Topic: Thoughts on Physical Media and Digital Downloads

@90s_Gamer Maybe digital download media was dependent on computers and memory cards...in the 90s. Steam and other cloud services save your media to the internet, so it will never go away, even in the event of an apocalypse.

Man, a lot of people here dislike Digital distribution. Personally, I find the only legitimate problem to be ones quams about ownership, but I'll personally never understand why people are attached to such things.

Digital downloads are Cheaper to produce and distribute, to the point where they can afford to take more risks and be more Creative (unlike those $60 retail games). They're also more Convenient for the customer to buy - no going all over hunting for that one game you want because no one carries it or it's sold out. It's always in the shop, it doesn't take up any physical space so it's cleaner for you and safer for the environment. Cheap, creative, convenient. So long as digital distribution upholds these three Cs (4 if you count clean), I'll always support it.

Digital downloads do seem to foster creativity better than retail does, because developers are willing to take more chances on new ideas since they're cheaper to produce.

I'm kinda torn about the whole thing. When it comes to older games on cartridges, I prefer to own physical copies of the games. As for disk games, I would actually prefer having them on my console. Disks don't feel as rewarding to own as cartridges for some reason. So I wouldn't mind having digital downloads in the future. But it would suck for people who can't afford fast unlimited internet.

Brilliantly said - I'd forgotten to mention the creative side of things. It really does give developers and publishers the opportunity to do something really different and make money from it, even it it's more "niche." The manufacturing and logistics of retail games are a real headache for anyone creative.

But we still pay more.

Compare the asking price of Crysis 2 in the EA Origin shop to the RRP of Crysis in UK chain GAME. It's actually priced higher in download form (not to mention GAME were actually selling it at £15 below the reccomended retail price.) than the retail with it's distribution and sellers fee.

You'll find this with all the big publishers, and once download becomes compulsory, there's nothing stopping them from charging premiums on all their games.

Premiums? No. That's RRP. A publisher needs to make that money to survive. Retailers undervalue games to try and get people into stores.

Digital Distribution will help preserve the profit margins for everyone, which means more games for us, and also means our favourite developers are less likely to get shut down if they have one flop.

I like both forms when it comes to games. I'll always prefer physical media to digital as there's just something about having a real cart/disc with you along with the booklet and all the original artwork. Its a good feeling to have really. I trust physical media more because well its a hell of a lot harder to loose everything than if digital. And before you say you can simply back it all up, its not like storage sites are exactly perfect And game saves and data could really be easily lost by one employees accidental click. Also, when I buy a game new for $30 I'm getting a hard copy, when I buy it digitally I'm just making someone else more money then they would if I bought the hard copy. However I do enjoy the fact that downloads are available as they offer otherwise hard to get games cheaply or they give room for more creativity. And on the plus side most of them are cheap. I really hope though that physical and digital will co-exist at least for a few more generations as they do now. However, while on the topic I'm just going to say that I think Itunes is really bad for the music and video industry, as you don't have to worry about development costs, etc. Its just the difference between a hard copy and a file.

What was that now?

It's not just about sharing or reselling a bad game or one you're sick of, it's also about your rights as a consumer and owner of that game in the longer term. Sure you an get SMB1 on the Wii right now and shortly the 3DS, that's nice. But, how long will Nintendo support that copy of SMB1 on your Wii or 3DS? What if your system breaks 5 years after they've moved on and you need to replace the hardware and they don't have a server up. You're screwed. If it were the real cart, like I have had since 1985 I can just replace the system and no harm done. Digital downloads are a curse to full price gaming and maybe once gigabit routers/modems/lines will be standard in the US and they can con suckers into being happy as temporary owners of anything but it's a bad thing. I'm fine with a $1-15 at the most but usually 10 is where I cap it with stuff on psn or steam (gave up on wiiware since nintendo feels I own nothing at all I buy on there.)

I shoul clarify I'm picking on console makers downloads. For stuff like Steam or GoGames.com stuff it doesn't apply as you do get the actual game, and in the case of steam they already have a contingency plan if they ever did quit on it or go under that would patch the exe of any game to not need the steam client to play. GoGames.com already is untied, it just works.

Dear tanookisuit,

If you only plan on spending money on things you own afterwards then boy are you going to miss out on a lot of things in life.

What people usually forget is that it is not only cheap to produce and sell, but also the environmental benefits of digital downloads. No need for packaging, no need for physical media, no need for transport which expels environmentally bad gasses, no cutting down tress for manuals and inlays.

