Ever since the launch of Nintendo Switch back in March 2017 gamers have been faced with the difficult decision as to go digital or stay physical.
Naturally there are pros and cons to each of these choices. Digital means the game can be always available on your system, without the need to carry around extra carts, however, often comes at an ironically higher price tag for the privilege. Physical, on the other hand, comes with a pretty box you can display on your shelf, doesn't take up as much system space and can be resold when you're done.
Just from surveying our own team we know that everyone seems to have their own take on this matter, some are strict and stick to one format or the other, whereas some make the decision on a game by game basis.
We thought it would be interesting to see how you, the Nintendo Life community, feel about the matter by answering the following questions:
How often to you buy physical Nintendo Switch games? (9,007 votes)
Always! (if the option is there)41%
Most of the time24%
Sometimes (eg. specific games)23%
Never, I'm digital baby.12%
How often to you buy digital Nintendo Switch games? (7,999 votes)
Always!13%
Most of the time16%
Sometimes (eg. specific games)57%
Never, I'm physical baby.13%
How many physical Nintendo Switch games do you own? (8,280 votes)
31 or more8%
21-306%
16-208%
11-1515%
6-1026%
1-531%
None6%
How many digital Nintendo Switch games do you own? (7,991 votes)
31 or more10%
21-307%
16-208%
11-1512%
6-1021%
1-534%
None9%
Which of the following factors makes you choose physical over digital when buying Nintendo Switch games? (18,230 votes)
The pretty box21%
Lower price15%
Resale-ability18%
Share with friends9%
Uses less storage23%
Special edition extras10%
Tasty label3%
If Nintendo sold retail Switch boxes with download codes instead of carts, would you buy them? (7,717 votes)
Yes, that would be awesome!20%
No, that's a silly idea.80%
So there we have it. Do you prefer digital or physical for any other reasons? Let us know in the comments below.
Anthony launched Nintendo Life in late 2005 and has remained at the helm ever since. He loves Nintendo but sometimes gets confused and tells everyone that F-Zero X is the best game. We've tried getting him help, but alas...
If there’s a physical version of a game, I go for that. If a game’s digital only, that’s when I go digital. Got a few hundred games on Switch going that way now, though it’s handy to hold fire on the digital games as we’ve seen with the likes of LRG and SRG bringing out already existing titles.
For modern consoles I tend to go digital for convenience because modern physical isn't anywhere near as good as it used to be. I prefer big cartridges and instruction manuals with nice artwork inside and the boxes to have outlandish art that bares little resemblance to the game inside. These days unfortunately you are rarely, if ever playing the game that's on the cart/disc and with the best will in the world a Switch cart will never be as appealing as a NES/SNES or N64 cartridge and box
I was a huge physical fan. After someone I live with pawned my entire physical collection, I'm going all digital. I'll never be able to afford to replace what they stole. Special Editions of BotW, XC2, Dead Cells... The list goes on and on. Digital it is from now on! Filthy addicts...
Aside from a couple of digital only titles I'm physical all the way. That way I can lend, sell, and enjoy having a collection of games that have literal value. I can see the allure of digital only (always having all your games wherever you go) but for me the trade off isn't worth it.
I prefer digital and would like to go download-only, but the lack of resale value stops me. Until downloads are significantly cheaper to compensate for this aspect, I'm encouraged to buy the physical version.
I always buy physical where possible. Main reason is to save my microSD card space for digital exclusives but also it's usually cheaper than buying digitally and it can be nice to look through my collection of physical games. If a game is digital only and priced accordingly though, I have no problems picking it up. Love all the smaller indie eShop titles.
Always go for physical, I get to keep my property, some games have collectors value and also we need to keep the used game market alive, the more affordable options for the consumer the better for us.
I’d like to not think about cartridges when I’m playing. I’m using mostly digital because it’s hella convenient. Also got an 100GB SD card so I don’t have to worry about that.
I hate the idea of digital codes in physical boxes. It feels almost like false advertisement to sell a physical box without a physical copy of the game. And I can see publishers using it as an excuse to charge full retail for a digital only game.
I buy physical when possible purely because of the economics of it. For example, yesterday I bought Flipping Death. It was £19.99. It’s £17.99 on the eShop. But, when I’m done I can sell it to CEX for £14. That means it only cost me £5.99.
Depends on the game. If its something like Splatoon 2 and didn't know if I will like it and want to sell it later then I got physical.
If its a game like Smash Bros that I know I will play years after then I got digital.
Always physical if it's about the same price or cheaper than digital because I like saving money and memory space. I have a 128gb card but I've got less than half that space available after several big digital only games and digital deluxe of starlink because at the time $80 for nearly everything was a better deal than $75 physical with less than a quarter of the unlockable content. Physical is nice to lend out to friends or resell games if they don't fit my lifestyle, like when I decided I never wanted to play Splatoon 2, 1, 2 Switch, or DKC TF again and was able to sell them to Gamestop for about 50% their value.
I have only 3 physical games but 167 or so digital games. My physical collection will grow though as storage space is getting real tight. Unless I get a new SD card I'll have to 'clean the fridge' Wii style.
For me the biggest reason to choose physical over digital wasn't an option in the poll, that being that 20 years from now physical games will still be around. If some retro collector wants to get into the Switch a couple decades from now they're not going to be able to download any digital games on it because the servers supporting the Switch eShop will have long since gone offline, but they'll still be able to walk into a used game store and pick up copies of physical games for the Switch to play. Physical media is a way of preserving games for future generations to enjoy.
I prefer physical mainly because renting games is my cheapest, fastest way to play games these days. I rarely have to own a game unless it's an evergreen multiplayer online title like MK8D, SSBU, or MHGU, just to name a few. But since many games I like are digital only in this age, they just get backlisted until a good sale, or I ante up the cash to make it happen-- So I get excited when I learn that a digital only game finally gets a physical release. That's my gaming "climate" right now til further notice...
I prefer digital for the convenience but I'll buy physical if it's cheaper or the game is larger than 5GB so I don't end up with loads of microSD cards.
@JohnG Why not haha? Many buy physical just so they can have a box to add to their collection. I look at my game collection and my Wii U boxes dwarve my pitiful 3 Switch boxes. Someone actually commented on it "you only have 3 Switch games? " they said. I have a monstrous digital collection though and no way would I want a box for each game but it would be nice to have a Zelda, Odyssey, Splatoon 2 etc... for display.
There would still be a market for digital codes in a retail package albeit small. There are plenty of parents out there who don't want to give their kids access to a credit card on their accounts so they end up buying physical eshop cards at retail stores or codes online through places like amazon that are emailed to them. And there are also people who enjoy getting the physical items in a collectors edition that just purely buying digital wouldn't provide them.
I always go for digital, unless game I know my close friends like and I can share them once I finish them. I love indie games, grow up with pixels so my game library has like 80% downloaded pixelated games. Which my wife always says... Why have a 4k TV when you are always playing with pixels? Cause me love some huge 4k pixels
It depends. Games that are not taking space is what i have as a digital prio download.
One of the main reason id rather stay away from cartridges is that i am afraid ill scratch them and make them unplayable. The Switch cartridge is so tiny yet needs a click to start on the Switch.
Definitely physical for triple A titles and compilation but digital is not bad for smaller games. The only thing I hate nowadays is that most publishers are treating physical copies as limited edition which are hard to come by recently.
Physical for me. I hope we see a physical version of Ikaruga and FF7! Heck, even then I miss instruction manuals. (Seems to be the domain of limited editions and smaller publishers these days) However, I will double dip if a digital sale on a game I love is too good to be true. Small price to pay for convenience.
In contrast, I resent buying a full price digital game for it to release as a physical later. Hate it. I don't mind arcade games digitally (I mean the pick up and play type games not coin-ops (but coin-ops are included lol)), but if they are released as a compilation (like SNK or NAMCO) then I think that warrants a physical purchase.
I can't really see why a publisher would want to put a code in a plastic box instead of a piece of card unless it was a cost cutting exercise. The point for me buying physical is I having access to my games, file size and the option of resale in the event of something better capturing my imagination.
I remember a saying that resonate with me on another site.
"If you're charging me retail prices, I expect retail product." Don't charge me a fully packaged game only digital options, I will not buy them.
I will buy some digital. But I am on the NA retail forum for a reason, I prefer and enjoy the "timeless" aspect of physical games. Often I find myself replaying some older consoles.
They may have glitches in some, but ultimately if I lost the data of, say Melee, today... I would be able to patch it now. It's eye-opening in that perspective. Then there was that Hatred game fiasco on Steam where the words of others dictated (though briefly) that you were not allowed to have the game and Steam removed it from their libraries.
It depends. Physical software holds value if you trade it in so the price isn’t hard to swallow whereas if I sink £50 for a digital game I’m stuck with it. Nintendo are kind of a problem with this. I must have sank £500 onto VC/WW games on the Wii easy and have nothing to show yet every iOS or Xbox game I ever bought I can still play.
Physical, whenever the option is there. I feel like going the digital route is basically a glorified rental service in that it’s merely a license that you can’t resell. Also, I buy a lot of games, and the memory card I have couldn’t handle all of them if I had purchased them on the eshop.
Both have their benefits. Physical is good for games like RPGs which you are likely only going to be playing through once, whether it takes a week or a month, you can keep it in the system and you can then take it out once you're done. Digital is good for games like Smash Bros, Animal Crossing or Binding of Isaac, games that you're going to be playing every now and then through the year, benefit being that you don't need to switch out whatever story heavy game you're playing at that moment.
@Kilroy fair, but with so many games these days, is the game on the cart the actual game? Patches seem to change them significantly. I take your point though!
Whichever is more convenient at the time. If physical is cheaper I'll buy that, if it is digital only, or cheaper or a game I know I want on me at all times. Digital it is.
My imports are digital only now though. (finally!)
My collection is 230 games strong and growing. As a gamer who has enjoyed this hobby for over 35 years I feel as though the Switch is the finest product Nintendo has ever produced. And as the industry moves towards an all-digital future I want the Switch to be a brilliant, final reminder of what building a physical collection best felt like.
Always buy physical if it’s an option. If I like the game and want to keep it I’ll pick up a digital copy as soon as it goes to a price I’m happy with, selling the physical version. Once I’m done with a game full stop, I’ll sell the physical version.
I’ve no problem with buying digital if it’s the only option though there seems to be a ceiling. I won’t punt on a digital game if the price is too high, and it seems never over £20.
Normally, I do physical, as I'm the type of person who likes "seeing" what he spends his money on - I like to have a cart, to put a box on my shelf, to read the back of a cover... That's why I was so pleased with the Switch being region free - importing became an option. However, for a lot of games, the eShop prices get really good and discounts happen much more often than they did on Wii U or 3DS.
So, for example, over here the physical edition of "Lego City: Undercover" costs 89.99 BGN, but instead, I picked it up on the eShop for 19.99 BGN.
Yes, there's the "Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle" which got an awesome collector's edition and a physical version over in Japan - I REALLY wanted to import it. But with some gold coins thrown in, I was able to get the digital version of 6 GBP, instead of the 30+ the physical would cost.
For other games, the physical edition came out after I'd already bought the game digitally - like Count Lucanor, WonderBoy or Shantae 4 - in those cases, I didn't double dip, as the price of admission was too much and I didn't think the games were worth double dipping. I did double dip for "Sonic Mania" though and imported the Japanese edition with the OST...
For the Megaman Collections the physical was not worth it to me, as in each set, at least one of the collections was digital-only anyway and there was a good sale on the eShop, which sealed the deal.
It's very similar to the Collector's Editions situation - I have to think about how much would this game mean to me, how much do I like the included stuff, in order to get a standard edition or a CE - for "Xenoblade Chronicles 2" I went for the CE, just like I did with X, as I had high expectations and thought the artbook and CD were worth it. For "Ys VIII" however, which is gonna be my first Ys, I went for the more basic "Adventurer's Edition", as I thought I could do without a letter opener and the CD alone wasn't worth the extra 40 pounds.
I'm kind of 50/50 in terms of the Switch - most of my stuff is physical, but if I don't care too much about the game or the price is much better, I choose digital.
My physical collection: Splatoon 2 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Cave Story+ Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition 1-2 Switch Doom Sine Mora EX Batman: The Telltale Series Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Collector's Edition Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country Axiom Verge: Multiverse Edition The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ Owlboy Just Dance 2018 Sonic Forces: Bonus Edition Sonic Mania Plus Sonic Mania Plus Slain: Back from Hell Dead Cells Super Mario Odyssey SNK 40th Anniversary Collection - Limited Edition Sega Mega Drive Classics Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Adventurer's Edition
My digital collection: Mighty Gunvolt Burst Sonic Mania Double Dragon IV WonderBoy: The Dragon's Trap Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Implosion: Never Lose Hope The Mummy: Demastered Zero Gunner 2: for Nintendo Switch Oxenfree A Hole New World Kamiko Lego City: Undercover The Count Lucanor Streets of Red: Devil's Dare Deluxe Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Battle Chef Brigade A Robot Named Fight Icey Assault Gunners HD Gekido: Kintaro's Revenge The Way: Remastered Saturday Morning RPG Megaman Legacy Collection Megaman Legacy Collection 2 Megaman X Legacy Collection Megaman X Legacy Collection 2 Hollow Knight Alwa's Awakening Save Mr, Mr Tako! Bud Spencer & Terrence Hills: Slaps & Beans The Messenger Astebreed Wild Guns: Reloaded Steamworld Dig 2 Fairune Collection Capcom Beat'Em Up Bundle Crossing Souls Grim Fandango: Remastered
Mostly digital which is what I did with 3DS as well (upgraded my 3DS SD card last year since 64GB wasn't enough). I have 4 physical games for Switch and everything else is digital. Unfortunately, the games take much more space so I'll either have to buy an expensive large SD card or go for multiple cards. My current card is 200GB and it's currently 3/4 full.
I still get physical games when the price is considerably lower. I don't have any game stores near me and hypermarkets only have the biggest titles so I make most of my purchases online anyway.
I prefer physical always but have no issue with digital. I have serious gamer add so I always look for that resale option if I can for the future. That being said I do appreciate nintendo for still rewarding me with gold points even for purchasing physical products.
It pretty much comes down to reselling games, games not taking up much system space (no sd card here) and sharing them with friends. I mostly rent these days anyway 😎
I own six physical games and 32 digital games on my Switch. Eventually, I'd like to convert to almost 100% digital (no reason not to keep one physical game to fill my cartridge slot... probably BotW, as that was my first game on the system). It's just more convenient, tidier, and, for games purchased at launch, less expensive now that Amazon Prime and GCU's preorder discounts are a thing of the past.
At 32GB, can't really buy digital. Obviously there are/were some games that were digital-only (Jackbox, Sonic Mania, etc.), so those I will purchase digitally. Physical gives me the chance to get rid of the game if it doesn't have replay value or is no good, but digital is nice because I don't have to shuffle cartridges. So yeah, really just depends.
I still get around 30% of my games physical but game makers themselves are shoehorning digital editions due to countless updates virtually every game receives. So if you have a cart that will need digital updates to work properly/better, the question is: what's the point of fighting for physical if makers don't give us a finished product anymore?
I'm mostly a fan of physical purchases. They can be resold/shared, are often cheaper (at least in Nintendo's case), the box art is nice (though I miss physical manuals), and then there's that new game smell. Best of all, you don't have to worry about it becoming inaccessible for whatever reason.
I acknowledge the conveniences of digital, but unless a game is digital-only or significantly cheaper digital, I'll be getting its physical edition. It's admittedly still a far better option than the streaming-only future some companies are pushing for.
Digital always for me. Makes an already convenient console even more convenient. I'm greedy with my games so not being able to resale them isn't a factor for me since even if I had physical, I wouldn't. Over 70 games in and never physical. Digital ftw
But if it’s a retro collection like Sega Mega Drive or Street Fighter collection then I prefer those baked in to the console. Easier for quick pick up and play and I’m used to digital retro since the VC I suppose.
I won’t pay lots more or wait a long time for physical either. For example I’m eyeing up Mario Kingdom Battle digitally as it’s only 15 quid.
I always buy digital (went this way during the Wii U years). Having your entire library with you is so convinient, especially when using the Switch as a handheld.
I feel the benefits of physical are diminishing with the advent of DLC, large day 1 patches and "Internet connection required". It seems, more and more, that the physical release is not much more than a game license on a disc/card (I admit that this is less true for Nintendo first party games).
I have kids now, wich makes harder to keep track of my games, I've seen my 3 year old trying to change a game card and I know it is a matter of time they lost one, so just for the convenience factor, I had to switch digital this generation
Primarily a physical buyer but I do buy digital if there is no physical edition or if its a game I want to play but not sure I will like it (wait for a good sale first) or if I don’t feel attached to it enough to procure physical.
