What does installing games to your Xbox Hard Drive do to improve the game?

[Taak Farst]

When you wreck your games (like I wrecked Red Dead Redemption with disc burn so i installed it on the hard drive using someone else's disc, which then made it work again with my own disc), I can understand why you would install a game. However, I have heard different viewpoints and I've heard apparently it increases graphical quality, i've heard it reduces Multiplayer lag etc. But what is true? What does it do for your game?

[Alexrd]

I've heard apparently it increases graphical quality,

 

No. It can reduce noise, loading times and possibly heat, but not much else.

[mimartin]

What does it do for your game?

 

Takes up HD space.

[Lynk Former]

It was originally designed to save earlier 360s from dying due to heat problems that bricked the system. But I like to install just to cut down the fan noise.

 

Of course load time advantages only came in games that came out after the installation of games was put into the firmware. Makes absolutely no difference for earlier 360 games and in the case of Halo 3, it just makes things worse.

[Prime]

I just do it for the noise factor, and typically just for games I play regularly.

[Taak Farst]

is the lower fan volume something worth installing most games for, or would you just use it for games you're really into?

[Ctrl Alt Del]

Not IMO. If you're never going to play a game again and you know it why should you waste time installing it? Fan noise is not that annoying an can be easily shadowed by turning your tv volume up.

[ChAiNz.2da]

I'm just so used to "installing" (pc and all) that I do it for any current xbox game I'm playing No real reason as to "why" though.. guess it's just a reflex.. hehehe.

 

I usually just uninstall the game afterwards after a playthrough unless I just really love the game and see my myself going back for another run eventually (I'll never delete FO3 apparently ). Honestly, as long as my save games are backed up, doesn't really matter to me whether the game itself is installed or noisy. Both can be solved.

[Darth Avlectus]

Not IMO. If you're never going to play a game again and you know it why should you waste time installing it?

Agreed in general.

 

The only qualm I have is:

Fan noise is not that annoying an can be easily shadowed by turning your tv volume up.

Hm. Yea try telling that to your neighbor tenant who works graveyard and sleeps during the day on the weekends when your fans are so *loud* it's like a jet engine. Roommate had that issue. Even though it could be easily solved with new stock fans or somesuch if he wasn't such a conformist about taking it in for repairs. I digress, not always a possible route to just turn it up when the place has paper thin walls.

[Blix]

I think I've only installed two of the 360 games that I own and I haven't really noticed any differences in gameplay until the fan issue was brought up. I notice that the fan seems to really intensify and the load times during WWE'12 are unbearable waiting for a match to load with using the Create-an-Arena.