# Myst DVD, Sims 2 DVD... Does this mean...... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2004, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037 "2004-09-19T20:42:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/1 "2004-09-19T20:42:57Z")
All I need to play them is a DVD player? Let alone a DVD-ROM/PC DVD player? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/2 "2004-09-19T20:55:18Z")
You’ll need a PC that meets the minimum specs (which includes a DVD drive) You can buy CD versions of those games. I’m kicking myself for buying Sims 2 CD when I could have bought the DVD version. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/3 "2004-09-19T20:56:35Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > You can buy CD versions of those games. I’m kicking myself for buying Sims 2 CD when I could have bought the DVD version. What’s the difference? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/4 "2004-09-19T21:02:21Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > What’s the difference? A ball-ache of an install. 4 CDs as opposed to one DVD. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/5 "2004-09-19T22:32:40Z")
The Sims 2 DVD also has a “bonus” disk with some extra stuff on it. (I haven’t seen what the extra stuff is). The biggest advantage is not having to swap disks. Of course, I did have to go out and _buy_ a DVD drive since for some reason I’d bought a computer with a CD drive only. And the store was all sold out of the regular DVD-ROMs, so I had to buy a burner. I don’t need a DVD burner! I just needed to play The Sims 2! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/6 "2004-09-19T22:33:58Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > The Sims 2 DVD also has a “bonus” disk with some extra stuff on it. :smack: :smack: I think I’ll go back and swap. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/7 "2004-09-20T00:38:43Z")
Back before CD-Roms came into vogue, games were distributed on floppy disks (remember those?). However, right around the time Doom 2 came out, you had a choice… either use seven floppy disks, or a single CD-ROM. The CD-ROM boom allowed game makers to dump double-wide assloads of content onto their games, usually in the form of bad (or for some rare exceptions, good) video eyecandy. Nowadays, games are getting ginormous, and mulitple CD’s is not unheard of. Far Cry came on five. Doom 3 came on three. Since you can fit several CD’s worth of content on a DVD, it just makes more sense to use them… I imagine, by this time next year, most games will be coming on DVD. It’s not like a DVD-ROM drive is terribly expensive… ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/8 "2004-09-20T02:44:16Z")
Myst was the first game to come out exclusively on CD-Rom, and they claim it singlehandedly was responsible for the popularity of CD-Rom as a medium. Though they can’t really claim the same this time, I believe that Myst IV is similarly exclusively available only on DVD-Rom. And no wonder, it’s graphically stunning. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/9 "2004-09-20T03:30:49Z")
Having registered and installed Sims 2 is it too late to go back to the shop and get the DVD version? I realize I have got the repeated swapping of discs stage out of the way, but I am curious about the extra stuff you get on the DVD version. I have gone through all the tutorials, and then built a house and a family (the house was too expensive for the family so had to move them into a smaller house) It was fun. The only reason I’m not playing now is that I have had too much to drink and was afraid that a) I would neglect the specific, intricate needs/wants of the family and b) stay on the game for so long that I would bugger up _my own_ needs and wants (I would carry on playing/drinking way longer than usual and so ruin my ‘clock’) ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/10 "2004-09-20T05:01:02Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Though they can’t really claim the same this time, I believe that Myst IV is similarly exclusively available only on DVD-Rom. And no wonder, it’s graphically stunning. URU? Ok lets count here, Myst, Riven, Exile, URU… they made URU for PC? or do you refer to the 10th anniversary edition? Further More, I thought URU was on Console systems? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/11 "2004-09-20T06:23:49Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > URU? Ok lets count here, Myst, Riven, Exile, URU… they made URU for PC? or do you refer to the 10th anniversary edition? Further More, I thought URU was on Console systems? No, Uru isn’t Myst IV. It’s separate. Cyan made Myst, then Riven, then after a long gap they made Uru (which is set far in the future of the original timeline). In the meantime, Myst: Exile was developed by a different game company (still under Ubisoft) following the original timeline and gameplay, and Myst IV: Revelation is a direct followup of that. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/12 "2004-09-20T12:56:28Z")