All digital for me, I have 79 games, about 120gb left of a 400gb card. The convenience far out weighs the resale (historically I’ve never sold my games on anyway)
@Incarta loads 😛. If you include the Gold Coins, Smash was only £54. That’t Not too bad IMO
Physical only a fool would think otherwise. Digital you have no control over and can be locked out of it or even in the TOS have it removed at any time. Physical you control as long as it’s in your hands. Digital is only good for cheaply priced dismissible stuff that’s no loss.
@EriXz same here. All the kids have digital games for their Switch. On occasion, this means buying more than one copy but I've fished enough 3DS cards out of the drier to last a lifetime.
for the switch physical only, nintendo have in the past shut down their eshop, that is a heavy investment to loose over a long period of time, i wouldn't invest digital on a nintendo console anytime soon.
for psn i'm mixed it's around 40% digital for me, the sales are improving and i'm getting great value with the digital prices, the sales are frequent (like the recent january sale) and if your patient enough you can save buying the digital version while physical copies still stay at full retail price for very long periods of time.
i don't really expect the nintendo eshop prices to be competitive compared to retail prices with their price fixing on their 1st party titles staying full price for the remainder of the consoles lifespan, digital won't change that.
the fact that some retail carts are half downloads too is annoying so it makes it harder to stick to retail copies when you need the internet for them to function regardless.
@Dijita yeah their rewards system is a joke compared to the old club nintendo system we used to have, it favours digital most of all so i can never get any use out of it.
My preference is the least amount of hassle, and the smallest amount of decision making required on my behalf.
I'm awful at having to make decisions. I never enjoyed polarized light 3D in cinemas, but I felt I was missing out somehow when deliberately going to the 2D screenings. Because the 3D screenings cost the same. And I knew what the theatre had invested in those projectors.
I bought Pokemon and Smash digital because I didn't want to switch between them and other games and I can't see myself going back. I have a stack of physical boxes, but I've never actually looked at them since I bought them. Plus, I have become really annoyed with switching out games.
I'm sure I'll switch back for a little while once my memory fills up, since I don't want to switch out memory sticks. That would be awful.
@KingdomHeartsFan Well, as long as my Wii's memory doesn't get corrupted, I still have those games. But I do agree that it's better long term to have physical copies. Well, at least if the publisher actually puts a functional game on the cartridge/disc.
Same here. I bought Smash digital even though it's a little more pricey because I decided that I'd never sell it, would play it often and not want to swap carts.
If it's a game I want for special edition, or it would dramatically save hard-drive space by going physical, I do. I want to at least fill up my Switch carrying case's pockets with physical. But I also prefer digital for ease of access for many games, and don't buy Physical just because Physical exists.
One reason I do like Digital that wasn't on the list above is for the extra Gold Coins for my Nintendo account rewards.
How is this even a question? I only buy digital if it’s part of a bundle or if it’s mandatory. The whole purpose of digital is to attack the second-hand market. Which makes sense on their side of course, but they’re going to have to give me a better incentive (lower price, a special sale or early release) if they want to make me buy digital instead of physical.
@KingdomHeartsFan and i totally agree with you which is why i will never buy a digital game off the eshop with what they have done in the past.
the fact that nintendo are very aggressive pushing digital towards consumers is stressful to say the least, their hardware bundles is a good example of that, as a consumer i should be able to have a choice on what way i purchase my software on my consoles but in some cases nintendo take away that choice, it's frustrating.
i also hate places like limited run, the physical option is limited and exclusive to them, they hold all the cards on the prices and the exclusivity, it's like a bidding auction house and it makes purchasing a physical copy for a game you like almost impossible with the scalping, is this what we want the physical option for our games to be subjected to?
I always buy physical games unless I really have to go out of my way to get them (read: getting VOEZ digital for ~14 € seemed much more reasonable than paying twice as much and import fees on top of that).
I just like having physical objects. And I like the convenience of just popping in whatever game I want to play and pressing A instead of having to sift through all my demos the Switch insists on displaying even when the card containing them is not inserted.
The only code in a box I didn't refuse to buy was Pokémon Gold but that was for nostalgia reasons only.
I prefer whatever I’d the cheapest way for me to play. For example, doom bring $35 last week meant that I could selly $60 physical for $50, then get it digitally. So now I can still “pass” the game around with our other switch’s, and I saved money too. I sell lots of physical games to get them digitally.
When you live in Brazil, digital means two things: instant availability and no markup on prices (which usually include 60% import taxes + reseller profit = brutal). I’d rather have a wall full of pretty boxes, but am absolutely fine with a scrolling menu full of delicious digital games 😃
When I see people talk about the reasons they buy physical it's usually talk about resale or having a large collection or even that it's cheaper.
Those things can be factors but for myself (and the missus probably) it's mostly the fact I can go into a shop and pick up a darn item, browse in a normal way and leave the same day.
That and supporting other retailers/distributors and not giving 100% control. The digital age has already started to give us less for more money, even the state of physical boxes are sub par nowadays. But that's more my grumpy old man mindset, I'm all for digital for others just don't want physical to disappear like a lot of shops have
If physical meant you got the finished, complete, unbuggy version that could sit on a shelf forever I would prefer that. Like my collection of Mega Drive games. But physical is normally version 0.9 these days so we're all basically buying digital to a degree.
Good conversation.
I basically want all digital, but have gone mostly physical. I don't want little cartridges to keep track of and insert when I'm in the mood to play a different game, whether it's across the room in the dock, or I'm playing on the go and don't want to dig it out in a place where it's harder to manage and lost means really lost.
Problem is, digital hasn't gotten friendly enough in all the ways I like to game. I want to share my games with family and friends, sell them again, switch to new consoles with ease, etc. Love jumping from one game to the next on a whim and the lack of friction, but these other things always give me pause. (To be fair it has gotten slightly better over the life of Switch)
Most of that could be forgiven if the digital versions saved some real money and gave more directly to the developers. Another problem is the cartridges are the copy protection, so I can't just install off the format and get some of the convenience. sigh Overcooked 2 is one I'd like to just drop into, but always have to dig out that cartridge. I mean, not a big deal, but I'm a busy guy and gaming is important relaxation/entertainment time, so a lack of friction enhances that time immensely.
I only purchase digital if I am 100% convinced there will not be a physical edition. So far shantae, over cooked I, and snippetclips have made me look bad, but I’m not bitter!
One reason for going physical is the belief (not always correct) that I can play physical edition years in the future without worrying if the online service that got me the game still functions. Yes I am aware that I am likely living a pipe dream on that front!
I prefer physical because the games aren’t as strictly tied to usage rights agreements as digital. With physical, I always have that game, not just as long as a company decides to offer it for redownload, renew licensing rights, or maintain a server. While it may seem silly now to say this since Switch is so young, anyone whose Wii breaks after the eShop goes down will likely understand. Physical is about more than a box.
I tend to go physical for single player games that I'll want to play again in 5 or 10 years time. Currently this is Mario Odyssey, BOTW, Octopath and Dark Souls. I like to keep my consoles and a few select games for myself and maybe to share with my kids and don't want to rely on eshop or digital storage.
4 physical. 19 digital. I really prefer the convenience of not switching out cartridges. I only buy physical if it's a large game and will prevent me using up a ton of storage space.
I have it a bit mixed. I have a 128 GB micro SD card and it already feels like its getting full. Physical is good for not only a nice box, but also saving up storage. I don't mind switching up the carts. Beats needing to buy a 400 GB storage or needing to constantly archive games. If I don't like a game, I could also sell it or trade. At least with mix, its a lot more manageable. I've also been mixed with 3DS. Sometimes eShop has nice sales too.
I always and will continue to buy Physical Copies. Its important to keep these games preserved for the future. Im also not an import gamer however, (with the exception of eastasiasoft exclusives since they purposely make their physical copies look like NTSC) and thats mostly due to money and space, so i do purchase from Limited Run Games but not Super Rare Games. So if a game gets announced through Super Rare Games then i usually just download it. I also download games if they’re digital only, but physical will always be my preferred choice!
While I prefer physical, it's not as economical for me. I live in Canada and in my province, sales tax is 15%. Retail games cost $79.99, so that tax brings the price up to around $92. I'm classified as working poor, so that price is very hard to swallow. However, I have my Switch's region set to Alberta, which has the lowest sales tax at 5%. Because of that, digital retail games cost about $10 less.
I only buy physical if possible. The poll missed a thing: physical is real. Digital is just some code that won't be there in 10-15 years. Its a nice bonus when it is cheaper, but once gamers club is gone I'll still buy physical, just less of them or wait for sales on games I don't 100% know I'll love.
Digital is only for Indies, or B.S. like the Bayonetta 1 being a code.
@0muros if you care about the environment to that degree you wouldn't buy consumer goods, like video game systems and internet devices. I know of people like that. The band "Wolves on the Throne Room" for example.
I prefer physical contact with any woman. The problem with digital is that it is not tangible by touch. Can you touch a woman's legs, breasts or even what panties she is wearing via digital? No, its just a cheap thrill.
Oh another reason to go physical is look at how Nintendo handles online vs say Steam/Valve. You can download your games to a Windows ME computer if you have Half-Life and CS 1.6, or you can download them to your Windows 10 RTX 2080 ti system.
Nintendo has made people pay a fee to transfer games between Wii and Wii U.
I go physical when it’s a game I know I’ll pass to my friend after awhile. I’ll get digital if it’s a good value (Starlink), or an eShop game that I’m not concerned about a physical copy.
All Digital, especially now we have accounts. Although I do own a couple of physical games, because it's harder to buy a kid a digital game for their birthday
But I'm so over building a physical "library". The less *junk" in the house, the less to lose, the less to get damaged, the less to store, the less to clean and the less to move.
I still have my old CD library... Which is taking lots of space and absolutely never gets used. Apart the Blu Ray player, I don't even own a CD player. A few years back they would have been useful in the car on roadtrips ... But no longer.
And my DVD library... Is going the same way. Can't remember the last time anyone watched a DVD in the house.
Convenience wins over content... Because there is so much content.
@olrodlegacy Exactly this! Unless I feel something is absolutely too unlikely to recieve a physical version, I hold off on it. Which is why I often wait for years before getting a digital-only games.
Well, that, and there are so many physical games to get still. Just from physical games, I fit into the 31+ games, and that's just from getting into the Switch a year late, focusing on titles I like a lot. I still have a lot of titles to catch up on.
Legally, if I buy it physically, it's my property. Not so with digital, where I'm only licensing it. So if it's digital only, I'll buy it. Otherwise, I'm paying to own something.
Whichever is cheaper, and that's usually physical in our market economy. Also, physical holds some value for resale, digital does not. Recently, though, there have been digital sales that represent good value, so digital is fine in that case.
I like physical over download anyday for alot of reasons you can share the game you can trade it in or resale it. Downloads are in some ways a rip off in my opinion I don't think a download should cost the same price as a physical copy, it cost a lot less for the company to sell you a download than it does the physical copy yet a title that's 59.99 is 59.99 either way, hence they sure don't pass the savings on to the consumer which is BS in my opinion. I notice a lot anymore that companies are pushing digital more and more I can see why it is at the cost of the consumer though which is not right they should offer steep discounts for digital though I dought that will ever happen. The only games I download are cheap 5.00 to 10.00 dollar titles , which are what they are. Retail full priced titles I will go physical every time or not purchase them.
I feel bad for anyone who's still clinging onto physical carts. Your games are always incomplete and will be useless in 10 years from now, missing all of the day one patches and DLC, and in many cases missing most of the game too. Combined with your constant delays for pre-order arrivals, need to switch carts for every game, something else to carry, etc. You people are living in the Stone Age.
1. I like having the case
2. It uses less digital storage(unlike PS4 physical copies)
3. I still get a 20% discount on games through Best Buy until September 2019
Although we are at a point now in gaming where you dont even get the full games in retail releases anymore. Either because publishers are too cheap, the games need patches to fix issues, or as some draconian form of DRM like the recent news that the entirety of Kingdom Hearts 3 isnt even on the disc.
I really feel like I'm among a dying breed of gamers at times.
@JackEatsSparrows, I just started playing StarLink got it for 39.99 at GameStop and can say I was not expecting such a fantastic game., I can't quit playing it .
Results look quite conclusive haha. If I have the choice it's physical every time. Don't mind paying £10 - £15 for an Indie but full price is always is a box product for me. I can also trade them afterwards which I can't do otherwise.
Physical only for me unless the game is available digital only (and I try to hold out for good sales on digital). I like reselling the physical games later. It’s a hobby within a hobby. I can’t resell digital games I regret like Pan-Pan and Human Fall Flat.
If you have a house full of kids like I do, where everyone has a switch, you definitely want physical cartridges so everyone can enjoy the game. Digital is tied to one person's account, which is not ideal for sharing scenarios.
Go physical most of the time - I can lend games to friends (borrow them too) and resale value for switch is really, really good if I don't want to keep the game. Do get some great discount on digital or indie games though, so I've ended up with a mix.
i mostly buy digitally from japan because amazon japan almost always gives a 10 % discount to the already cheap JP prices and you also get the game almost a day earlier
I got enough criteria to make an grossly elaborate flow chart :-/
The nuts and bolts of it are:
-Game is over 1.5GB? Most likely physical. Mah precious microSD space!
-Game is something I'd play on a whim or bring out spontaneously for friends? Most likely digital
-Game is one you would play for the long haul (RPG, ongoing multiplayer game with a healthy player base)? Most likely physical.
-But that long haul game has tons of regular updates? Digital, then.
-Game is a fighting game or other twitchy arcade game that I enjoy? 99.9% digital so I can play anytime, anywhere. Most of those are digital anyway.
-Game has a nice enough special edition? Most likely physical, but run it through the criteria again later, because a double-dip is NEVER out of the question if I like a game a lot.
-Game is digital only? Digital.
-If it comes out later as physical? Run it back through the criteria, because a double-dip is NEVER out of the question if I like a game a lot.
Those are the major points, but notice I keep saying "most-likely". That's because I've broken these "rules" before, and I will likely do again. I was a physical-only holdout until I started to welcome digital games on the 3DS. Then I started thinking it wasn't bad, some of these games I can't even get physical, and they're super convenient! Yeah, but what if your console breaks down, or stolen, or your account is hacked/banned, etc. For physical in the short term, starting over or recovery is definitely possible, and there's the advantage of buying the game used for less. For digital in the short term, we can try to get our purchases restored when we replace our system. For digital and physical in the LONG term (servers go offline, games and updates are no longer downloadable) there are no guarantees you'll be able to recover to 100% from a physical mishap, nor is there a guarantee that the physical copy of the game will cost less as time goes on (unless it was super-mainstream). If you've kept up with the updates until then, the rest is a matter of safeguarding your system and treating it like precious equipment or an artifact (keep it clean, plug it into a good surge protector/power filter, unplug it when you're not using it, put it in a crate somewhere to be looked after by "top men", etc.). Otherwise, neither digital nor physical is definitive once we're past a certain point. It's not like a digital game will disappear or become immediately inoperative once that day comes. Take those tinfoil hats off, people.
The other thing is if you're in it for the money/resale/hand-me-down option. Physical all the way, definitely. Me, personally, it's more about playing the games, and at my own terms and pace. Some people here seem like they're in such a rush to finish a game before the next big one comes out that I'm actually concerned for them. Are you actually enjoying playing games or are you crossing off a checklist? If it was me, I'd rather not play video games anymore if I'm playing them just to play them and get to the next one.
All my games, physical and digital are valued, exciting experiences that are, now, hard to let go. The backlog even more so, because I haven't played them yet! And I make sure that I know I will like a game before I buy it by checking reviews, partially watching playthroughs and analyses, and researching the gameplay mechanics. I stopped trading in games years ago in the mid-90's because of a Lynx collection that I let go. Yeah, I had regrets over trade-ins because of my v.1 Atari Lynx (laugh if you want, the trade-in credit went to my NEOGEO home cart system, so it wasn't THAT bad a deal). I never fully recovered/replaced my collection when I got my v.2 Lynx in 2000 and it still kinda stings. Some of those games finally came down in price so I can replace them (not complete w/box, manuals, mind you), but it's not the same. The regret was more because I didn't give some of the games enough play time. A couple I bought and never even played. So since then, I need to be absolutely sure that a game I buy will be a keeper, digital or physical, knowing my preferences. Even if it sits in the backlog for years. Or at least be cheap enough that I won't mind losing that investment. I don't even care if they're old by the time I finally get to it. My hype for a game can come flooding back once I hit Start and keep in mind why I bought a game in the first place.
I love video games, and it's more important to me that I play them than concern myself over the game's delivery system.
@0muros you declaired that physical is more harmful to the environment and people who want physical are just selfish. Your views are an extreme view, buy not without merit. However I find most environmentalists to be hypocrites when it comes to doing anything substantial.
