500MB Limit for PS3 Downloads @ next-gen

Hight, who is director of external development, told Firing Squad, “We’ve arbitrarily set a limit of 500MB to keep download times reasonable. Since we’ve got plenty of HD space we can accommodate even bigger games and a lot of them.”

Microsoft currently has a 50MB limit on the size of its Xbox Live Arcade games. The policy is in place so gamers without a hard drive for the Xbox 360 can fit a download onto 64MB memory cards. Since the two versions of the PS3 include a 20GB or 60GB hard drive, the company has more freedom to increase the size of downloads.

Although the Xbox Live Arcade size limit may appear to be restrictive, the company has said that the Arcade is meant for quick downloads that can be bought and played on an impulse. Microsoft has also expressed that once larger memory cards are released, the company would reevaluate its position on the 50MB limit.