Topic: Thoughts on Physical Media and Digital Downloads

I'm pretty sure either won't happen. Nintendo apparently will only make new consoles backwards compatible with only the previous generation, thus why DSi and 3DS don't have a GBA slot, (hey, there was DSiWare and, like, 3 DSi-only games (all are pretty rare), which makes the DSi kinda like another gen), and the Wii U won't accept Gamecube games. When a system's fanbase is covered with previous systems and the market for the system only exists on user-powered store sites like eBay and beyond the "employee's only" door of GameStop, providing developers with no profit from this, then there's no real need to go on supporting the system.

On the topic: I like digital downloads. Sure, I also enjoy going to GameStop and coming home with a plastic box inside a bag and with my wallet $30-$50 lighter, but I think digital downloads prevail. It's usually hard for me to get to the store, so being able to buy a game through my computer and wait only about an hour before being able to play is a good thing. Not only that, but I don't need to play around with disks and such. That, and I love Steam for it's huge annual Summer and Holiday sales and it's great community features.

@Destroyer: I actually think the 3DS successor has a fair shot of playing DS games as long as its media doesn't take a drastically new shape. The Wii U successor I also think has a shot since Wii controllers are wireless. For Gamecube support, they would have had to build controller port and memory card hardware into it which is a big hassle. I guess we'll just wait and see

@tanookisuit: Uh, you actually can back up your downloaded Wii/DSi/3DS games to an SD card. And if Nintendo support needs to replace your Wii when the Wii Shop is dead, Nintendo will transfer your shop account and you'll still have your rights to your games on your SD card. Heck, Nintendo forces 3DS downloads onto the SD card, so if Nintendo replaces your 3DS and transfers your shop account, your downloads are guarenteed to be there. Except for DSiWare, you'll need to back that up to the SD card yourself.

Retail games are going to be mostly gone except for the big blockbuster games.
Games like Mario, CoD, Assassin's Creed.

Everything else will be digital.

That is what will happen, the only question is WHEN will it happen.
I imagine....ehhhh...Not the next set of consoles, though they will be VERY heavily digital, at least the Sony and MS one.
But the consoles after that will most definitely be almost entirely digital, and who knows, by then, there may be Onlive type streaming by the systems...Assuming Canada's digital landscape improves and the NA one doesn't degrade to what Canada is lol.

The sad truth of it is, digital downloads is going to happen. It saves on alot of cost, as well as helps them on gaining profits lost to used game sales. I think the only reason it isnt now is because the number of people that own systems and play games, but do not have internet access could still be high.

I prefer physical media. If they truly pass the savings to the consumers, I could force myself to like digital.