Black Ops 2 on PS3 to Include Texture Install to HDD Option

Black Ops 2 Game Director David "Vahn" Vonderhaar has taken to the official Call of Duty forums to reveal that the PS3 version of the game will include an option to install textures to the harddrive.

Now, before PC and Xbox 360 cry that they're getting the short end of the stick, Vahn has confirmed this won't give any "significant performance gains" to the PS3. It's there to keep the PS3's Blu-ray lens to wear out.

Here's Vahn's message in its entirety:

This is one the fans having been asking us about demanding for a bit. Black Ops 2 has an option to "Install Textures to HDD."

When we explained to PS3 folks that installing to the HDD wouldn't neccessarily give us any significant performance gains, they explained back that the issue is they play so much it puts constant stress on the Blu-ray drive and wears them out.

Roger that.

It's a non-trivial amount of HDD space to install all the textures. I don't want to get into exactly numbers because anything can, and does change during development.

You don't have to install to enjoy the game. We still pre-cache like we did on Black Ops.

David 'Vahn' Vonderhaar

Of course, this install is optional and as Vahn states, he doesn't want to divulge how much disk space this will eat up as they haven't finalized it yet. 

While I appreciate Treyarch even considering this, I just hope Black Ops 2's netcode is up to snuff. I don't know about you, but Black Ops 1 might have had the worst netcode out of all the Call of Duty games I've played. 

Will you be installing the textures to your HDD? Come to think of it, do you play that much that your Blu-ray's life is in jeopardy?