PSP loading question

[basketkase543]

Anybody know why the PSP takes a long time to load games even though it uses a mini dvd format similar to Gamecube? The cube hardly has any loading time at all as opposed to long load times that I've heard the psp has.

NOTE: this is NOT a rant or a psp bashing thread, it is an actual question.

[Jrunt20x]

Anybody know why the PSP takes a long time to load games even though it uses a mini dvd format similar to Gamecube? The cube hardly has any loading time at all as opposed to long load times that I've heard the psp has.

NOTE: this is NOT a rant or a psp bashing thread, it is an actual question.

On my PSP unit, there are load times, of at least a couple seconds+. It's not terrible, but it can be noticable at times. To answer your question, I have no idea why it takes so long to load. My best guess is to conserve battery life. The slower the discs spin the less drain on the battery.

[basketkase543]

Anybody know why the PSP takes a long time to load games even though it uses a mini dvd format similar to Gamecube? The cube hardly has any loading time at all as opposed to long load times that I've heard the psp has.

NOTE: this is NOT a rant or a psp bashing thread, it is an actual question.

On my PSP unit, there are load times, of at least a couple seconds+. It's not terrible, but it can be noticable at times. To answer your question, I have no idea why it takes so long to load. My best guess is to conserve battery life. The slower the discs spin the less drain on the battery.

That's a good point. I just couldn't understand why the psp would have load times if systems like gamecube have almost eliminated them. But if decreasing the disc reading speed helped increase battery life than wouldn't the system be loading for a longer period of time, thereby using up more battery life because of longer total loading times?

[Jrunt20x]

Anybody know why the PSP takes a long time to load games even though it uses a mini dvd format similar to Gamecube? The cube hardly has any loading time at all as opposed to long load times that I've heard the psp has.

NOTE: this is NOT a rant or a psp bashing thread, it is an actual question.

On my PSP unit, there are load times, of at least a couple seconds+. It's not terrible, but it can be noticable at times. To answer your question, I have no idea why it takes so long to load. My best guess is to conserve battery life. The slower the discs spin the less drain on the battery.

That's a good point. I just couldn't understand why the psp would have load times if systems like gamecube have almost eliminated them. But if decreasing the disc reading speed helped increase battery life than wouldn't the system be loading for a longer period of time, thereby using up more battery life because of longer total loading times?

True, but apparently developers seem to be saying that the disc speed is what kills the battery life. I know Kojima said that during the making of MGA. I don't know what drains the battery more, but apparently disc speed can really kill the battery.

[epobirs]

Motor speed in a drive is typically regulated by input voltage. A higher rotational speed would draw a higher voltage than the same device at a lower rate.

A lot of work went into making the UMD drive run on a very low power draw. Part of it was making the discs lighter than a CD or DVD or same size would be. This added delicacy and vulnerability to scratches made placing the discs in a protective shell a necessity. When in the drive the motor only turns the disc within the shell, making it possible to use a lighter drive motor for the job than if an existing format, like the GameCube discs, were to be used.

This is one of the resons I find the claims of the next major GameBoy rev being a portable Gamecube highly dubious. It would take a system designed with few power concerns and try to rework for that while staying compatible. This sort of thing has long been the main obstacle to good battery life in laptop computers. People want it to run for a long time without giving up any of the desktop features.

[basketkase543]

Cool, it makes more sense now. Thanks Jrunt20x and epobirs.