Games I always want to have I buy digital. That includes Smash and Civs6. Sometimes digital makes more economic sense, like Starlink Digital Deluxe (with everything included) being $4 more than the physical starter edition (with a couple ships and pilots). I like to have physical copies if I can, but all games are a license, not a product. Any game that ever has a patch is a license, physical cart or not. Even running the Switch is a license; if Nintendo wanted it could brick every console with a patch and gatekeep running games. I have a 256gb sd card and a few others I could use, so storage space isn't a problem. SD cards are dirt cheap anyway.
I go digital like 75% of my library, that way my Switch is truly a portable console without the hassle of swapping cartridges. I also play like 95% in portable mode so there is that.
I noticed that cartridges are always around 30-40% cheaper than digital. There is no need to waste time and space downloading the whole game, especially since SD cards are a bit slower than cartridges Cartridges can be used anywhere, no need for internet. They could be resold too
It's all about price and resale-ability for me. I bought a physical copy of Pokémon Let's Go for £23 and after completing it I sold it for £32, couldn't have done that if it was digital.
I usually buy physical for big games. It's nice to have a phsycial product for the money. And yeah, it does save space, unlike the PS4 where it just downloads the game to the HD anyway making physical feel pretty pointless. Smaller, cheaper titles I always go digital.
After swimming through all the reply and misleading comments. I have to say I am still Physical when it comes down to the end. Even if it cost more you own it and can do whatever you please with it - sell it or give away. Digital you can't do neither and whatever you paid for it you get nothing in return for re-Sale. Even if you hate the game your stuck with it. And as for kids teaching them how to handle the games and system will insure they be life long gamers. That's all it takes time and effort there is no excuses here. And to those talking about Digital here something you don't get not everyone can afford INTERNET or Streaming. Streaming doesn't come with Internet that is something everyone forgets and they both cost money to have. Digital is good since everyone is in one place and stays - but there no one whom else can enjoy it. Physical if you hate or give it or Resell it you at least get some monetary value back. And worse if you hate it at least you get some compensation back. The difference is the In-Demand Digital most wouldn't bat a eye on that but if the game sucks Goat that becomes a worse case.
Another thing polls are snapshot in time it can give misleading information unless it is stated for a limited time duration then we can see how it compares to past present future purchasing.
If its a multiplayer game or one my fiance isnt interested in playing, I go digital. If it's a single player game me and my fiance both like, I go physical.
I’m mostly physical for large action and story based games. Plus, Nintendo games hold their resale value very well. I use digital downloads for Sports and Fighting games and Indies of course. Although I have bought some physical Indie games from Limited Run Games (West of Loathing Collectors Ed and Yooka Laylee).
Prefer physical so that I don't have to buy too much in microSD storage and I like to hold a game case and card in my hand. Not to mention there are great sales in retail sometimes, plus used game possibilities.
I only have Super Mario Party and Stardew Valley in digital. With Stardew Valley, I didn't have a choice.
With Amazon giving 20% off I was physical as much as possible. Now that is over I imagine going mostly digital. I like physical because they use less space but we’ve had a couple physical cartridges disappear under beds when my kids play and I’d rather not have to worry.
I’ve been buying physical but I am considering moving over to digital since the icons still eat up storage space. (The Switch really is backwards from the 3DS in that instance).
In the bugging I was almost only digital due to the ease off having everything on the system instead of carrying cartridges with me but then I realized that I have games I don't quite like but cannot sell back (the biggest one is Splatoon for me that I have not played for probably 15months). Nowadays I have 15 physical copies (and have sold back 5/6) and about 55 digital (mostly Indies but if a game comes digital only like okami or Naruto I don't think too much about it)
The little carts are a pain in the butt. That tiny little flap can have fun with somebody else. I have a few of them, but they never get played because there's already a bajillion games on my microSD card. Most of them are not available in physical format, anyway. :0 90% of the digital games I own were purchased with a discount of between 20-50% off. Rarely have I paid more than $15 for a game. Precisely, most were less than $10 each. Just check your eShop wish list on the regular and be patient.
Digital games are dangerous, I've bought 10 in the last two and a half weeks in the sales, I've got 3 games or cart I've not even booted up yet. Is there an equivalent of AA for gamers
@Trajan Thats why I'm actually in University in environmental studies, vegan and 50% zero waste. I'm trying my best including not buying plastics games cartridges.
"Which of the following factors makes you choose physical over digital when buying Nintendo Switch games?"
This thing is rigged in favor of physical. There's no option on this question for 'none of the above' or 'forced into buying physical' (like with Labo). I don't like physical, and it's worth more to me to have it digital. The only way to see the results of the vote are to make a decision, and I'd be lying if I checked any of those boxes, as I always prefer digital. But, as there's no option for people who prefer digital, I (and people like me) have to skew the results of the vote with our lies, making the survey somewhat meaningless.
@Donutman Sure, that thing that was only added in the past few months might. Or, I could have physical copies of games that are an easier solution, and something I can have on-hand in a decade without having to bother with a work-around in order to play.
I prefer physical whenever possible. I still haven't converted entirely to the digital age: I tend to forget usernames and passwords, I always run out of storage, I risk on buying the same game twice or simply forget what I already bought. I wonder what will happen 10 years from now if I plug the PS3 and want to re-download all the games I bought in 2010...will they still be there? I know the physical games I own will be there, but I can't bet the digital copies will be there. That said, I also like to get things on a discount, so if I can get a very good deal, I'm all for digital. However, I wouldn't spend more than €15/€20 on a digital game, even if it's the only way to acquire it - it kinda makes me feel like I'm giving my money away for nothing...
@0muros what is 50% zero waste? You mean 50% waste.
Plastic game cards are only bad for the environment if you throw them away. But I'm not here to debate you on such things. Just pointing out that everything else involved with video games is worse for the environment. Even just human existence.
Do some research on lithium ion batteries that are in the switch and controllers, as well as almost every device now a days.
If I can get one cheaper that's the one I'll go for, digital or physical makes no difference. Usually. The Switch's pathetic storage situation makes buying physical pretty much a necessity for larger titles.
On the Wii U the only game I owned physical was the pack in game. Everything else was digital.
With my Switch, I own Odyssey digitally since my first system came with a code. Mario x Rabbids was a Christmas gift. Xenoblade was physical since I thought I might want to sell that. (I really should have sold it already.) Octopath was physical, though I don’t know that I’ll ever want to part with it. (Even though my friend saved over my file with all 8 stories done.)
I’ve bought way my digitally, but I only had a 32 gig card and was trying to save space until I bought a bigger one. But then there was a great sale on 128 gig cards just before Christmas so I told a family member who never knows what to get me for Christmas and they were like, “okay, here’s my card, go buy it and I’ll wrap it.)
So then I went a little crazy around the time of the game awards and bought a bunch of things digitally.
So, basic tip for survey design, though I know there's probably no option for branching logic or anything for this survey on the site. But for someone like me, who is 100% digital, there shouldn't even be the option to answer the second to last question ("Which of the following factors makes you choose physical over digital when buying Nintendo Switch games?).
I totally understand why people would have physical collections, but in this day and age it doesn’t make a difference because most games require significant patches anyway so that’s why I always just go digital.
@SwitchForce Dude. You’re crazy. It was just my opinion, which the article asks us to share. Misleading would mean I was trying to gain something from intentionaly lying to people. What could I possibly gain here? You need to loosen up man. You made some valid points, but they’re lost amongst your crazy. Happy Holidays!
@SwitchForce But why would I do it? What could my possible motive be? What do I get by “misleading” people about the facts of physical purchases vs digital ones? I’ll say my quick comment didn’t include a complete list of pros and cons for each, but I was just stating that I prefer digital and it’s because most games today require patches that have to be downloaded so the benefit of buying physical to protect your library into the future is lost in some cases. You don’t have to agree, but to say I’m trying to mislead people is absurd.
I had no issue with swapping out discs on the Wii U. On the Switch the slightly more laborious process (take it out of the dock, open the little flap etc.) really annoyes me for some reason. So I mostly buy digital.
In addition I mostly play indie games nowadays and those are often digital only anyway.
Digital for sure, my gaming tastes change on the fly some days, I can be 15 minutes into a game a decide Id rather play something else so digital helps.
@BenAV : I'm in the same boat, but I have a 200GB card. How the hell did you manage to fill up a 400GB card with a mostly physical library?
My card is close to be being full only because I download every demo in the Aussie/Japanese eShops, but I have gone back and removed any demos of games that I own the full versions to. I also refuse to buy any digital exclusives that are more than a gig or two in size (anything bigger should be issued a physical release) and Limited Run Games has been good in releasing the digital games that I'm interesting in buying physical copies of. The indie games that I have downloaded so far have been extremely disappointing and the only other games I buy regularly are Hamster's ports of Nintendo's arcade games.
Other than Rocket League and Puyo Puyo, if I can get Physical, I'll get it. I have a lot of downtloadable games, but those are games that either didn't come in Physical, or they were limited editions. I don't mind switching carts, because if I'm traveling, I can fire up a downloaded game if I want something different. But I'm kind of one of those people that if I'm on a trip, I beat one game before playing the next. (Unless I get tired of a game). I like physical because I know it will still be there 10 years later. Can't say the same for digital. Plus I can share Physical with my wife. Digital, not so much.
@Kenology "That's why I don't take risks and try before I buy. " What risk are you talking about? If you make a Digital buy that is it you have no returns. Physicals if you didn't open you can still return or open make a resale to get some funds back. If you want to see real review go to youtube if someone played it they will say something about it.
The old nostalgic fart that I am, I always choose physical, even waiting months on end if a physical version is rumored to release later than digital. I like knowing that 20 years down the road I can still play my games the way I do on my NES today. I imagine a world where if the NES had digital games in 1985 and how those experiences would be lost now.
I like to own my games, not rent a license for the same price, if not more. Even knowing about games I have lost digitally over the years like Scott Pilgrim VS the World on PS3 grinds my gears because I paid full price for that game and if I ever have to replace my hard drive I can't play it anymore.
Physical for me as I find digital too expensive at launch. I also trade in games I don’t like or need no more. Traded in arms, super bomberman r, snipperclips plus (bought again digitally on sale), Donkey Kong tropical freeze (double dipped, still have Wii u copy), rocket league (bought digitally after selling physical for double the price). Physical just makes a lot of sense with less risk when trying new games.
I went digital a lot on the PS3 and have regretted it end of the ps3’s life. I’m still lucky I have a massive collection of Wii u games I’m playing through and selling and trading the ones I finish and wont replay or just don’t like.
Both have its benefits but physical just has so much much more.
well there are over 200 comments already so I doubt anyone will read this, but I always get 1st party games at retail (if they have been released at retail) and 3rd party games on the eShop. I have the eShop version of Snipperclips because I got it before the retail edition was announced. I have the retail editions of Zelda, ARMS, Splatoon, Mario Tennis, Pokemon, and Smash.
I prefer Digital, it's much more convenient and safe (that's right I said it) I travel a lot and I have 4 kids. My digital copies can't be lost or stolen. Even if my Switch is stolen I can redownload them when I buy a new switch.
I'll buy physical if it's a game I'm not sure I'll like it if Physical is significantly cheaper.
I own a 400 GB micro SD card so for now I'm good as far as space is concerned
Physical but transitioning to digital. Historically it's been cheaper to buy new games in physical form (oddly enough) but that will be changing next year with programs like Gamer's Club getting phased out.
I love to collect and keep my games so I always go physical when I can. However, given the nature of the Switch I do often double dip on big games that I know I will replay a lot. I often buy games like MK8, SSBU, SP2, Tetris (etc) digitally and then I look for cheap used physical copies for my collection.
I think the cartridges have made this difficult for completely collecting physical, though. Doom required a 10 gig download so I'll never be able to play the game with just the cart. My Fifa 19 requires almost 14 gigs, too. Starlink needed a big download, to. These games wont be playable in the future once the eShop is gone.
I always want physical because eventually websites disappear, eshops get shutdown etc. However, it's only gonna work with about 80% of games on Switch. The other 20% (3rd party games) wont be useable in 10-15 years. I'm honestly thinking about buying a used Switch in the future, throw a 400GB card in it and keep all the big 3rd party games on it so I'll always have them.
If there was a virtual console with snes games I'd have bought a bunch of games digitally. The Switch's storage isn't large enough to be buying new games digitally.
I bought a 400gb SD card, so I buy mostly digital cause I buy it at half price with my brother since we both have a switch so we can play the same game on both System.
I have my primary account on my brother's switch and his on mine, we buy a game once and we can play both the same games at the same time, locally or on the Internet.
These 5 games alone can take up nearly 75 gigs of a card. What happens when games like Mortal Kombat, Marvel Alliance and others come out, too! It's a lot of space.
Digital is more practical considering some aspects, but sucks if you want to share a game or switch systems. IF digital games in general had a permanent save storage where i could ez download the game in 20y if i lose it for some reason, i'd only buy digital. For now, i'll only get essencial games as digital.
As long as the price remains reasonable for physical switch games compared to their digital counterparts, I will always choose physical over the latter. There is something appealing about getting to have a great experience with a game, then share said game with a friend/family member so they can experience it too. Doing so saves them from having to take a gamble on a game they might not enjoy. Those are my fondest gaming memories at times. Sharing the fun.
I went into the Switch generation as a staunch physical-only, digital-hating gamer.
But my eyes have been opened. Digital is just SO much more convenient. Especially for a portable system.
The only 2 reasons I haven’t made a full transition is 1 Storage space constraints. Even with 2 separate 512gb microSD cards, I can barely fit all the digital games of the select titles I download (for details on how to manage such space, see postscript). I could never fit every single game. 2 Collector mentality I just can’t seem to break away from. I love the feeling of a game on a cartridge in a box.
My solution is to continue buying all my games physically, BUT, all the top games I buy digitally as well. So practically every first party game and a few dozen of the best third party games. I do try to import and scoop limited print runs of some of the mid tier 3rd party games to save space though. World of Final Fantasy English Asian version. Onimusha Warlords Japanese version with English, Okami HD Japanese version with English, Blazblue Central Fiction EU version, Katamari Damacy GS exclusive retail version, the top Limited Run Game releases, Mega Man X Collection 2 Japanese version with English, Little Nightmares EU version, Taiko Drum Master EU version, etc.
ps As for managing such large space on multiple SD, my approach has been to have a main, 512gb Micro SD card that has every game available to play without needing to swap cards. This means leveraging physical releases whenever possible, especially English imports, and only installing digital versions of games that got no retail release in English in any region. So basically, it’s a physical based approach for the main memory card. For the second 512gb Micro SD, it is kept safely tucked away in the new plastic Nyko kickstand that comes with a storage slot for a spare SD, which means having access to the second SD at all times. This second SD is only for digital downloads of retail games for the sake of convenience. 40 or 50 of the absolute best releases all within reach anywhere I go, without needing to carry 4-5 dozen cartridges around with me in my case.
Physical still feels a little more like you “own” a copy, but having a roster of games loaded and ready at the press of a button is a nice feature.
I was all set to get a physical version of Smash when it released, but when the day came I went ahead and pressed “proceed to purchase” anyway. The deciding factor was the fact that DLC was already mapped out for it. So as soon as the first one comes out you’ll no longer own the whole game anyway.
Another strike against physical happened when Super Mario Maker came out for 3DS and the PHYSICAL version could only be played on one system. Seriously? I can’t pop it into a different 3DS and just store the levels made with that system?
So, as much as I still think like a longtime game collector that owning a game means taking it out of a box and putting it into the console to play it, the line is so blurred now it barely matters. So if the storage space permits, having a game always ready is a hard feature to beat.
@RunGMhx If I lose my carts in a fire, I am almost certainly also going to lose my Switch to the same fire. There's a chance I could run out the door and grab my Switch in time, but that would mean the fire would've already spread enough to where I wouldn't even have 30 seconds to shove all the games in a bag, in which case, my Switch might be going down in the blaze as well.
Now, say I'd gone all digital. I'd have to replace the massive SD card(s) that were lost to the fire as well, which aren't cheap, especially if you have to invest in large ones for the retail games. That's an added expense that physical games don't burden you with. Also, I have renter's insurance.
Kids are a non-issue now as they're too young to play. Once they are, I'd make sure they know discipline or they're not allowed to play at all (not always easy, I know).
Theft: see renter's insurance.
@antdickens As a collector, it's very difficult to break away from the habit. If patches kill the "full" game that's on the cart and eventually you can't redownload it because the eShop is gone, then at the very least, you have the original release. Still something. Also still have the money you saved by not buying giant SD cards.
I can certainly see why people are going digital, I'm not against it. Hell, when Tetris Axis went digital and relaunched at $10, I grabbed it for the convenience (and super cheap price), but I already had the physical copy, so no worries to my OCD.