Do the software DVDs have region coding? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/13 "2004-09-20T13:27:01Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Myst was the first game to come out exclusively on CD-Rom, and they claim it singlehandedly was responsible for the popularity of CD-Rom as a medium. Though they can’t really claim the same this time, I believe that Myst IV is similarly exclusively available only on DVD-Rom. And no wonder, it’s graphically stunning. Way before Myst, Cyan came out with two great (and thoroughly silly) games, Cosmic Osmo and The Manhole. Both of them came on something like six floppies. Then came Myst on CD-ROM, and its sequel, Riven, on five CDs. A pretty amazing progression in a very short time. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/14 "2004-09-20T13:44:03Z")
I previewed Saga of Ryzom (a MMORPG) a few months ago, and the disk they sent was a DVD-ROM. I don’t know if they’re producing their game only on DVD, but it’s a sure sign that the DVD-ROM drive I bought years ago is finally becoming useful. I bought my copy of The Sims 2 on DVD, too. I haven’t checked out the bonus disk features yet. My company recently replaced my computer and they gave me a DVD-RW, which shows that it won’t be long before CD-ROM drives are extinct. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/15 "2004-09-20T15:38:09Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > Back before CD-Roms came into vogue, games were distributed on floppy disks (remember those?). However, right around the time Doom 2 came out, you had a choice… either use seven floppy disks, or a single CD-ROM. > > The CD-ROM boom allowed game makers to dump double-wide assloads of content onto their games, usually in the form of bad (or for some rare exceptions, good) video eyecandy. > > Nowadays, games are getting ginormous, and mulitple CD’s is not unheard of. Far Cry came on five. Doom 3 came on three. Since you can fit several CD’s worth of content on a DVD, it just makes more sense to use them… I imagine, by this time next year, most games will be coming on DVD. It’s not like a DVD-ROM drive is terribly expensive… I’m still surprised that it took this long for games to really start coming out on DVD. My family was not an early adopter of a DVD-ROM drive by any means (I think we got one in 98 or 99) but I was really expecting a lot more DVD releases by 2001-2002. Especially when I look at something that takes three or four or five CDs, when every computer shipped now has a DVD-ROM drive. You want to talk about a game that seemed huge when we got it? The Seventh Guest. Two CDs. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/16 "2004-09-20T16:05:19Z")
To actually answer the OP: Just as there are CDs and CD-ROMs, there are also DVDs and DVD-ROMs. You cannot just place a CD-ROM into any CD player, you need a CD-ROM drive for your computer. Similarly, to read DVD-ROM, you will need to have a DVD-ROM drive for your computer. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/17 "2004-09-20T19:33:49Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > My family was not an early adopter of a DVD-ROM drive by any means (I think we got one in 98 or 99) That’s a lot earlier than anyone I know purchased one. Back then, they were a rarity, at least where I live (Seattle). ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myst-dvd-sims-2-dvd-does-this-mean/265037/18 "2004-09-20T19:53:55Z")
> [@Duderdude2](#): > > That’s a lot earlier than anyone I know purchased one. Back then, they were a rarity, at least where I live (Seattle). I was thinking more in terms of generations. For example, there was the basic, 1x CD-ROM drive we had that came with the computer when we bought it back in 94, then the blazing-fast 4x we bought to replace that, then absolutely nothing for quite a while until we picked up the DVD-ROM. At the same time, the CD-ROM speed had increased to things like 16x, 32x, and 48x. I’m not sure when the DVD-ROM first came onto market, but I’m pretty sure we bought it after the technology had been through three or four generations of advancements. It was nowhere near the cutting edge first-generation like the 1x CD-ROM was or the really weird cartridge-style CD-ROMs I remember my middle school having as late as 1996. Along the same lines, I keep waiting to buy a DVD burner because so far I don’t really need one and I keep hoping the formats will shake themselves out to one standard.