS3 Memory Issues To Blame For Late Final Fantasy XIV Release

It's been known for a bit that the PC and PS3 versions of Final Fantasy XIV would not be launched alongside each other this September. But the reason why the PS3 version will appear in March 2011--a total of six months after the PC version hits shelves--wasn't widely reported until earlier this week, when Square Enix revealed that reason is related to some sort of memory pinch.
 
"The main reason was the memory," FFXIV producer Hiromichi Tanaka told VG247 during Gamescom in Cologne, speaking through a translator. "On the PC, they have enormous memory. For [the] PS3, there's a restriction."

Tanaka didn't talk specifics on the memory hold-up. He reiterated "memory" when pressed, leaving us to wonder if it's RAM, hard drive, or even Blu-ray related. But he did add that Square Enix is working hard and steps are being taken to adjust the size of the game's memory. Thanks! 
 

 Meat gum.
 
Edit: I love my PS3, but I don't want to play any MMO on it. I would much rather have a FF XV.

I'm outraged!

That's disappointing...

didn't FF13 just come out?

"didn't FF13 just come out? "

So time to cut the resolution of textures in half?

" But as of now, it still appears as if that version of the game probably not happening--not that you were holding your breath or anything. "
 
Some of us were....

PC gaming FTW!

" " Tanaka didn't talk specifics on the memory hold-up. He reiterated "memory" when pressed, leaving us to wonder if it's RAM, hard drive, or even Blu-ray related."  Well, the word  "memory" implies RAM.  Hard Disk space isn't memory and neither is a Blu-Ray disc.  Those are both storage.  So, there you go. "

This game looks like ass anyway, especially with the latest news about the fatigue system. That feature is going to make this game tank. Play for 4 hours, and not get any experience for the next 48 hours? Bullshit.

Understandable, as the PS3 only has 256 MB for the CPU and the GPU respectively, whereas PCs have at minimum a solid 1 GB for each, respectively. 
 
I wonder if future consoles will have ridiculous amounts of memory, or if they'll skimp out again and only bump it to 512MB for each.

That's mass production. FFXV will be out just after XIV, and XVI just after that... "

Even if I did want to play an MMO on my PS3, a FF themed one is not the one I would want.  The DC one does look promising though, but not to be payed for on a monthly basis.

It's "chalked up," not "chocked up."

Conolses don't have much RAM compared to pcs, especially this late in the generation. The gap will continue to widen for a while.

" " Tanaka didn't talk specifics on the memory hold-up. He reiterated "memory" when pressed, leaving us to wonder if it's RAM, hard drive, or even Blu-ray related."  Well, the word  "memory" implies RAM.  Hard Disk space isn't memory and neither is a Blu-Ray disc.  Those are both storage.  So, there you go.  A more valid question would be whether he is referring to system or video memory, though I expect system. "

Thank god, I don't want a game with amnesia. 
 
...

" So time to cut the resolution of textures in half? "

These guys seem a little late the the party, ps3 has known to have less memory for a long time now, its kind of funny hearing a dev complain about it now, makes you think its 2007 again.

Tanaka didn't talk specifics on the memory hold-up.

This is a bit troubling. FFXI always had major, major problems working around the system limitations of the PS2, particularly memory. If they're already running into problems getting the game to fit, it doesn't bode well for future growth with expansions and such.

MMOs normally have the constant updates especially when making new terrain for exploration and additional quests. For the PS3 to  be a bit delayed like that, I kinda understand why. Regardless, I might buy the PC version should it come out.

" @Rolento said:

Tanaka didn't talk specifics on the memory hold-up.

Does he have Amazing Commodities? "

It's cool, I got DC Universe Online.

i was so pumped for this game when it was announced but everything, and i mean everything, that i've heard about it since the alpha/beta started has been terrible. 
 
i still love the designs of the characters, same as ffxi, but i'm a definite pass on this.

So there are memory issues on the PS3 and people are still thinking there will be a 360 version?

I don't know what he is talking about but its obvious Japanese devs have been off their game on the PS3 and 360. 
Are they complaining about the RAM?  If the blu ray read speed was an issue, they could just put out the game on DVD... holy shit.  An install DVD for the HDD would not be a novel idea.  HDD, I don't see how it could be an issue, not many people have the 20 gig PS3. 
It might also be the dumb approach that Sony took with the PS3 ram, specifically allocating it, half to system, half to video.

The talk of enormous memory to work with on the PC is the reason why the benchmark is screwing so many people. They need to learn to optimize things instead of saying this is the easiest thing to throw together and that everyone will just have to max out settings as much as possible. Let me put it this way, my girlfriend has upgraded her comp to the point where it is able to run crysis at max settings and the FF14 benchmark still lags. It is no more impressive, just poorly allocated usage of components

Sad face for this PS3 user until March :(

Age of Conan was supposed to come out on the 360, too.  
I wonder how big FFXIV's footprint will be on the PS3 hard drive.

I imagine it's to do with RAM, rather than hard disk space.

" So there are memory issues on the PS3 and people are still thinking there will be a 360 version? "

" " But as of now, it still appears as if that version of the game probably not happening--not that you were holding your breath or anything. "  Some of us were.... "

" @blacklabeldomm said:

"didn't FF13 just come out? "

That's mass production. FFXV will be out just after XIV, and XVI just after that... "

There's really no excuse for the current gen systems having such paltry amounts of RAM, anyway.  Granted, they aren't running nearly as many background stuff as a PC, but I would have expected the systems to have, at the very least, 1GB of RAM.  Especially on the PS3.  256mb of VRAM just isn't enough.
 
Some devs are doing some really awesome things with what they have, but imagine how much better it could have been.

Yeah, this type of thing should be addressed while creating the application, not after the fact. As a programmer, I feel ashamed for these guys, if they would get it through their minds to make it the most memory efficient from the outset, they would run a less likely chance of having this type of situation develop near launch. More != lazy programmers.

you do comprehend what memory is right? it means bugs, it means poor coding,causing ram leak and crashing/poor performance, all mmo's have this
 
there isn't an issue with ps3's hardware
 
and last i checked, this was such a poorly coded mmo it requires you to have a machine that can run crysis at 60 fps constantly, to even come close to running this game at 30fps.

"This game looks like ass anyway, especially with the latest news about the fatigue system. That feature is going to make this game tank. Play for 4 hours, and not get any experience for the next 48 hours? Bullshit. "

I'm actually kind of not surprised by the reason, considering the PC version is horribly optimized. The game's a MMO but it's asking for all the latest hardware to run properly.

Having benchmarked the pc version.  I can assure you it is the video memory.  This game just ate up my 280 gtx.  And although I am not sure about the ram, i know the ps3 has more than enough computing power with its 8 cores.

" @xyzygy said:

"This game looks like ass anyway, especially with the latest news about the fatigue system. That feature is going to make this game tank. Play for 4 hours, and not get any experience for the next 48 hours? Bullshit. "

The fatigue system doesn't limit play to such an extreme - such stories have spiralled out of control due to doomsaying and a very liberal interpretation of a Square Enix interview posted by Famitsu, nothing more. The system has been in place since early in the currently ending closed beta, and has changed through this, and will change again due to user feedback before launch, possibly before open beta next month. "