Physicals are cheaper where I live. Also I can sell them after I'm done playing. However, with games I expect to enjoy much which I will not sell I buy collectors editions and keep them (octopath, botw, xc2)
Depends on a few things, data size of the game, whether it's "a play once and done" type game, whether it's a game I intend to keep playing for years ahead and the extra gold coins have a bit of influence too, then there's personal and collector value too. Smash, Skyrim and Monster Hunter are games I'll always go back to, so went digital on them. But some games are just a one and done, so I'll trade those in for new games. Mario Kart 8 DX is great, but there's always the chance a new Mario Kart will come out.
For me it's the price. I don't know how they can get way with charging more for digital game on release than a physical one. Especially when they say bout the expense of the carts. I'd always go physical s then if I complete, or don't enjoy a game I have the option to sell on and get a little back from it to put towards something else. I do own quite lot digital but it's all heavy discount stuff.
Digital code in physical boxes would work for me. I prefer digital, but would rather buy new releases from outlets such as Target - they are usually cheaper than e-shop purchases. The only thing preventing me from buying in-store now is that I don't want the game cards.
I prefer physical. Especially on Switch where it still actually means something. I also technically buy the copy of the game instead of a "license" that way. After PT and Scott Pilgrim, it shows that having bought the game doesn't always mean much digitally in extreme scenarios and might be annoying down the road. It's just easier. Plus I like the cases.
I’m mixed. I buy wherever it’s cheaper. My collection is 28+ physical, the rest digital (which is a lot as well).
To the people who keep talking about servers going down: buy a big enough SD card and copy those games to your PC. You might have to do this every time you get a new Switch. Physical isn’t too good if you want to be clutter-free as well.
I like physical due to, well, being physical! However, that feeling of holding something only lasts a moment. A lot of people act like they will be holding the game case/cartridge for hours (and when I see my games on my shelf I want to touch them all!).
My kids will be able to play my digital games in the future because I don’t delete games. I don’t sell my physical ones either (which also makes physical a moot point for me).
I prefer digital releases, although you do have to be savvy about price management. I have access to all the regional eshops - so I tend to buy from whichever has the cheapest. Nintendo's gold points also help in this regard.
I just think digital makes more sense. I have currently around 50 plus games on my 400GB card instead of 50 plus cartridges to have to take around with me. Each to their own, but I like the convenience factor. Digital is also often cheaper if you shop around and know where to find the best prices.
I’m all digital on other platforms and love it, but the price stops me doing the same for Nintendo. For the vast majority of games I’ve very bought, I wait for the price to drop. I’d do it with discs, waiting for stuff to go under £20, even under £15. On steam, PSN and Xbox the digital games reach those prices, like the disc versions but not on Nintendo’s store. Before people say Nintendo games hold their value, you can definitely get their physical games cheap if you’re savvy about it. Use sites like HUKD and you’ll be alerted when the stuff is going for cheap. I never paid more than £20 for any Wii U or 3DS game, and the most I’ve paid on Switch is £25. You’re talking double those prices or more on Nintendo’s digital store.
I love the box art too much, the feeling of ownership with the case on my shelf, and I love feeling that I've actually purchased something from a shop when I leave.
I will never convert to digital until the games are at least 50% of the price of physical, and until there is some weird way that gives you the ability to trade them back in.
Even then though, digital also throws away any chance of a particular game becoming a collectors item, so meh, I still don't know lol.
@alasdair91 yeah same deal for me. Like I bought octopath traveler for £38 on launch day, then sold it to CEX for £40 six weeks later and swapped it for dragon quest 11. Why wouldn't I do that. Digital it would've cost me £100 to play both of them
Because I’m not a collector I buy physical for any big games so I can trade them in for new games. I really like having digital because I don’t have to swap carts and the games are available all the time but I just can’t justify spending £50 on a game unless I’m going to be able to trade it in when I want a new one.
Just got my physical copy of Katamari Damancy out of the mail box.
I prefer physical in most cases. A physical game has more permanence and sense of ownership than a digital purchase. But there are cases where I will buy digital. Not just games that are digital only, a significant discount will lure me to digital. Or if a game I want from a different region costs too much to import... something that is less and less of a problem these days, with giants like Amazon offering more import options. I live in Japan, but about a quarter of my 30ish physical games are American versions because I wanted English support and the Japanese releases didn't have it.
@SterlingEyes Just curious, how often if ever do you regret doing that? I understand the reasoning, when I was younger and more strapped for cash there were a lot of games and consoles I traded in, that I ended up missing years later.
And do you find you get enough for your traded in games? I don't find 10 dollars for a game I paid 60 dollars for to be worth it. If I know the store is gonna sell it for 45 used, I feel I ought to get at least 30. I mean, all the store has to do is log it, and put the box on the shelf....
I'm physical mainly because I don't trust Nintendo to keep their servers up forever. On PSN and Xbox, anything bought digitally on PS3/4/Vita and Xboxes are still available to re-download, but Nintendo is shutting down the Wii eShop; meaning anything purchased digitally on there is gone for good if the Wii/SD Card breaks. It is mostly a trust issue for me, unfortunately.
On another thread I said that I suspect that the physical tendency on Switch is higher than on Xbox and PS and it seems that I am right because there it is around 50% depending on the game and here it is around 66% according to this survey. I think that the main reason is that digital doesn't work as well on Nintendo as on other platforms (availability, cross-play, pricing, sharing, digital rights, etc.).
I also mentioned that the software tie ratio on Switch is quite low, lower than PS4, Wii U and Xbox One. Even on a Nintendo community most people have between 1 and 5 physical games and between 1 and 5 digital games. These numbers will go up because Switch is less than two years old though.
With a downloaded game there is no going back. Most people never finish a game and if despite reading reviews, a few hours into the game you discover its not for you, then you have set fire to fifty quid, or whatever amount.
I only ever go for digital if it's a small indie game, usually on sale, that doesn't take up too much space (etc. Axiom Verge, Bloodstained: Circle of the Moon and Hollow Knight).
I buy physical whenever possible just so I'm not left with a useless piece of hardware if Nintendo ever pulls the servers offline. Plus I like to sell games I no longer play.
@Heavyarms55 in the past I regretted it on odd occasions but now I generally think that if I want something back I can always re-buy it. I find that Nintendo games usually get a pretty good trade in price at Game in the UK. I’ll normally get £25ish back on a game I’ve paid £50 for. I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to declutter my house/life so now I generally only have 3 or 4 physical games at a time.
Games I haven’t traded in because I love them/know I’ll want to play again in the future: Mario Kart, BOTW, Odyssey, Smash.
I now don’t have any games I’d trade in so the next game I buy will be a new addition. Basically I keep my absolute favourites and recycle everything else.
I always buy physical for Nintendo 1st party releases because I love collecting the boxes, and I usually go physical for 3rd party AAA titles, but that's based more on storage space. I also buy alot of digital indie games though too. Right now I'm at 35 physical, and 70ish digital. Getting time to upgrade my 200gig SD card
Sorry to say, that I'm all for retail. Just like on PS4 and XBONE, if the games come out as a retail format, I'll get it on that...if it's digital only (which there are some great games that are digital only for PS4, Switch and XBONE), I'll only get them on that, but I'm one that would rather have a console with a stack of games near it, with the artwork in tact...rather than a console with no retail games, that makes it look like you bought something and still haven't touched it yet...plus, if you bought an expensive game as a digital only, and the game turns out to be terrible, you're stuck with the fact that you just wasted money, whereas, if you bought it retail, you can easily get rid of it and at least get some money back for it. The only thing I hate about the Switch retail-side, is the side of the boxes are horrible looking...just a red side and small typed letters...no colors or anything else added to it...imagine owning a ton of physical retail switch games, having them all side by side each other, and trying to find one!!!!
@Kilroy While the point is good about the switch getting lost as well in a fire, you can easily replace it, some games are harder to find (had a hard time finding arms for my 4 years old as an example). Renter insurance will give you money but if you can’t find the game (I guess you can go digital at that point bringing the thing full circle haha).... as for theft, the insurance will pay under specific circumstances... and depending on what was stolen and the deductibles you might not make a claim.... as for the sd card, it’s basically the same rule, might be covered by insurances... as for kids damaging the thing, from my experience is while they’re too young to play that there’s the biggest chance for damage... I remember not being able to insert disc in my ps3, then I opened it and realized that my then 2 years old had managed to insert two disc in it (both damaged) as well as a few buttons from his PJs and a gift card... fortunately the ps3 was salvaged...
At the end of the day, I’m mostly physical myself, but can’t deny that I sometime see huge benefit (and convenience) in being digital...
@Crono1973 I'm a different kind of dad I guess. I'm trying to teach them the value on things, if you broke it, you'll have to live with the consequences. Pretty successful so far (if it intrigue you)
You don't even get a short booklet these days with carts unless it's some collectors edition. I wish more games had manuals.
Price is a factor. Some games are more expensive physical but many end up a lower price. Mutant Football league physically was $20 for the cart for me vs $30 digital and had some extra teams with the cart. However, some digital are cheaper and you get more points for digital.
Convienence is another. I like being able to scroll through my games list and choose a game without having to get up and switch carts.
Storage is important too. If it's a big game might be worth saving some space on my sd and getting the cart. However, games under a gig can seem like a waste of a cart.
My switch collection is pretty split. I look at the option on a game by game basis.
There is one intrinsic unassailable fact about physical media. The purchaser owns it until such time they resell it or the physical media fails. Digital media is highly dependent on the storage of your system and whether faults are introduced by the storage itself or the user, the support of the retailer or publisher to provide backup copies in the event of a non bootable situation by the digital version.
In addition the physical copy can be transferred for use onto other compatible systems without foreseeable complications commonly presented by digital such as license restrictions and save file intractability.
To be totally honest I do own some digital media but I have no expectations it will around as long as my mostly physical games. I am not a fan of Steam or any streaming service. I refuse to rent video games for the price of an actual physical item. Streaming is just a money grab by the ph***ic worshiping corporations that now control the majority of the industry.
Only reason people want digital is due to lazyness going to a store to buy the game, or carrying the small cards
Physical will always be better, It's your game, you can share it/sell it, and not worry about the online stuff like if you delete the game by mistake and have to redownload it you only need the server to go down, and it will make your digital games unplayable since it needs to make sure your the owner I seen it happen with the PS3 before.
I tend to prefer physical if at all possible, but I do have digital copies of a handful of retail games that I know I'll be happy to have on my system at all times for quick gaming sessions like Smash and MK8 Deluxe.
That said, I have nothing against digital downloads, especially when it comes to smaller indie developers who produce fantastic games but may not have the means to put out a physical game. Just because I prefer physical doesn't mean I am willing to skip a great game because they don't have the resources to do a game card version.
I do often wonder though, with so many physical games getting Day One patches and mandatory updates/downloads, if servers eventually go down - whch is the big fear with digital only games - how will that affect these card-based games? If years down the line, you have to replace your Switch and those servers are down, will the game still function in the way you remember it without being able to download the patches, or will it even function at all? A big part of retail games now are patches and additional downloads, and I would think that they would be at a similar risk as digital games in the case of servers being shut down.
First party games are physical purchases for me. I rarely get those titles in digital format. Indie games on the other hand, and most third party AAA games( depending on the file size) are digital only.
I don't have a Switch just yet, but answered the questions based on my history of buying. Though after I collect my fantasy football winnings this week, I'm finally going to bite the bullet and pick up the system.
But I'm buying physical whenever possible. Digital games can be removed or taken away at the publisher's decision, and plus you can't see you own it. I do it with PC, but that's because Steam, gog, indiegala and humble bundle allow you to buy all games for $5 or less.
The other concern about digital only is 10-20 years from now I can still play the games I own physically on other Switch hardware. Even Splatoon 2 has some components that work out of the box (though sure much of the new content would be missing). Games I own physically now are mine forever. If you just look over at Apple there are some early digital purchases I have that are no longer in my library, they are just gone forever. And that's one major concern of a digital only library is if the game is removed from the store front or worse your digital library it is gone forever. Also there is the concern that games can get patched into oblivion and the final game can be nothing like the game you originally purchased and liked. Not a concern for Splatoon 2, but it happens.
@flapjack-ashley "I do often wonder though, with so many physical games getting Day One patches and mandatory updates/downloads, if servers eventually go down - which is the big fear with digital only games - how will that affect these card-based games?"
For one thing I do think the updates stay on the System Storage could be wrong but I have my set to save all updates onto my MicroSD as they will need more then the 32gb system storage. And I've seen it shrink as well so buying a MicroSD is the smarter way to go for storage and backups. So for both Digital and Physical if you set to save the updates to the SD card you should be ok. The downside is if your Digital and Updates are on System Storage and should something go wrong then it's gone unless you had it stored on the SD card to start with. For all my games Digital some and Physical all are stored on the SD card that way any loss to the Switch I still have the updates there. That is the main reason for having the SD card - internal is good but for how long if problem appear. FYI dayone or updates all games will require it - it's the location you store those at that at the end of the day would mean a updated game play or lost days of game play re-downloading the updates. So this is why one should get a larger then large at least 200gb or 400gb SD card so you don't have to worry about download or updates being lost.
@flapjack-ashley "If years down the line, you have to replace your Switch and those servers are down, will the game still function in the way you remember it without being able to download the patches, or will it even function at all? "
If you have everything download to the SD card you should be ok as this is the where update files are located. And this is where Digital gets into trouble. If you can't redownload the Digital game your lost but with Physical the game is still there and if you properly set to save to SD card then you can power and start playing again. You might not have the saved data but your Card Game will play again. This is where Digital loses out in - so unless your setting is to save all the Digital and updates to the SD card your asking for trouble.
@SwitchForce The risk of buying a digital game that you cannot return. That's what we're talking about. I buy games I know I'll play and love. If there's an indy I'm curious about, I'll read trusted reviews and, more importantly, listen to word-of-mouth from people I also have in my network. So going full digital is working very well for me. I typically don't resale my games anyway because everything I buy is quality and I'd like to keep them. Plus, l travel a lot. Not interested in carrying around 30 carts.
@NewAdvent if true where on the Nintendo site does it says this options is available? If the receipt has it then it would be noted on the site for Digital purchases.
I feel quite strongly about this! With a digital copy you're only renting access to the game, you never actually own anything. At least with a physical copy you have something of value. I've bought a few physical copies (often used) of games, played them until I'm done, then sold them on.. That way you can play lots of different games without spending a lot of money. Physical if possible all the way
@Edu23XWiiU "catridges are not even big to occupy a lot of space."
That's the biggest downside to Digital you need the space to download and then the space to download the updates. So your storage takes a double whammy to store it. And if your microSD is too small well that's another whammy if the SD card isn't on sale or discounted. And games do come Standard so you don't have to get the CE/SE to play the physical game-that way it cost less.
Getting in late. But for me, it’s physical for games I know I’m only gonna play once. Digital for games that have high replayability i.e Smash, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart (though I do have that one in physical form). If the game is really cheap digitally, I’ll bite the bullet even if I only play through it once
I refuse to pay more than 10-15 for a digital game. I think it’s mad that people shell out 70 on a game they do not physically own. I buy stuff like Neo geo on digital as 6 quid seems an acceptable price point for games such as these. If games that cost much ore than that don’t come out on a cart then I wait for a sale or I just don’t bother.
The majority of my purchases on Switch have been indie titles from eshop, usually once they go on sale, so I'm mostly digital. I've also gone digital for multiplayer games - Smash Bros Ultimate, Mario Kart 8, Street Fighter Collection, Super Mario Party - even though they're available physically for less, as that way I always have them available on my machine. I do worry slightly about what happens when the eshop is eventually closed and my Switch stops working,, but for now I'm fine woth this set up. Splatoon 2 I got in an eshop sale for £33, as I knew the physical version would probably never go that cheap. Physically, I have Super Mario Odyssey, Skyrim, LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2, Mario + Rabbids and the LABO Vehicle pack.
@Shinnos "I do worry slightly about what happens when the eshop is eventually closed and my Switch stops working"
And that's the crutch of the problem - that it won't close or be gone but the title may be removed and updates removed that is what would be the problem. And that's what the Digital buyers can't control. With physical you still have it regardless of what happens to eShop.
In the question about what factors make me buy physical over digital, there should be an answer about future proofing because eventually Nintendo will switch off Switch servers and you won’t be able to download any games. Unless you have them ALL on a memory card you might lose their games you paid for.
@NewAdvent I am in the UK as well. Its does state on the website.... No refund.
I seem to remember reading somewhere in the T&C's a while ago, that we wave any right to a refund. This was just before clicking the purchase button, if I am remembering correctly. 🤔
Good Qs, think you could have added the question, "Which of the following factors makes you choose digital over physical when buying Nintendo Switch games?"
