Optical storage media writing and reading speed

Original CD-ROM drives could read data at about 150 kB/s, 1× constant angular velocity (CAV),[1] the same speed of compact disc players without buffering.

However, with the advent of seventh generation video games, the increasing size of data and the demand for higher-quality texture mapping highlighted a growing disparity between design and graphics requirements and the technological limitations of optical storage's reading speeds and transfer rates.

[10] The slower transfer rate of the PlayStation 3 often prompted multi-platform developers to require a mandatory installation of a portion of the game’s content onto the console's hard disk drive (HDD) to mitigate issues like longer loading times.

[15] During the seventh generation of gaming, it was common for titles to not fully utilize the entire capacity of a single-layer Blu-ray disc (25 GB) or to require multiple DVDs on the Xbox 360.

Starting with the eighth generation of video game consoles, the demand for full 1080p high-definition graphics and higher quality textures necessitated a greater data transfer rate.

[17] As a result, consoles like the PlayStation 4 require video games to be fully installed on the hard drive, enabling a higher data transfer rate.

If the reflectivity is too low for the disc to be read accurately, some parts may be skipped or it may result in unwanted audio artifacts such as squeaking and clicking sounds.