Disconnecting the Playstation 5 from Internet installs DVD games faster
Disconnecting a PlayStation 5 from the internet can make installing games from physical discs faster, because when online the console often downloads most or all of the updated game from Sony’s servers instead of primarily reading from the Blu‑ray. Commenters explore why this behavior exists—ranging from user-experience assumptions and patching models to CDN routing, bandwidth costs, and security concerns—and link it to broader trends like massive day-one updates, discs that act as mere license keys, and the weakening of true game ownership and preservation.
Why disconnecting PS5 speeds installs
- Several comments say that when online, PS5 appears to download most or all of the “latest version” from PSN instead of fully installing from disc and then patching.
- This is especially painful for users with slow or congested connections, where disc reads are faster.
- Others report that, in their experience, PS5 still installs from disc while downloading a patch in parallel, so the exact behavior may depend on game or system version (unclear).
Network performance, DNS, and PSN
- Some report big gains on older consoles by changing DNS (e.g., ISP → public DNS) due to CDN geolocation quirks.
- Others argue the main issue is PSN/CDN performance itself, not DNS, and that PlayStations can max out bandwidth in browser tests while PSN downloads remain slow.
- There is debate over whether ISPs purposely steer traffic to suboptimal locations vs. simple geolocation “guessing” errors.
Patches, disc content, and delta updates
- Day‑1 patches often dwarf the disc content; some discs reportedly ship with minimal data and effectively act as license checkers.
- Examples: massive, near-full‑game updates (e.g., large FPS titles), and re‑releases that still require big downloads.
- Some argue differential updates could minimize bandwidth by hashing disc content and downloading only changed blocks; others counter that disc I/O, scratch risk, and huge patch sizes make full redownloads simpler and often comparable in size.
Business and cost considerations
- One view: always downloading latest builds may be a UX choice (avoid “install, then patch”).
- Another: bandwidth may be under committed contracts, making “wasted” traffic cheaper than underused capacity.
- Disc pressing is risky: overproduction of physical copies can cost millions, while online distribution avoids inventory risk.
Security / attack surface theories
- Some speculate PS5 might favor network installs to reduce Blu‑ray-based exploit vectors, though others note offline disc installs are still possible, so the gain is questionable.
Physical media, ownership, and preservation
- Many lament that discs no longer guarantee a fully playable, offline game; they often function as partial installers or mere licenses.
- Some treat “no disc = no buy”; others accept digital stores as sufficiently reliable, citing long-lived libraries.
- DRM‑free stores and PC piracy are mentioned as de facto preservation backstops; consoles seen as more fragile.
Views on modern AAA games
- Multiple comments criticize huge installs and cinematic focus, calling much modern AAA output bloated or mediocre.
- A minority defends some large games as worth the size but agrees the economics of AAA production are increasingly strained.