My answer is:
#takes upp less space (in the house)
#I won't lose the game cartridge when moving or when missus cleans up
#my kids won't try to eat it
My Zelda BotW cartridge gets reading errors every other time I plug in the cartridge even though I treat my games with care. Might have had my 2-year-old mess with it somehow though.... highly annoying.
The only downside for me is the ridiculous price sometimes, which makes me buy a few select games on cartridge when much cheaper.
I only buy physical. At first I bought some digital only titles as downloads, but never again. After a couple of the ones I bought got physical releases I seriously regretted buying digital. I’ve been holding off on games like Celeste and The Messenger for this reason. Looking forward to the physical releases (and it’s not like I don’t have anything to play). If there is no cartridge, forget it.
@NintendoNomad This is FAR more common than people realize. Once you or someone you know has their game collection lifted (I have heard more than one take on this, and BOTH take advantage of the fact that an Empty Box on Display looks EXACTLY the same as that box with a game in it)...you figure it out ONLY the "console maker" can steal your digital games from you
And these poll results? Kind of disingenuous. The Primary reason people buy physical games AAA, is to flip them when they are done.
If the "Gamestops" of the world were enjoined from reselling, they would close in weeks, and the physical sales market would have a lot of shops sitting on unsold inventory.
Offering the Box Art, Extras...a box even...all of these things can be provided...and have been. It's about "I hate this game/I finished this game, I am getting money back."
Add a new poll question: "If you could easily refund a digital game in 24 - 48 hours..."
For me the main factor is cost. If a game is good and costs less than $20, I'll buy it digital if it interests me. I rarely buy physical but I rent a ton of games and when I know I want to keep it, I'll buy it then, but I'm not a collector. If I really want to play a game that's digital only and over $20, I basically put it on the wishlist and wait for a sale.
The problem with digital on a Nintendo console is that it's all tied to the console itself whereas on a PlayStation or Xbox it's tied to your user profile/log in.
I'm a collector. I like seeing the hard work I put into working my ass off to see the copy on my shelf. It's an easy brag when I get company. Omg, you have so many games!!!!!!!!
@electrolite77 "Yeah that’s the way I read it" But people keep trying to make it say otherwise. I can guess those saying that is the ones that have buyers remorse for Digital purchases.
I’ve always preferred physical. We don’t have a huge collection but for a casual its above average. I like adding to the collection with every game I play. Other advantages of physical such as no storage issues, resellability make me prefer that option, and only buy digital when there is a huge advantage in price or it is a digital exclusive game.
Nintendo's first party games (like Mario Odyssey and Smash) I always buy the physical version. As for downloads: I have only Sonic Mania and Snipperclips as physical versions, the rest is downloads. Sure I could have hunted down physical versions of some of my download-games, but it might have been tricky and more expensive. Besides, I don't have the space for all those boxes.
I'm more than happy to buy indie games that are £10-£20 digitally. When it comes to full price games however, although the convenience of having them digitally is attractive, I always buy physical. 1. They're cheaper. 2. I can sell them if I don't like them. 3. If they're big Nintendo Exclusives like Zelda, Mario or Smash, I just like having the physical game as part of my collection.
Overall I’ve been getting digital more often lately, but it does still depend. Since Micro SD cards can be a bit pricey for larger sizes I don’t have the room for every digital game (I had a 2TB hard drive for Wii U so a very big difference in storage now). And if I want a special edition for a game then I’ll definitely go for that. But for games that I play often I’ll get digitally and double Gold Points are often a factor for me to pre-load some games too.
Physical is a little better, because you can show it to others, and it's collectable. Digital has some ups comparing to it, such as always being downloaded.
My most important reason for physical is not on the list: preservation. I don't want my game collection's survival to depend on servers that could go down any day or the one console that has them installed.
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If there’s a physical version of a game, I go for that. If a game’s digital only, that’s when I go digital. Got a few hundred games on Switch going that way now, though it’s handy to hold fire on the digital games as we’ve seen with the likes of LRG and SRG bringing out already existing titles.
I like both formats equally.
Have several Switches in the home, and cheaper to pass around physical games without having to buy multiple digital copies of them.
Physical Rules ! 😎
Triple A titles physical
Indie games or heavy on discount titles, digital.
All digital for me. Suits my play style.
For modern consoles I tend to go digital for convenience because modern physical isn't anywhere near as good as it used to be. I prefer big cartridges and instruction manuals with nice artwork inside and the boxes to have outlandish art that bares little resemblance to the game inside. These days unfortunately you are rarely, if ever playing the game that's on the cart/disc and with the best will in the world a Switch cart will never be as appealing as a NES/SNES or N64 cartridge and box
I have a room dedicated to games, so physical all the way. Switch games look good on the shelf!
I was a huge physical fan. After someone I live with pawned my entire physical collection, I'm going all digital. I'll never be able to afford to replace what they stole. Special Editions of BotW, XC2, Dead Cells... The list goes on and on. Digital it is from now on! Filthy addicts...
Aside from a couple of digital only titles I'm physical all the way. That way I can lend, sell, and enjoy having a collection of games that have literal value. I can see the allure of digital only (always having all your games wherever you go) but for me the trade off isn't worth it.
I prefer digital and would like to go download-only, but the lack of resale value stops me. Until downloads are significantly cheaper to compensate for this aspect, I'm encouraged to buy the physical version.
I always buy physical where possible. Main reason is to save my microSD card space for digital exclusives but also it's usually cheaper than buying digitally and it can be nice to look through my collection of physical games. If a game is digital only and priced accordingly though, I have no problems picking it up. Love all the smaller indie eShop titles.
Always go for physical, I get to keep my property, some games have collectors value and also we need to keep the used game market alive, the more affordable options for the consumer the better for us.
I’d like to not think about cartridges when I’m playing. I’m using mostly digital because it’s hella convenient. Also got an 100GB SD card so I don’t have to worry about that.
Digital, it's all the same.
Lately, physical games are requiring you to download updates before you can play anyway. So what happens when you can't get those updates? 🤔
I hate the idea of digital codes in physical boxes. It feels almost like false advertisement to sell a physical box without a physical copy of the game. And I can see publishers using it as an excuse to charge full retail for a digital only game.
I buy physical when possible purely because of the economics of it. For example, yesterday I bought Flipping Death. It was £19.99. It’s £17.99 on the eShop. But, when I’m done I can sell it to CEX for £14. That means it only cost me £5.99.
@Appleflap Meanwhile I have a 400GB microSD card which is already almost full despite me buying physical whenever possible, haha.
Depends on the game. If its something like Splatoon 2 and didn't know if I will like it and want to sell it later then I got physical.
If its a game like Smash Bros that I know I will play years after then I got digital.
Digital codes in physical boxes?
Who on earth dreamt that one up?
Give me a game cartridge any day
Always physical if it's about the same price or cheaper than digital because I like saving money and memory space. I have a 128gb card but I've got less than half that space available after several big digital only games and digital deluxe of starlink because at the time $80 for nearly everything was a better deal than $75 physical with less than a quarter of the unlockable content. Physical is nice to lend out to friends or resell games if they don't fit my lifestyle, like when I decided I never wanted to play Splatoon 2, 1, 2 Switch, or DKC TF again and was able to sell them to Gamestop for about 50% their value.
Physically if available. The exceptions are games which I tend to play in small bursts. E. G. Smash, mario kart, etc.
I have only 3 physical games but 167 or so digital games. My physical collection will grow though as storage space is getting real tight. Unless I get a new SD card I'll have to 'clean the fridge' Wii style.
For me the biggest reason to choose physical over digital wasn't an option in the poll, that being that 20 years from now physical games will still be around. If some retro collector wants to get into the Switch a couple decades from now they're not going to be able to download any digital games on it because the servers supporting the Switch eShop will have long since gone offline, but they'll still be able to walk into a used game store and pick up copies of physical games for the Switch to play. Physical media is a way of preserving games for future generations to enjoy.
I prefer physical mainly because renting games is my cheapest, fastest way to play games these days. I rarely have to own a game unless it's an evergreen multiplayer online title like MK8D, SSBU, or MHGU, just to name a few. But since many games I like are digital only in this age, they just get backlisted until a good sale, or I ante up the cash to make it happen-- So I get excited when I learn that a digital only game finally gets a physical release. That's my gaming "climate" right now til further notice...
Physical. Smash Bros on the eshop for £60? Jog on!
People who buy only digital and have somehow filled up a massive SD card... how much money do you have!?
My physical copies of games all press F to pay respect to all those digital purchases in 10 to 20 years.
Depends on the size of the game. If it's less than a gigabyte, it doesn't really matter to me.
I prefer digital for the convenience but I'll buy physical if it's cheaper or the game is larger than 5GB so I don't end up with loads of microSD cards.
Which of the following factors makes you choose physical over digital when buying Nintendo Switch games?
I would have picked the option if it was there "If the servers go for downloads I still have access to my games
I prefer physical but don’t mind digital. I’m easy either way.
@JohnG Why not haha? Many buy physical just so they can have a box to add to their collection. I look at my game collection and my Wii U boxes dwarve my pitiful 3 Switch boxes. Someone actually commented on it "you only have 3 Switch games? " they said. I have a monstrous digital collection though and no way would I want a box for each game but it would be nice to have a Zelda, Odyssey, Splatoon 2 etc... for display.
There would still be a market for digital codes in a retail package albeit small. There are plenty of parents out there who don't want to give their kids access to a credit card on their accounts so they end up buying physical eshop cards at retail stores or codes online through places like amazon that are emailed to them. And there are also people who enjoy getting the physical items in a collectors edition that just purely buying digital wouldn't provide them.
I always go for digital, unless game I know my close friends like and I can share them once I finish them. I love indie games, grow up with pixels so my game library has like 80% downloaded pixelated games. Which my wife always says... Why have a 4k TV when you are always playing with pixels? Cause me love some huge 4k pixels
It depends. Games that are not taking space is what i have as a digital prio download.
One of the main reason id rather stay away from cartridges is that i am afraid ill scratch them and make them unplayable. The Switch cartridge is so tiny yet needs a click to start on the Switch.
Definitely physical for triple A titles and compilation but digital is not bad for smaller games. The only thing I hate nowadays is that most publishers are treating physical copies as limited edition which are hard to come by recently.
Physical for life! Sad that some games I got digitally are getting physicals from limited run company's......oh well.
I’m a collector. I like physical. I love companies who still include instruction manuals for that complete physical game buying experience.
I disagree with the article that physical games are cheaper. I often find digital games after a bit of time often go on sale.
I don’t like Nintendo’s practice of offering better rewards for buying digital. It rubs the face of retailers, who support your company, in the dirt.
Physical for me. I hope we see a physical version of Ikaruga and FF7! Heck, even then I miss instruction manuals. (Seems to be the domain of limited editions and smaller publishers these days) However, I will double dip if a digital sale on a game I love is too good to be true. Small price to pay for convenience.
In contrast, I resent buying a full price digital game for it to release as a physical later. Hate it. I don't mind arcade games digitally (I mean the pick up and play type games not coin-ops (but coin-ops are included lol)), but if they are released as a compilation (like SNK or NAMCO) then I think that warrants a physical purchase.
I can't really see why a publisher would want to put a code in a plastic box instead of a piece of card unless it was a cost cutting exercise. The point for me buying physical is I having access to my games, file size and the option of resale in the event of something better capturing my imagination.
@antdickens
"Which of the following factors makes you choose physical over digital when buying Nintendo Switch games?"
You forgot the option, 'no fear of losing it if it vanishes from the eShop/the eShop dies'
I remember a saying that resonate with me on another site.
"If you're charging me retail prices, I expect retail product." Don't charge me a fully packaged game only digital options, I will not buy them.
I will buy some digital. But I am on the NA retail forum for a reason, I prefer and enjoy the "timeless" aspect of physical games. Often I find myself replaying some older consoles.
They may have glitches in some, but ultimately if I lost the data of, say Melee, today... I would be able to patch it now. It's eye-opening in that perspective. Then there was that Hatred game fiasco on Steam where the words of others dictated (though briefly) that you were not allowed to have the game and Steam removed it from their libraries.
It depends. Physical software holds value if you trade it in so the price isn’t hard to swallow whereas if I sink £50 for a digital game I’m stuck with it. Nintendo are kind of a problem with this. I must have sank £500 onto VC/WW games on the Wii easy and have nothing to show yet every iOS or Xbox game I ever bought I can still play.
Physical, whenever the option is there. I feel like going the digital route is basically a glorified rental service in that it’s merely a license that you can’t resell. Also, I buy a lot of games, and the memory card I have couldn’t handle all of them if I had purchased them on the eshop.
Both have their benefits. Physical is good for games like RPGs which you are likely only going to be playing through once, whether it takes a week or a month, you can keep it in the system and you can then take it out once you're done. Digital is good for games like Smash Bros, Animal Crossing or Binding of Isaac, games that you're going to be playing every now and then through the year, benefit being that you don't need to switch out whatever story heavy game you're playing at that moment.
This one is easy. Since I am a collector I prefer to buy physical, since a digital game has no value.
I have a reasonable amount of disposable income but physical all day long for me simply because its so much cheaper (in most cases)
Why pay more for less? Completely pointless imo
@Kilroy fair, but with so many games these days, is the game on the cart the actual game? Patches seem to change them significantly. I take your point though!
Whichever is more convenient at the time. If physical is cheaper I'll buy that, if it is digital only, or cheaper or a game I know I want on me at all times. Digital it is.
My imports are digital only now though. (finally!)
I always buy physical games unless it's a botched release like Bayonetta 2.
I prefer physical over digital because I’m a collector.
Ease of switching between games make digital my pref
Always physical if an option.
But I do it mostly because I sell my games (or give to my cousins) after I am done.
My collection is 230 games strong and growing. As a gamer who has enjoyed this hobby for over 35 years I feel as though the Switch is the finest product Nintendo has ever produced. And as the industry moves towards an all-digital future I want the Switch to be a brilliant, final reminder of what building a physical collection best felt like.
Which is better: Cash or Bitcoin?
@Retupmocnin 😂🤔
Always buy physical if it’s an option. If I like the game and want to keep it I’ll pick up a digital copy as soon as it goes to a price I’m happy with, selling the physical version. Once I’m done with a game full stop, I’ll sell the physical version.
I’ve no problem with buying digital if it’s the only option though there seems to be a ceiling. I won’t punt on a digital game if the price is too high, and it seems never over £20.
Normally, I do physical, as I'm the type of person who likes "seeing" what he spends his money on - I like to have a cart, to put a box on my shelf, to read the back of a cover...
That's why I was so pleased with the Switch being region free - importing became an option.
However, for a lot of games, the eShop prices get really good and discounts happen much more often than they did on Wii U or 3DS.
So, for example, over here the physical edition of "Lego City: Undercover" costs 89.99 BGN, but instead, I picked it up on the eShop for 19.99 BGN.
Yes, there's the "Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle" which got an awesome collector's edition and a physical version over in Japan - I REALLY wanted to import it. But with some gold coins thrown in, I was able to get the digital version of 6 GBP, instead of the 30+ the physical would cost.
For other games, the physical edition came out after I'd already bought the game digitally - like Count Lucanor, WonderBoy or Shantae 4 - in those cases, I didn't double dip, as the price of admission was too much and I didn't think the games were worth double dipping. I did double dip for "Sonic Mania" though and imported the Japanese edition with the OST...
For the Megaman Collections the physical was not worth it to me, as in each set, at least one of the collections was digital-only anyway and there was a good sale on the eShop, which sealed the deal.
It's very similar to the Collector's Editions situation - I have to think about how much would this game mean to me, how much do I like the included stuff, in order to get a standard edition or a CE - for "Xenoblade Chronicles 2" I went for the CE, just like I did with X, as I had high expectations and thought the artbook and CD were worth it. For "Ys VIII" however, which is gonna be my first Ys, I went for the more basic "Adventurer's Edition", as I thought I could do without a letter opener and the CD alone wasn't worth the extra 40 pounds.
I'm kind of 50/50 in terms of the Switch - most of my stuff is physical, but if I don't care too much about the game or the price is much better, I choose digital.
