A little help with my new PS4...

[The_Dizzy_Vizzy]

Hi guys, I'm new to the PS4 subforum here, but not new to GBATemp. My nephew recently gave me his PS4 because he got a PS5 and never really used the PS4 much. I haven't had a new console since the XBox 360 (yeah yeah, I know I know...)

Anyway, I've begun to purchase games for it, and have noticed something that I'm not sure is native to the console or what. Here is my issue:

Last night I put my totally brand-new copy of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, and instead of just playing the disc, it begins to copy it (all of it?) to the hard drive. This is a little disconcerting. Same damn thing with RE4. I have been through all the settings, the user-guide and so forth but have not found any info as to what the hell is going on. Is this normal for the PS4 to do this? If it's NOT, can anyone show me how to turn this feature off?

I know this is probably a stupid thread, but I'd appreciate a nod. Thank you.

 

[Deleted member 681324]

It's a feature to save on resources and keep the console cooler overall by utilizing the install to HDD. The Blu-ray drive authenticates the copy by physical disc check, then Blu-ray drive shuts off and plays game from HDD.

 

[hippy dave]

Yes normal, game will load faster from hard drive than it would from disc too

 

[The_Dizzy_Vizzy]

So does it rip the entire game or just a part of it? Also, is this mandatory or optional?

Thanks guys, much appreciated!

 

[KiiWii]

So does it rip the entire game or just a part of it? Also, is this mandatory or optional?

Thanks guys, much appreciated!

Entire game

 

[The_Dizzy_Vizzy]

Entire game

Ah DAMN! So basicallly what you're telling me is, if I've got 9 games installed on my hard drive, and I go out and buy a new (physical) game and come home realizing that I have no space left on my hard drive, I have to delete a game?

Put it this way - is there a way to play a game OFF THE DISC without ripping it to the HDD?

 

[Captain-Z]

Ah DAMN! So basicallly what you're telling me is, if I've got 9 games installed on my hard drive, and I go out and buy a new (physical) game and come home realizing that I have no space left on my hard drive, I have to delete a game?

Put it this way - is there a way to play a game OFF THE DISC without ripping it to the HDD? View attachment 521751

Yup, that's exactly how it works. There is no option to play straight form disc. Every game needs to be installed. Xbox One, X|S, and PS5 are all like that too. The disc drive is too slow to load data from because games are just so big now.

 

[The_Dizzy_Vizzy]

Yup, that's exactly how it works. There is no option to play straight form disc. Every game needs to be installed. Xbox One, X|S, and PS5 are all like that too. The disc drive is too slow to load data from because games are just so big now.

Ok, thanks Captain-Z (and everybody else who chimed in on this thread), much appreciated. Did not know this about the PS4 or the PS5 & XBox One/Series X. Good to know, I'll stop my bitching now.

 

[IsabellaWhite]

Hi guys, I'm new to the PS4 subforum here, but not new to GBATemp. My nephew recently gave me his PS4 because he got a PS5 and never really used the PS4 much. I haven't had a new console since the XBox 360 (yeah yeah, I know I know...)

Anyway, I've begun to purchase games for it, and have noticed something that I'm not sure is native to the console or what. Here is my issue:

Last night I put my totally brand-new copy of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, and instead of just playing the disc, it begins to copy it (all of it?) to the hard drive. This is a little disconcerting. Same damn thing with RE4. I have been through all the settings, the user-guide and so forth but have not found any info as to what the hell is going on. Is this normal for the PS4 to do this? If it's NOT, can anyone show me how to turn this feature off?

I know this is probably a stupid thread, but I'd appreciate a nod. Thank you.

Yes, that’s completely normal for the PS4. Unlike older consoles such as the Xbox 360, the PS4 installs game data from the disc to the hard drive before you can play. This isn’t optional — it’s how the system is designed to reduce load times and allow the disc drive to run less during gameplay.

Even though it copies the data, you’ll still need the disc inserted to play (it acts as a license check). Unfortunately, there’s no way to turn this feature off.

If your hard drive space is a concern, you might want to consider adding an external HDD or upgrading the internal one.

 

[The_Dizzy_Vizzy]

Yes, that’s completely normal for the PS4. Unlike older consoles such as the Xbox 360, the PS4 installs game data from the disc to the hard drive before you can play. This isn’t optional — it’s how the system is designed to reduce load times and allow the disc drive to run less during gameplay.

Even though it copies the data, you’ll still need the disc inserted to play (it acts as a license check). Unfortunately, there’s no way to turn this feature off.

If your hard drive space is a concern, you might want to consider adding an external HDD or upgrading the internal one.

Yes, I realized it still needs the disc, I literally just tried that and yep, it needs the disc, so thanks for clarifying that! Also, I am playing with the idea of getting a new drive for it. I just texted my nephew who gave me the console and sure enough, he had an external drive for it. These things are cheap so I'l likely get one as I consider it a good investment. Thank you Isabella, much appreciated.

 

[IsabellaWhite]

Yes, I realized it still needs the disc, I literally just tried that and yep, it needs the disc, so thanks for clarifying that! Also, I am playing with the idea of getting a new drive for it. I just texted my nephew who gave me the console and sure enough, he had an external drive for it. These things are cheap so I'l likely get one as I consider it a good investment. Thank you Isabella, much appreciated.

Yep, that’s pretty much my personal approach too.
Whenever I install a new game and the storage gets close to full, I just stick to playing whatever’s already installed until I finish them. Once I’m done, I delete those to free up space and then move on to the next batch. Keeps things tidy and makes me actually finish games instead of jumping around too much.

 

[The_Dizzy_Vizzy]

Yep, that’s pretty much my personal approach too.
Whenever I install a new game and the storage gets close to full, I just stick to playing whatever’s already installed until I finish them. Once I’m done, I delete those to free up space and then move on to the next batch. Keeps things tidy and makes me actually finish games instead of jumping around too much.

I can understand that completely! I have just VOWED to myself that I will not purchase any other games until I've finished these three that I have purchased in the last 6 days:

The problem is that, there are so many great games for this thing and most of them are cheap because it's an older console. Lots of great deals out there, but I need to PLAY these games instead of COLLECTING them.

My only problem is what game do I play and finish first?

 

[The_Dizzy_Vizzy]

I can understand that completely! I have just VOWED to myself that I will not purchase any other games until I've finished these three that I have purchased in the last 6 days:

View attachment 521761

The problem is that, there are so many great games for this thing and most of them are cheap because it's an older console. Lots of great deals out there, but I need to PLAY these games instead of COLLECTING them.

My only problem is what game do I play and finish first? View attachment 521762

I'll start with Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. Why? First of all, i am a fan of the series and have versions of this game going all the way back to its original game, Air Combat. Secondly, I'm great at these games so I know I'll make progress. Finally, it looks PHENOMINAL. It's EYE-CANDY. To the best of my knowledge, this is the latest entry into the series. However, Namco is teasing at a new release very soon...

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2025/06/new-ace-combat-game-teased-in-30th-anniversary-message

Then I'm gonna move on to RE4. Nothing like the first time you see your head get lobbed off by a guy wielding a chainsaw while wearing a burlap sack over his head...

 

[XFoxPrower]

My theory: At this point, they wished to subliminally shame you for purchasing a physical disc as you have all the burden of a digital download plus a disc check. But surely the storage options open up once jailbroken? On my PS3, I have the option of playing games from my external 5TB drive, though I prefer my 'open' games to be installed & fast. And with PS2 ISOs, intnernal HDD is the only option. Still, games get huge.