If you have a low data cap on your broadband service, or perhaps no home internet service at all, don’t bother picking up the PC version of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. In an absolutely mind-boggling display of indifference, publisher Konami released the physical retail version of the newest Metal Gear title via a disc that doesn’t even contain the actual game.
First discovered by Twitter user @graphure, the disc included in the boxed copy of Metal Gear Solid V is 9GB in size, but is almost entirely blank. The only thing on the disc itself is an 8MB download installer file that your computer can use to download the game from the Steam digital store.
https://twitter.com/graphure/status/637981198229368836
In short, the disc could have been a piece of paper with a download key on it, and it would have served the exact same purpose.
Physical game discs are a dying breed simply because Steam and other digital storefronts have become so easy to use for those with broadband connections. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to suitable connection speeds, especially in many rural areas, not to mention that many gamers who do have high speed internet are still limited by restrictive data caps.
In the case of Metal Gear Solid V, anyone hoping to save themselves the trouble of downloading the game by picking up the retail copy at a store will find themselves downloading all 28 gigabytes of the game anyway.
We’ve reached out to Konami for clarification on this, and will report back if we receive a statement. Meanwhile, the equine star of the game provided his thoughts on the matter:
Konami
H/T VG247 | Image via Konami