My physical collection:
Splatoon 2
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Cave Story+
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition
1-2 Switch
Doom
Sine Mora EX
Batman: The Telltale Series
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Collector's Edition
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country
Axiom Verge: Multiverse Edition
The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+
Owlboy
Just Dance 2018
Sonic Forces: Bonus Edition
Sonic Mania Plus
Sonic Mania Plus
Slain: Back from Hell
Dead Cells
Super Mario Odyssey
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection - Limited Edition
Sega Mega Drive Classics
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Adventurer's Edition
My digital collection:
Mighty Gunvolt Burst
Sonic Mania
Double Dragon IV
WonderBoy: The Dragon's Trap
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
Implosion: Never Lose Hope
The Mummy: Demastered
Zero Gunner 2: for Nintendo Switch
Oxenfree
A Hole New World
Kamiko
Lego City: Undercover
The Count Lucanor
Streets of Red: Devil's Dare Deluxe
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
Battle Chef Brigade
A Robot Named Fight
Icey
Assault Gunners HD
Gekido: Kintaro's Revenge
The Way: Remastered
Saturday Morning RPG
Megaman Legacy Collection
Megaman Legacy Collection 2
Megaman X Legacy Collection
Megaman X Legacy Collection 2
Hollow Knight
Alwa's Awakening
Save Mr, Mr Tako!
Bud Spencer & Terrence Hills: Slaps & Beans
The Messenger
Astebreed
Wild Guns: Reloaded
Steamworld Dig 2
Fairune Collection
Capcom Beat'Em Up Bundle
Crossing Souls
Grim Fandango: Remastered
physical all the way, only time i have digital is if the game is super cheap for like under 6 dollars etc, otherwise i dont bother.
Mostly digital which is what I did with 3DS as well (upgraded my 3DS SD card last year since 64GB wasn't enough). I have 4 physical games for Switch and everything else is digital. Unfortunately, the games take much more space so I'll either have to buy an expensive large SD card or go for multiple cards. My current card is 200GB and it's currently 3/4 full.
I still get physical games when the price is considerably lower. I don't have any game stores near me and hypermarkets only have the biggest titles so I make most of my purchases online anyway.
I prefer physical always but have no issue with digital. I have serious gamer add so I always look for that resale option if I can for the future. That being said I do appreciate nintendo for still rewarding me with gold points even for purchasing physical products.
It pretty much comes down to reselling games, games not taking up much system space (no sd card here) and sharing them with friends. I mostly rent these days anyway 😎
I own six physical games and 32 digital games on my Switch. Eventually, I'd like to convert to almost 100% digital (no reason not to keep one physical game to fill my cartridge slot... probably BotW, as that was my first game on the system). It's just more convenient, tidier, and, for games purchased at launch, less expensive now that Amazon Prime and GCU's preorder discounts are a thing of the past.
@Retupmocnin the barter system is the real way to go
At 32GB, can't really buy digital. Obviously there are/were some games that were digital-only (Jackbox, Sonic Mania, etc.), so those I will purchase digitally. Physical gives me the chance to get rid of the game if it doesn't have replay value or is no good, but digital is nice because I don't have to shuffle cartridges. So yeah, really just depends.
I still get around 30% of my games physical but game makers themselves are shoehorning digital editions due to countless updates virtually every game receives. So if you have a cart that will need digital updates to work properly/better, the question is: what's the point of fighting for physical if makers don't give us a finished product anymore?
Digital rules.
I'm mostly a fan of physical purchases. They can be resold/shared, are often cheaper (at least in Nintendo's case), the box art is nice (though I miss physical manuals), and then there's that new game smell. Best of all, you don't have to worry about it becoming inaccessible for whatever reason.
I acknowledge the conveniences of digital, but unless a game is digital-only or significantly cheaper digital, I'll be getting its physical edition. It's admittedly still a far better option than the streaming-only future some companies are pushing for.
Digital always for me. Makes an already convenient console even more convenient. I'm greedy with my games so not being able to resale them isn't a factor for me since even if I had physical, I wouldn't. Over 70 games in and never physical. Digital ftw
Usually physical if available.
But if it’s a retro collection like Sega Mega Drive or Street Fighter collection then I prefer those baked in to the console. Easier for quick pick up and play and I’m used to digital retro since the VC I suppose.
I won’t pay lots more or wait a long time for physical either. For example I’m eyeing up Mario Kingdom Battle digitally as it’s only 15 quid.
I always buy digital (went this way during the Wii U years). Having your entire library with you is so convinient, especially when using the Switch as a handheld.
I feel the benefits of physical are diminishing with the advent of DLC, large day 1 patches and "Internet connection required". It seems, more and more, that the physical release is not much more than a game license on a disc/card (I admit that this is less true for Nintendo first party games).
I have kids now, wich makes harder to keep track of my games, I've seen my 3 year old trying to change a game card and I know it is a matter of time they lost one, so just for the convenience factor, I had to switch digital this generation
Primarily a physical buyer but I do buy digital if there is no physical edition or if its a game I want to play but not sure I will like it (wait for a good sale first) or if I don’t feel attached to it enough to procure physical.
All digital for me, I have 79 games, about 120gb left of a 400gb card. The convenience far out weighs the resale (historically I’ve never sold my games on anyway)
@Incarta loads 😛. If you include the Gold Coins, Smash was only £54. That’t Not too bad IMO
Physical only a fool would think otherwise. Digital you have no control over and can be locked out of it or even in the TOS have it removed at any time. Physical you control as long as it’s in your hands. Digital is only good for cheaply priced dismissible stuff that’s no loss.
@EriXz same here. All the kids have digital games for their Switch. On occasion, this means buying more than one copy but I've fished enough 3DS cards out of the drier to last a lifetime.
... no human being should be allowed to have that many Switch cartridges as the ones on that thumbnail...
for the switch physical only, nintendo have in the past shut down their eshop, that is a heavy investment to loose over a long period of time, i wouldn't invest digital on a nintendo console anytime soon.
for psn i'm mixed it's around 40% digital for me, the sales are improving and i'm getting great value with the digital prices, the sales are frequent (like the recent january sale) and if your patient enough you can save buying the digital version while physical copies still stay at full retail price for very long periods of time.
i don't really expect the nintendo eshop prices to be competitive compared to retail prices with their price fixing on their 1st party titles staying full price for the remainder of the consoles lifespan, digital won't change that.
the fact that some retail carts are half downloads too is annoying so it makes it harder to stick to retail copies when you need the internet for them to function regardless.
@Dijita yeah their rewards system is a joke compared to the old club nintendo system we used to have, it favours digital most of all so i can never get any use out of it.
My preference is the least amount of hassle, and the smallest amount of decision making required on my behalf.
I'm awful at having to make decisions. I never enjoyed polarized light 3D in cinemas, but I felt I was missing out somehow when deliberately going to the 2D screenings. Because the 3D screenings cost the same. And I knew what the theatre had invested in those projectors.
I bought Pokemon and Smash digital because I didn't want to switch between them and other games and I can't see myself going back. I have a stack of physical boxes, but I've never actually looked at them since I bought them. Plus, I have become really annoyed with switching out games.
I'm sure I'll switch back for a little while once my memory fills up, since I don't want to switch out memory sticks. That would be awful.
Digital all the way
@KingdomHeartsFan Well, as long as my Wii's memory doesn't get corrupted, I still have those games. But I do agree that it's better long term to have physical copies. Well, at least if the publisher actually puts a functional game on the cartridge/disc.
Same here. I bought Smash digital even though it's a little more pricey because I decided that I'd never sell it, would play it often and not want to swap carts.
If it's a game I want for special edition, or it would dramatically save hard-drive space by going physical, I do. I want to at least fill up my Switch carrying case's pockets with physical. But I also prefer digital for ease of access for many games, and don't buy Physical just because Physical exists.
One reason I do like Digital that wasn't on the list above is for the extra Gold Coins for my Nintendo account rewards.
How is this even a question? I only buy digital if it’s part of a bundle or if it’s mandatory. The whole purpose of digital is to attack the second-hand market. Which makes sense on their side of course, but they’re going to have to give me a better incentive (lower price, a special sale or early release) if they want to make me buy digital instead of physical.
@KingdomHeartsFan to be completely honest, those 3DS cards were rock solid. Despite a wash/dry cycle they always seemed to work.
@KingdomHeartsFan and i totally agree with you which is why i will never buy a digital game off the eshop with what they have done in the past.
the fact that nintendo are very aggressive pushing digital towards consumers is stressful to say the least, their hardware bundles is a good example of that, as a consumer i should be able to have a choice on what way i purchase my software on my consoles but in some cases nintendo take away that choice, it's frustrating.
i also hate places like limited run, the physical option is limited and exclusive to them, they hold all the cards on the prices and the exclusivity, it's like a bidding auction house and it makes purchasing a physical copy for a game you like almost impossible with the scalping, is this what we want the physical option for our games to be subjected to?
I always buy physical games unless I really have to go out of my way to get them (read: getting VOEZ digital for ~14 € seemed much more reasonable than paying twice as much and import fees on top of that).
I just like having physical objects. And I like the convenience of just popping in whatever game I want to play and pressing A instead of having to sift through all my demos the Switch insists on displaying even when the card containing them is not inserted.
The only code in a box I didn't refuse to buy was Pokémon Gold but that was for nostalgia reasons only.
@judicious_echoes except the family plan allows you to do this with digital games.
I prefer whatever I’d the cheapest way for me to play. For example, doom bring $35 last week meant that I could selly $60 physical for $50, then get it digitally. So now I can still “pass” the game around with our other switch’s, and I saved money too. I sell lots of physical games to get them digitally.
When you live in Brazil, digital means two things: instant availability and no markup on prices (which usually include 60% import taxes + reseller profit = brutal). I’d rather have a wall full of pretty boxes, but am absolutely fine with a scrolling menu full of delicious digital games 😃
I don’t like having stuff laying around the house so I prefer digital, however I buy whatever is cheaper
When I see people talk about the reasons they buy physical it's usually talk about resale or having a large collection or even that it's cheaper.
Those things can be factors but for myself (and the missus probably) it's mostly the fact I can go into a shop and pick up a darn item, browse in a normal way and leave the same day.
That and supporting other retailers/distributors and not giving 100% control. The digital age has already started to give us less for more money, even the state of physical boxes are sub par nowadays.
But that's more my grumpy old man mindset, I'm all for digital for others just don't want physical to disappear like a lot of shops have
If physical meant you got the finished, complete, unbuggy version that could sit on a shelf forever I would prefer that. Like my collection of Mega Drive games. But physical is normally version 0.9 these days so we're all basically buying digital to a degree.
Good conversation.
I basically want all digital, but have gone mostly physical. I don't want little cartridges to keep track of and insert when I'm in the mood to play a different game, whether it's across the room in the dock, or I'm playing on the go and don't want to dig it out in a place where it's harder to manage and lost means really lost.
Problem is, digital hasn't gotten friendly enough in all the ways I like to game. I want to share my games with family and friends, sell them again, switch to new consoles with ease, etc. Love jumping from one game to the next on a whim and the lack of friction, but these other things always give me pause. (To be fair it has gotten slightly better over the life of Switch)
Most of that could be forgiven if the digital versions saved some real money and gave more directly to the developers. Another problem is the cartridges are the copy protection, so I can't just install off the format and get some of the convenience. sigh Overcooked 2 is one I'd like to just drop into, but always have to dig out that cartridge. I mean, not a big deal, but I'm a busy guy and gaming is important relaxation/entertainment time, so a lack of friction enhances that time immensely.
I only purchase digital if I am 100% convinced there will not be a physical edition. So far shantae, over cooked I, and snippetclips have made me look bad, but I’m not bitter!
One reason for going physical is the belief (not always correct) that I can play physical edition years in the future without worrying if the online service that got me the game still functions. Yes I am aware that I am likely living a pipe dream on that front!
I prefer physical because the games aren’t as strictly tied to usage rights agreements as digital. With physical, I always have that game, not just as long as a company decides to offer it for redownload, renew licensing rights, or maintain a server. While it may seem silly now to say this since Switch is so young, anyone whose Wii breaks after the eShop goes down will likely understand. Physical is about more than a box.
I tend to go physical for single player games that I'll want to play again in 5 or 10 years time. Currently this is Mario Odyssey, BOTW, Octopath and Dark Souls. I like to keep my consoles and a few select games for myself and maybe to share with my kids and don't want to rely on eshop or digital storage.
4 physical.
19 digital.
I really prefer the convenience of not switching out cartridges. I only buy physical if it's a large game and will prevent me using up a ton of storage space.
I have it a bit mixed. I have a 128 GB micro SD card and it already feels like its getting full. Physical is good for not only a nice box, but also saving up storage. I don't mind switching up the carts. Beats needing to buy a 400 GB storage or needing to constantly archive games. If I don't like a game, I could also sell it or trade. At least with mix, its a lot more manageable. I've also been mixed with 3DS. Sometimes eShop has nice sales too.
@ReaderRagfihs It would not matter except for the space. I downloaded one and it took almost half of the switch space.
Wow I completely underestimated the whole physical copy thing.
If someone care about the environment he/she would want to buy games digitally. It's all the being caring of the planet versus our own selfishness.
I always and will continue to buy Physical Copies. Its important to keep these games preserved for the future. Im also not an import gamer however, (with the exception of eastasiasoft exclusives since they purposely make their physical copies look like NTSC) and thats mostly due to money and space, so i do purchase from Limited Run Games but not Super Rare Games. So if a game gets announced through Super Rare Games then i usually just download it. I also download games if they’re digital only, but physical will always be my preferred choice!
While I prefer physical, it's not as economical for me. I live in Canada and in my province, sales tax is 15%. Retail games cost $79.99, so that tax brings the price up to around $92. I'm classified as working poor, so that price is very hard to swallow. However, I have my Switch's region set to Alberta, which has the lowest sales tax at 5%. Because of that, digital retail games cost about $10 less.
I only buy physical if possible. The poll missed a thing: physical is real. Digital is just some code that won't be there in 10-15 years. Its a nice bonus when it is cheaper, but once gamers club is gone I'll still buy physical, just less of them or wait for sales on games I don't 100% know I'll love.
Digital is only for Indies, or B.S. like the Bayonetta 1 being a code.
@0muros if you care about the environment to that degree you wouldn't buy consumer goods, like video game systems and internet devices. I know of people like that. The band "Wolves on the Throne Room" for example.
I prefer physical contact with any woman. The problem with digital is that it is not tangible by touch. Can you touch a woman's legs, breasts or even what panties she is wearing via digital? No, its just a cheap thrill.
Oh another reason to go physical is look at how Nintendo handles online vs say Steam/Valve. You can download your games to a Windows ME computer if you have Half-Life and CS 1.6, or you can download them to your Windows 10 RTX 2080 ti system.
Nintendo has made people pay a fee to transfer games between Wii and Wii U.
I go physical when it’s a game I know I’ll pass to my friend after awhile. I’ll get digital if it’s a good value (Starlink), or an eShop game that I’m not concerned about a physical copy.
All Digital, especially now we have accounts. Although I do own a couple of physical games, because it's harder to buy a kid a digital game for their birthday
But I'm so over building a physical "library". The less *junk" in the house, the less to lose, the less to get damaged, the less to store, the less to clean and the less to move.
I still have my old CD library... Which is taking lots of space and absolutely never gets used. Apart the Blu Ray player, I don't even own a CD player. A few years back they would have been useful in the car on roadtrips ... But no longer.
And my DVD library... Is going the same way. Can't remember the last time anyone watched a DVD in the house.
Convenience wins over content... Because there is so much content.
@olrodlegacy Exactly this! Unless I feel something is absolutely too unlikely to recieve a physical version, I hold off on it. Which is why I often wait for years before getting a digital-only games.
Well, that, and there are so many physical games to get still. Just from physical games, I fit into the 31+ games, and that's just from getting into the Switch a year late, focusing on titles I like a lot. I still have a lot of titles to catch up on.
Legally, if I buy it physically, it's my property. Not so with digital, where I'm only licensing it. So if it's digital only, I'll buy it. Otherwise, I'm paying to own something.
Whichever is cheaper, and that's usually physical in our market economy. Also, physical holds some value for resale, digital does not. Recently, though, there have been digital sales that represent good value, so digital is fine in that case.
I like physical over download anyday for alot of reasons you can share the game you can trade it in or resale it. Downloads are in some ways a rip off in my opinion I don't think a download should cost the same price as a physical copy, it cost a lot less for the company to sell you a download than it does the physical copy yet a title that's 59.99 is 59.99 either way, hence they sure don't pass the savings on to the consumer which is BS in my opinion. I notice a lot anymore that companies are pushing digital more and more I can see why it is at the cost of the consumer though which is not right they should offer steep discounts for digital though I dought that will ever happen. The only games I download are cheap 5.00 to 10.00 dollar titles , which are what they are. Retail full priced titles I will go physical every time or not purchase them.
Physical. If I'm going to pay the same price either way on a new release, may as well have the cart & save some memory space.
@Kilroy what about the fear of losing (fire or equally dangerous, kid), breaking (scratching) and/or getting a cartbridge stolen?
I feel bad for anyone who's still clinging onto physical carts. Your games are always incomplete and will be useless in 10 years from now, missing all of the day one patches and DLC, and in many cases missing most of the game too. Combined with your constant delays for pre-order arrivals, need to switch carts for every game, something else to carry, etc. You people are living in the Stone Age.