If I have to choose between the joy of buying a new game and holding its sleek box firmly in my hands, or being more concerned with the planet and how future generations will be able to enjoy it, I know the answer.

The video game industry is bigger than hollywood, and should as such be one of the frontrunners in the green revolution.

So be it Waltz. I'd rather not be held hostage by a company that decides I got what I deserved out of my money for something and just up and takes it away from me. Stuff like that is why print media isn't dead yet and why people still buy a lot of books. After the debacle with the Kindle pulling Orwell books a couple years back and not refunding peoples cash because of a license dispute it woke a lot of angry people up. In the end Amazon had to refund people and give them another book to avoid a lawsuit they would have lost.

I also clearly stated that I have a problem with console based downloads, because you can't make a backup, so when the system eats it, you're screwed unless the maker still supports the downloads. With stuff like the Kindle, Steam, GoGames.com and many others you get the actual file and can back it up to another drive in case of a failure. So, where am I really missing out much on things? I may not end up with some wiiware because of Nintendo's retarded no rights policy, and I may miss on a PSN game or two that doesn't go to the PC, but it's far from the end of missing out on a lot of great things.

You do own the game. You don't own the content and rights of the game, but you paid $$$$ to have a copy of the game.

But either way, I'm not concerned with Nintendo or some company taking the game away from me because it won't happen. And there's no reason to unless you doing something malicious with your copy (illegally distributing/burning games, etc.)

I don't understand why people are concerned with rights and stuff. You paid good money to get to play the game and own a copy of it (I've said this before in another topic- I don't buy games expecting to own the content, characters, music etc. of the game as my own property).

Downloading is convinient, but I feel better having a physical copy. See, I'm planning on downloading Torchlight 2, but if there was an option of downloading a digital version of Smash Bros. 4 or the physical copy, I'd pick the latter. A game like Pokémon, I don't mind getting a downloaded version (not like I'll be sharing my copy anyways).

For me, it depends on the game.

You own it on the Nintendo Wii and DSi as long as they allow you to, then it's gone. Same can be said for the PSN and XBL too. On the PC or a Kindle like device you an back the data up and pop it on a portable hard drive or a disc.

People get concerned because some like to hold onto stuff for a long time. I still have over 50 NES and SNES games. I've had some of that stuff 15 to 25 years depending on the title. And that is because it's in a hard copy format I can pull back out or if I want I can go find another in the wild somewhere. A digital download depending on the medium it is on you can't do that. If the stuff is given as a download in some way you can transfer and store, that's basically the same as those old carts. If it's like WiiWare you're the worst off as it's system tied, while the other 2 guys are account tied and until they quit supporting your download you can get it back but once they do and your hardware eats it, it's gone for good.

After the debacle with the Kindle pulling Orwell books a couple years back and not refunding peoples cash because of a license dispute it woke a lot of angry people up. In the end Amazon had to refund people and give them another book to avoid a lawsuit they would have lost.

You talking about the same Kindle that is now Amazon's top seller and a digital bookstore that is constantly growing? The same Kindle that is responsible for Boarders going into administation in Australia?

Yeah it was a mass riot against Amazon alright. I hope if I ever build my own company I'll end up with the same "angry consumers"

It really boils down to this: Digital Distribution will become the dominant delivery model. The publishers and developers want it, most of the consumers want it, and the service delivery models are getting ever better.

If this means the industry leaves you behind, then so be it.

So um ... when did physical things stop breaking?

I'm curious waltz, is it personal because you keep acting like a complete jackass to anything I post and it's getting tiring. Keep it up and I'll go talk to a moderator.

YES I'm talking about the same Kindle, and guess what I own one too. Why? Because I can back the books and apps I have to the PC and use them later on another Kindle if I register it, mine obviously, or on their PC apps too. There was a mass consumer issue if you look, there I believe was a class action lawsuit bring brought up but then Amazon pacified the issue with what I said in my last post and they made it right.

You seem to like dodging what I talk about and get hyper defensive of digital distro being the means of the future. I never argued that at all. My entire thing if you could actually read what I wrote was that I support it, when I can legally make a backup of something so I can use it again at my leisure if it's 1 year or 10years down the line after the company gives up on it. Considering at this rate it appears just to be mobile devices and home consoles that won't allow backups, the absolute worst thing I could lose out on in time would be the ability to game if that stays that way on a video game makers machine. I'd happily live, still have the PC and other things to do.

Just think of all the sex I wouldn't have had. _{Alternatively, all the hookers I'd own}

Digital Downloads are a blessing and a curse. It's great to get games without going to the store, but Theres a WHOLE LOT of cons in them.