I always go physical if I can because:
1. I like having the case
2. It uses less digital storage(unlike PS4 physical copies)
3. I still get a 20% discount on games through Best Buy until September 2019
Although we are at a point now in gaming where you dont even get the full games in retail releases anymore. Either because publishers are too cheap, the games need patches to fix issues, or as some draconian form of DRM like the recent news that the entirety of Kingdom Hearts 3 isnt even on the disc.
I really feel like I'm among a dying breed of gamers at times.
@JackEatsSparrows, I just started playing StarLink got it for 39.99 at GameStop and can say I was not expecting such a fantastic game., I can't quit playing it .
Results look quite conclusive haha. If I have the choice it's physical every time. Don't mind paying £10 - £15 for an Indie but full price is always is a box product for me. I can also trade them afterwards which I can't do otherwise.
Physical only for me unless the game is available digital only (and I try to hold out for good sales on digital). I like reselling the physical games later. It’s a hobby within a hobby. I can’t resell digital games I regret like Pan-Pan and Human Fall Flat.
@Kaizoku Exactly 💪
If you have a house full of kids like I do, where everyone has a switch, you definitely want physical cartridges so everyone can enjoy the game. Digital is tied to one person's account, which is not ideal for sharing scenarios.
Physical because I'm a collector (and boxart enthusiast).
"If Nintendo sold retail Switch boxes with download codes instead of carts, would you buy them"
they're already doing that
Go physical most of the time - I can lend games to friends (borrow them too) and resale value for switch is really, really good if I don't want to keep the game.
Do get some great discount on digital or indie games though, so I've ended up with a mix.
i mostly buy digitally from japan because amazon japan almost always gives a 10 % discount to the already cheap JP prices and you also get the game almost a day earlier
@Trajan What's your point is supposed to prove? I'm not an extremist and my opinion didn't mention a closed mind as you're saying.
@EriXz Kids existed before digital downloads. Remember in the PS1 days when parents just had to keep the discs out of reach? Wasn't hard.
Besides of pretty box, less storage, and label, for me having physical and can see it anytime makes feel very satisfied!
I got enough criteria to make an grossly elaborate flow chart :-/
The nuts and bolts of it are:
-Game is over 1.5GB? Most likely physical. Mah precious microSD space!
-Game is something I'd play on a whim or bring out spontaneously for friends? Most likely digital
-Game is one you would play for the long haul (RPG, ongoing multiplayer game with a healthy player base)? Most likely physical.
-But that long haul game has tons of regular updates? Digital, then.
-Game is a fighting game or other twitchy arcade game that I enjoy? 99.9% digital so I can play anytime, anywhere. Most of those are digital anyway.
-Game has a nice enough special edition? Most likely physical, but run it through the criteria again later, because a double-dip is NEVER out of the question if I like a game a lot.
-Game is digital only? Digital.
-If it comes out later as physical? Run it back through the criteria, because a double-dip is NEVER out of the question if I like a game a lot.
Those are the major points, but notice I keep saying "most-likely". That's because I've broken these "rules" before, and I will likely do again. I was a physical-only holdout until I started to welcome digital games on the 3DS. Then I started thinking it wasn't bad, some of these games I can't even get physical, and they're super convenient! Yeah, but what if your console breaks down, or stolen, or your account is hacked/banned, etc. For physical in the short term, starting over or recovery is definitely possible, and there's the advantage of buying the game used for less. For digital in the short term, we can try to get our purchases restored when we replace our system. For digital and physical in the LONG term (servers go offline, games and updates are no longer downloadable) there are no guarantees you'll be able to recover to 100% from a physical mishap, nor is there a guarantee that the physical copy of the game will cost less as time goes on (unless it was super-mainstream). If you've kept up with the updates until then, the rest is a matter of safeguarding your system and treating it like precious equipment or an artifact (keep it clean, plug it into a good surge protector/power filter, unplug it when you're not using it, put it in a crate somewhere to be looked after by "top men", etc.). Otherwise, neither digital nor physical is definitive once we're past a certain point. It's not like a digital game will disappear or become immediately inoperative once that day comes. Take those tinfoil hats off, people.
The other thing is if you're in it for the money/resale/hand-me-down option. Physical all the way, definitely. Me, personally, it's more about playing the games, and at my own terms and pace. Some people here seem like they're in such a rush to finish a game before the next big one comes out that I'm actually concerned for them. Are you actually enjoying playing games or are you crossing off a checklist? If it was me, I'd rather not play video games anymore if I'm playing them just to play them and get to the next one.
All my games, physical and digital are valued, exciting experiences that are, now, hard to let go. The backlog even more so, because I haven't played them yet! And I make sure that I know I will like a game before I buy it by checking reviews, partially watching playthroughs and analyses, and researching the gameplay mechanics. I stopped trading in games years ago in the mid-90's because of a Lynx collection that I let go. Yeah, I had regrets over trade-ins because of my v.1 Atari Lynx (laugh if you want, the trade-in credit went to my NEOGEO home cart system, so it wasn't THAT bad a deal). I never fully recovered/replaced my collection when I got my v.2 Lynx in 2000 and it still kinda stings. Some of those games finally came down in price so I can replace them (not complete w/box, manuals, mind you), but it's not the same. The regret was more because I didn't give some of the games enough play time. A couple I bought and never even played. So since then, I need to be absolutely sure that a game I buy will be a keeper, digital or physical, knowing my preferences. Even if it sits in the backlog for years. Or at least be cheap enough that I won't mind losing that investment. I don't even care if they're old by the time I finally get to it. My hype for a game can come flooding back once I hit Start and keep in mind why I bought a game in the first place.
I love video games, and it's more important to me that I play them than concern myself over the game's delivery system.
@0muros you declaired that physical is more harmful to the environment and people who want physical are just selfish. Your views are an extreme view, buy not without merit. However I find most environmentalists to be hypocrites when it comes to doing anything substantial.
Games I always want to have I buy digital. That includes Smash and Civs6. Sometimes digital makes more economic sense, like Starlink Digital Deluxe (with everything included) being $4 more than the physical starter edition (with a couple ships and pilots). I like to have physical copies if I can, but all games are a license, not a product. Any game that ever has a patch is a license, physical cart or not. Even running the Switch is a license; if Nintendo wanted it could brick every console with a patch and gatekeep running games. I have a 256gb sd card and a few others I could use, so storage space isn't a problem. SD cards are dirt cheap anyway.
I go digital like 75% of my library, that way my Switch is truly a portable console without the hassle of swapping cartridges.
I also play like 95% in portable mode so there is that.
I noticed that cartridges are always around 30-40% cheaper than digital.
There is no need to waste time and space downloading the whole game, especially since SD cards are a bit slower than cartridges
Cartridges can be used anywhere, no need for internet.
They could be resold too
It's all about price and resale-ability for me.
I bought a physical copy of Pokémon Let's Go for £23 and after completing it I sold it for £32, couldn't have done that if it was digital.
I usually buy physical for big games. It's nice to have a phsycial product for the money. And yeah, it does save space, unlike the PS4 where it just downloads the game to the HD anyway making physical feel pretty pointless. Smaller, cheaper titles I always go digital.
After swimming through all the reply and misleading comments. I have to say I am still Physical when it comes down to the end. Even if it cost more you own it and can do whatever you please with it - sell it or give away. Digital you can't do neither and whatever you paid for it you get nothing in return for re-Sale. Even if you hate the game your stuck with it. And as for kids teaching them how to handle the games and system will insure they be life long gamers. That's all it takes time and effort there is no excuses here. And to those talking about Digital here something you don't get not everyone can afford INTERNET or Streaming. Streaming doesn't come with Internet that is something everyone forgets and they both cost money to have. Digital is good since everyone is in one place and stays - but there no one whom else can enjoy it. Physical if you hate or give it or Resell it you at least get some monetary value back. And worse if you hate it at least you get some compensation back. The difference is the In-Demand Digital most wouldn't bat a eye on that but if the game sucks Goat that becomes a worse case.
Another thing polls are snapshot in time it can give misleading information unless it is stated for a limited time duration then we can see how it compares to past present future purchasing.
digital only
If its a multiplayer game or one my fiance isnt interested in playing, I go digital. If it's a single player game me and my fiance both like, I go physical.
I’m mostly physical for large action and story based games. Plus, Nintendo games hold their resale value very well. I use digital downloads for Sports and Fighting games and Indies of course. Although I have bought some physical Indie games from Limited Run Games (West of Loathing Collectors Ed and Yooka Laylee).
Prefer physical so that I don't have to buy too much in microSD storage and I like to hold a game case and card in my hand. Not to mention there are great sales in retail sometimes, plus used game possibilities.
I only have Super Mario Party and Stardew Valley in digital. With Stardew Valley, I didn't have a choice.
With Amazon giving 20% off I was physical as much as possible. Now that is over I imagine going mostly digital. I like physical because they use less space but we’ve had a couple physical cartridges disappear under beds when my kids play and I’d rather not have to worry.
I’ve been buying physical but I am considering moving over to digital since the icons still eat up storage space. (The Switch really is backwards from the 3DS in that instance).
In the bugging I was almost only digital due to the ease off having everything on the system instead of carrying cartridges with me but then I realized that I have games I don't quite like but cannot sell back (the biggest one is Splatoon for me that I have not played for probably 15months). Nowadays I have 15 physical copies (and have sold back 5/6) and about 55 digital (mostly Indies but if a game comes digital only like okami or Naruto I don't think too much about it)
The little carts are a pain in the butt.
That tiny little flap can have fun with somebody else.
I have a few of them, but they never get played because
there's already a bajillion games on my microSD card.
Most of them are not available in physical format, anyway. :0
90% of the digital games I own were purchased with a discount of between 20-50% off. Rarely have I paid more than $15 for a game. Precisely, most were less than $10 each. Just check your eShop wish list on the regular and be patient.
Digital games are dangerous, I've bought 10 in the last two and a half weeks in the sales, I've got 3 games or cart I've not even booted up yet. Is there an equivalent of AA for gamers
@Trajan Thats why I'm actually in University in environmental studies, vegan and 50% zero waste. I'm trying my best including not buying plastics games cartridges.
@Medic_alert aye, with no return on digital software.
"Which of the following factors makes you choose physical over digital when buying Nintendo Switch games?"
This thing is rigged in favor of physical. There's no option on this question for 'none of the above' or 'forced into buying physical' (like with Labo). I don't like physical, and it's worth more to me to have it digital. The only way to see the results of the vote are to make a decision, and I'd be lying if I checked any of those boxes, as I always prefer digital. But, as there's no option for people who prefer digital, I (and people like me) have to skew the results of the vote with our lies, making the survey somewhat meaningless.
@Jin15 That’s one of the main reasons I buy physically as well, I wish they’d added that to the poll.
@Donutman Sure, that thing that was only added in the past few months might. Or, I could have physical copies of games that are an easier solution, and something I can have on-hand in a decade without having to bother with a work-around in order to play.
I prefer physical whenever possible.
I still haven't converted entirely to the digital age: I tend to forget usernames and passwords, I always run out of storage, I risk on buying the same game twice or simply forget what I already bought.
I wonder what will happen 10 years from now if I plug the PS3 and want to re-download all the games I bought in 2010...will they still be there? I know the physical games I own will be there, but I can't bet the digital copies will be there.
That said, I also like to get things on a discount, so if I can get a very good deal, I'm all for digital. However, I wouldn't spend more than €15/€20 on a digital game, even if it's the only way to acquire it - it kinda makes me feel like I'm giving my money away for nothing...
I have 6 digital games. I get digital when physical isn't an option. I prefer physical because of the storage space it saves.
@0muros what is 50% zero waste? You mean 50% waste.
Plastic game cards are only bad for the environment if you throw them away. But I'm not here to debate you on such things. Just pointing out that everything else involved with video games is worse for the environment. Even just human existence.
Do some research on lithium ion batteries that are in the switch and controllers, as well as almost every device now a days.
Digitall the way, for me!
^ See what I did there 🤓. I’m 15 game purchases off of owning 500 digital Switch games!
If I can get one cheaper that's the one I'll go for, digital or physical makes no difference. Usually. The Switch's pathetic storage situation makes buying physical pretty much a necessity for larger titles.
Big bash cricket on the switch has a physical box with download code.
Always physical! I want to own my games and collect them.
I prefer digital unless a game takes too much space,I like the convenience of digital games and I rarely sell my games
@Romeo-75 Glad you’re enjoying it! I’m going to try the new update stuff this evening if I can’t put Ark down 😂
We need these:
1: Physical Stardew Valley
2: Physical Hallow Knight
3: Physical Enter The Gungeon
...What else?
On the Wii U the only game I owned physical was the pack in game. Everything else was digital.
With my Switch, I own Odyssey digitally since my first system came with a code. Mario x Rabbids was a Christmas gift. Xenoblade was physical since I thought I might want to sell that. (I really should have sold it already.) Octopath was physical, though I don’t know that I’ll ever want to part with it. (Even though my friend saved over my file with all 8 stories done.)
I’ve bought way my digitally, but I only had a 32 gig card and was trying to save space until I bought a bigger one. But then there was a great sale on 128 gig cards just before Christmas so I told a family member who never knows what to get me for Christmas and they were like, “okay, here’s my card, go buy it and I’ll wrap it.)
So then I went a little crazy around the time of the game awards and bought a bunch of things digitally.
So, basic tip for survey design, though I know there's probably no option for branching logic or anything for this survey on the site. But for someone like me, who is 100% digital, there shouldn't even be the option to answer the second to last question ("Which of the following factors makes you choose physical over digital when buying Nintendo Switch games?).
I totally understand why people would have physical collections, but in this day and age it doesn’t make a difference because most games require significant patches anyway so that’s why I always just go digital.
@RandomNerds and you forgot Digital eats storage spaces both in download and upates as physical is only updates. So stop with misleading comments.
@Kenology Problem lies if you dont like it your stuck. No resale value.
If you use your Switch mainly in handheld mode (like me) digital is the to go.
Physical baby! Woooooooooo!
@SwitchForce Dude. You’re crazy. It was just my opinion, which the article asks us to share. Misleading would mean I was trying to gain something from intentionaly lying to people. What could I possibly gain here? You need to loosen up man. You made some valid points, but they’re lost amongst your crazy. Happy Holidays!
@RandomNerds actually you tried in your own post. This is what people do to deflect calling someone crazy. I call a Spade a Spade.
It depends; given that your games are tied to an account, and not console, is a big plus. But, no collecting though, so..
@SwitchForce But why would I do it? What could my possible motive be? What do I get by “misleading” people about the facts of physical purchases vs digital ones? I’ll say my quick comment didn’t include a complete list of pros and cons for each, but I was just stating that I prefer digital and it’s because most games today require patches that have to be downloaded so the benefit of buying physical to protect your library into the future is lost in some cases. You don’t have to agree, but to say I’m trying to mislead people is absurd.
@SwitchForce That's why I don't take risks and try before I buy.
Turns out a lot of people enjoy a “physical release”
Me like tasty label yum
I had no issue with swapping out discs on the Wii U. On the Switch the slightly more laborious process (take it out of the dock, open the little flap etc.) really annoyes me for some reason. So I mostly buy digital.
In addition I mostly play indie games nowadays and those are often digital only anyway.
Digital for sure, my gaming tastes change on the fly some days, I can be 15 minutes into a game a decide Id rather play something else so digital helps.
I prefer physical. What I grew up with
@BenAV : I'm in the same boat, but I have a 200GB card. How the hell did you manage to fill up a 400GB card with a mostly physical library?
My card is close to be being full only because I download every demo in the Aussie/Japanese eShops, but I have gone back and removed any demos of games that I own the full versions to. I also refuse to buy any digital exclusives that are more than a gig or two in size (anything bigger should be issued a physical release) and Limited Run Games has been good in releasing the digital games that I'm interesting in buying physical copies of. The indie games that I have downloaded so far have been extremely disappointing and the only other games I buy regularly are Hamster's ports of Nintendo's arcade games.
Other than Rocket League and Puyo Puyo, if I can get Physical, I'll get it. I have a lot of downtloadable games, but those are games that either didn't come in Physical, or they were limited editions. I don't mind switching carts, because if I'm traveling, I can fire up a downloaded game if I want something different. But I'm kind of one of those people that if I'm on a trip, I beat one game before playing the next. (Unless I get tired of a game). I like physical because I know it will still be there 10 years later. Can't say the same for digital. Plus I can share Physical with my wife. Digital, not so much.
99.9% digital. I got Zelda physical at launch, but I’m not sure why.
The card has never left my Switch though, so it might as well be a digital copy.
Until I can share my digital games with my family members in the same household, I'm buying physical.
I want to buy physical and then download it to the system.
@Kenology "That's why I don't take risks and try before I buy. "
What risk are you talking about? If you make a Digital buy that is it you have no returns. Physicals if you didn't open you can still return or open make a resale to get some funds back. If you want to see real review go to youtube if someone played it they will say something about it.
The old nostalgic fart that I am, I always choose physical, even waiting months on end if a physical version is rumored to release later than digital. I like knowing that 20 years down the road I can still play my games the way I do on my NES today. I imagine a world where if the NES had digital games in 1985 and how those experiences would be lost now.
I like to own my games, not rent a license for the same price, if not more. Even knowing about games I have lost digitally over the years like Scott Pilgrim VS the World on PS3 grinds my gears because I paid full price for that game and if I ever have to replace my hard drive I can't play it anymore.
Physical for me as I find digital too expensive at launch. I also trade in games I don’t like or need no more. Traded in arms, super bomberman r, snipperclips plus (bought again digitally on sale), Donkey Kong tropical freeze (double dipped, still have Wii u copy), rocket league (bought digitally after selling physical for double the price). Physical just makes a lot of sense with less risk when trying new games.
I went digital a lot on the PS3 and have regretted it end of the ps3’s life. I’m still lucky I have a massive collection of Wii u games I’m playing through and selling and trading the ones I finish and wont replay or just don’t like.
Both have its benefits but physical just has so much much more.
well there are over 200 comments already so I doubt anyone will read this, but I always get 1st party games at retail (if they have been released at retail) and 3rd party games on the eShop. I have the eShop version of Snipperclips because I got it before the retail edition was announced. I have the retail editions of Zelda, ARMS, Splatoon, Mario Tennis, Pokemon, and Smash.
I prefer Digital, it's much more convenient and safe (that's right I said it) I travel a lot and I have 4 kids. My digital copies can't be lost or stolen. Even if my Switch is stolen I can redownload them when I buy a new switch.
I'll buy physical if it's a game I'm not sure I'll like it if Physical is significantly cheaper.
I own a 400 GB micro SD card so for now I'm good as far as space is concerned
@ALinkttPresent I love how you acknowledge that at 200 comments nobody will likely read yours. Lucky for you I can say at least 1 person read it
@countzero You don't have to take the Switch out of the dock to switch out the game cartridge.
Physical but transitioning to digital. Historically it's been cheaper to buy new games in physical form (oddly enough) but that will be changing next year with programs like Gamer's Club getting phased out.
I love to collect and keep my games so I always go physical when I can. However, given the nature of the Switch I do often double dip on big games that I know I will replay a lot. I often buy games like MK8, SSBU, SP2, Tetris (etc) digitally and then I look for cheap used physical copies for my collection.
I think the cartridges have made this difficult for completely collecting physical, though. Doom required a 10 gig download so I'll never be able to play the game with just the cart. My Fifa 19 requires almost 14 gigs, too. Starlink needed a big download, to. These games wont be playable in the future once the eShop is gone.
I always want physical because eventually websites disappear, eshops get shutdown etc. However, it's only gonna work with about 80% of games on Switch. The other 20% (3rd party games) wont be useable in 10-15 years. I'm honestly thinking about buying a used Switch in the future, throw a 400GB card in it and keep all the big 3rd party games on it so I'll always have them.
@Nintendofan83 Why can't you use your current Switch for that?
If there was a virtual console with snes games I'd have bought a bunch of games digitally. The Switch's storage isn't large enough to be buying new games digitally.
I bought a 400gb SD card, so I buy mostly digital cause I buy it at half price with my brother since we both have a switch so we can play the same game on both System.
I have my primary account on my brother's switch and his on mine, we buy a game once and we can play both the same games at the same time, locally or on the Internet.
@ALinkttPresent Those 3rd party games take up way too much space. Just give a little perspective.
Doom - 10 gigs
Starlink - 9 gigs
Wolfenstein 1 - 23 Gigs
Fifa 19 - 14 gigs
NBA 2K19 - nearly 16 gigs (with updates)
These 5 games alone can take up nearly 75 gigs of a card. What happens when games like Mortal Kombat, Marvel Alliance and others come out, too! It's a lot of space.
Wish I would have purchased Smash in physical so I could sell it already. Won't make the same mistake twice!
Digital are better and more convenient. Changing games is slightly inconvenient haha. But you can resell physical
Digital is more practical considering some aspects, but sucks if you want to share a game or switch systems. IF digital games in general had a permanent save storage where i could ez download the game in 20y if i lose it for some reason, i'd only buy digital. For now, i'll only get essencial games as digital.
As long as the price remains reasonable for physical switch games compared to their digital counterparts, I will always choose physical over the latter. There is something appealing about getting to have a great experience with a game, then share said game with a friend/family member so they can experience it too. Doing so saves them from having to take a gamble on a game they might not enjoy. Those are my fondest gaming memories at times. Sharing the fun.
I went into the Switch generation as a staunch physical-only, digital-hating gamer.
But my eyes have been opened. Digital is just SO much more convenient. Especially for a portable system.
The only 2 reasons I haven’t made a full transition is 1 Storage space constraints. Even with 2 separate 512gb microSD cards, I can barely fit all the digital games of the select titles I download (for details on how to manage such space, see postscript). I could never fit every single game. 2 Collector mentality I just can’t seem to break away from. I love the feeling of a game on a cartridge in a box.
My solution is to continue buying all my games physically, BUT, all the top games I buy digitally as well. So practically every first party game and a few dozen of the best third party games. I do try to import and scoop limited print runs of some of the mid tier 3rd party games to save space though. World of Final Fantasy English Asian version. Onimusha Warlords Japanese version with English, Okami HD Japanese version with English, Blazblue Central Fiction EU version, Katamari Damacy GS exclusive retail version, the top Limited Run Game releases, Mega Man X Collection 2 Japanese version with English, Little Nightmares EU version, Taiko Drum Master EU version, etc.
ps As for managing such large space on multiple SD, my approach has been to have a main, 512gb Micro SD card that has every game available to play without needing to swap cards. This means leveraging physical releases whenever possible, especially English imports, and only installing digital versions of games that got no retail release in English in any region. So basically, it’s a physical based approach for the main memory card. For the second 512gb Micro SD, it is kept safely tucked away in the new plastic Nyko kickstand that comes with a storage slot for a spare SD, which means having access to the second SD at all times. This second SD is only for digital downloads of retail games for the sake of convenience. 40 or 50 of the absolute best releases all within reach anywhere I go, without needing to carry 4-5 dozen cartridges around with me in my case.
@Kaizoku On the money.
digital vs physical = convenience vs nostalgia
Physical still feels a little more like you “own” a copy, but having a roster of games loaded and ready at the press of a button is a nice feature.
I was all set to get a physical version of Smash when it released, but when the day came I went ahead and pressed “proceed to purchase” anyway. The deciding factor was the fact that DLC was already mapped out for it. So as soon as the first one comes out you’ll no longer own the whole game anyway.
Another strike against physical happened when Super Mario Maker came out for 3DS and the PHYSICAL version could only be played on one system. Seriously? I can’t pop it into a different 3DS and just store the levels made with that system?
So, as much as I still think like a longtime game collector that owning a game means taking it out of a box and putting it into the console to play it, the line is so blurred now it barely matters. So if the storage space permits, having a game always ready is a hard feature to beat.
@RunGMhx If I lose my carts in a fire, I am almost certainly also going to lose my Switch to the same fire. There's a chance I could run out the door and grab my Switch in time, but that would mean the fire would've already spread enough to where I wouldn't even have 30 seconds to shove all the games in a bag, in which case, my Switch might be going down in the blaze as well.
Now, say I'd gone all digital. I'd have to replace the massive SD card(s) that were lost to the fire as well, which aren't cheap, especially if you have to invest in large ones for the retail games. That's an added expense that physical games don't burden you with. Also, I have renter's insurance.
Kids are a non-issue now as they're too young to play. Once they are, I'd make sure they know discipline or they're not allowed to play at all (not always easy, I know).
Theft: see renter's insurance.
@antdickens As a collector, it's very difficult to break away from the habit. If patches kill the "full" game that's on the cart and eventually you can't redownload it because the eShop is gone, then at the very least, you have the original release. Still something. Also still have the money you saved by not buying giant SD cards.
I can certainly see why people are going digital, I'm not against it. Hell, when Tetris Axis went digital and relaunched at $10, I grabbed it for the convenience (and super cheap price), but I already had the physical copy, so no worries to my OCD.
Physicals are cheaper where I live. Also I can sell them after I'm done playing. However, with games I expect to enjoy much which I will not sell I buy collectors editions and keep them (octopath, botw, xc2)
@Crono1973
I didn't have any back then so I don't know but whatever the case I fail to see your argument, think you're just trolling
@EriXz You fail to see that it's possible to keep important things that can be lost or damaged away from kids?
Depends on a few things, data size of the game, whether it's "a play once and done" type game, whether it's a game I intend to keep playing for years ahead and the extra gold coins have a bit of influence too, then there's personal and collector value too.
Smash, Skyrim and Monster Hunter are games I'll always go back to, so went digital on them. But some games are just a one and done, so I'll trade those in for new games. Mario Kart 8 DX is great, but there's always the chance a new Mario Kart will come out.
Digital is best. Always a pleasure having faster loading times.
For me it's the price. I don't know how they can get way with charging more for digital game on release than a physical one. Especially when they say bout the expense of the carts. I'd always go physical s then if I complete, or don't enjoy a game I have the option to sell on and get a little back from it to put towards something else. I do own quite lot digital but it's all heavy discount stuff.
Digital code in physical boxes would work for me. I prefer digital, but would rather buy new releases from outlets such as Target - they are usually cheaper than e-shop purchases. The only thing preventing me from buying in-store now is that I don't want the game cards.
I prefer physical. Especially on Switch where it still actually means something. I also technically buy the copy of the game instead of a "license" that way. After PT and Scott Pilgrim, it shows that having bought the game doesn't always mean much digitally in extreme scenarios and might be annoying down the road. It's just easier. Plus I like the cases.
Somehow digital are always a lot more expensive...
Used Physical games usually sell on ebay for about 10% lower price than the new retail price..
So you have to be dumb to buy digital if your not planning on keeping the game forever... I usually sell the game when I'm done with it...
Even fifa 18 I sold on ebay for £20 a few weeks before fifa 19 launched
The real question is if the cartridge costs are so high why don't digital games cost 25% less to start with that would make a lot more sense
I’m mixed. I buy wherever it’s cheaper. My collection is 28+ physical, the rest digital (which is a lot as well).
To the people who keep talking about servers going down: buy a big enough SD card and copy those games to your PC. You might have to do this every time you get a new Switch. Physical isn’t too good if you want to be clutter-free as well.
I like physical due to, well, being physical! However, that feeling of holding something only lasts a moment. A lot of people act like they will be holding the game case/cartridge for hours (and when I see my games on my shelf I want to touch them all!).
My kids will be able to play my digital games in the future because I don’t delete games. I don’t sell my physical ones either (which also makes physical a moot point for me).
Physical for me. And that applies to Blu-rays and CDs too!
I prefer digital releases, although you do have to be savvy about price management. I have access to all the regional eshops - so I tend to buy from whichever has the cheapest. Nintendo's gold points also help in this regard.
I just think digital makes more sense. I have currently around 50 plus games on my 400GB card instead of 50 plus cartridges to have to take around with me. Each to their own, but I like the convenience factor. Digital is also often cheaper if you shop around and know where to find the best prices.
I’m all digital on other platforms and love it, but the price stops me doing the same for Nintendo. For the vast majority of games I’ve very bought, I wait for the price to drop. I’d do it with discs, waiting for stuff to go under £20, even under £15. On steam, PSN and Xbox the digital games reach those prices, like the disc versions but not on Nintendo’s store. Before people say Nintendo games hold their value, you can definitely get their physical games cheap if you’re savvy about it. Use sites like HUKD and you’ll be alerted when the stuff is going for cheap. I never paid more than £20 for any Wii U or 3DS game, and the most I’ve paid on Switch is £25. You’re talking double those prices or more on Nintendo’s digital store.
Physical all the way.
I love the box art too much, the feeling of ownership with the case on my shelf, and I love feeling that I've actually purchased something from a shop when I leave.
I will never convert to digital until the games are at least 50% of the price of physical, and until there is some weird way that gives you the ability to trade them back in.
Even then though, digital also throws away any chance of a particular game becoming a collectors item, so meh, I still don't know lol.
@manu0 Me too. I think the Amazon Japan game prices are really good value.
@alasdair91 yeah same deal for me. Like I bought octopath traveler for £38 on launch day, then sold it to CEX for £40 six weeks later and swapped it for dragon quest 11. Why wouldn't I do that. Digital it would've cost me £100 to play both of them
Because I’m not a collector I buy physical for any big games so I can trade them in for new games. I really like having digital because I don’t have to swap carts and the games are available all the time but I just can’t justify spending £50 on a game unless I’m going to be able to trade it in when I want a new one.
Just got my physical copy of Katamari Damancy out of the mail box.
I prefer physical in most cases. A physical game has more permanence and sense of ownership than a digital purchase. But there are cases where I will buy digital. Not just games that are digital only, a significant discount will lure me to digital. Or if a game I want from a different region costs too much to import... something that is less and less of a problem these days, with giants like Amazon offering more import options. I live in Japan, but about a quarter of my 30ish physical games are American versions because I wanted English support and the Japanese releases didn't have it.
@SterlingEyes Just curious, how often if ever do you regret doing that? I understand the reasoning, when I was younger and more strapped for cash there were a lot of games and consoles I traded in, that I ended up missing years later.
And do you find you get enough for your traded in games? I don't find 10 dollars for a game I paid 60 dollars for to be worth it. If I know the store is gonna sell it for 45 used, I feel I ought to get at least 30. I mean, all the store has to do is log it, and put the box on the shelf....
Physical for me. You always have the re-sell option.
I'm physical mainly because I don't trust Nintendo to keep their servers up forever. On PSN and Xbox, anything bought digitally on PS3/4/Vita and Xboxes are still available to re-download, but Nintendo is shutting down the Wii eShop; meaning anything purchased digitally on there is gone for good if the Wii/SD Card breaks. It is mostly a trust issue for me, unfortunately.
On another thread I said that I suspect that the physical tendency on Switch is higher than on Xbox and PS and it seems that I am right because there it is around 50% depending on the game and here it is around 66% according to this survey. I think that the main reason is that digital doesn't work as well on Nintendo as on other platforms (availability, cross-play, pricing, sharing, digital rights, etc.).
I also mentioned that the software tie ratio on Switch is quite low, lower than PS4, Wii U and Xbox One. Even on a Nintendo community most people have between 1 and 5 physical games and between 1 and 5 digital games. These numbers will go up because Switch is less than two years old though.
For me it is physical or no buy.
With a downloaded game there is no going back. Most people never finish a game and if despite reading reviews, a few hours into the game you discover its not for you, then you have set fire to fifty quid, or whatever amount.
I
They should really sell the physical game but with the option to download the game as well.... works with blu rays
@NewAdvent If you buy from the Nintendo eShop through the Nintendo Switch, there are no refunds.
@NewAdvent But isn't that why Nintendo has been sued? Because for them refunds don't exist?
I only ever go for digital if it's a small indie game, usually on sale, that doesn't take up too much space (etc. Axiom Verge, Bloodstained: Circle of the Moon and Hollow Knight).
It's a little different for the Switch, but for the 3DS I try to get physical whenever I can because of the 300 icon cap.
On that topic, does anyone know if the Switch has a similar software cap?
I buy physical whenever possible just so I'm not left with a useless piece of hardware if Nintendo ever pulls the servers offline. Plus I like to sell games I no longer play.
@Heavyarms55 in the past I regretted it on odd occasions but now I generally think that if I want something back I can always re-buy it. I find that Nintendo games usually get a pretty good trade in price at Game in the UK. I’ll normally get £25ish back on a game I’ve paid £50 for. I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to declutter my house/life so now I generally only have 3 or 4 physical games at a time.
Games I haven’t traded in because I love them/know I’ll want to play again in the future: Mario Kart, BOTW, Odyssey, Smash.
I now don’t have any games I’d trade in so the next game I buy will be a new addition. Basically I keep my absolute favourites and recycle everything else.
@NewAdvent link to the actual Nintendo site saying that.
Physical for the sole reason I can re-sell if I want to. Also often cheaper.
I mean I bought LA Noire this week retail for £15 brand new and it was £23 on eshop and that's with a 50% discount!
#TeamPhysical
I always buy physical for Nintendo 1st party releases because I love collecting the boxes, and I usually go physical for 3rd party AAA titles, but that's based more on storage space. I also buy alot of digital indie games though too. Right now I'm at 35 physical, and 70ish digital. Getting time to upgrade my 200gig SD card
I don’t own a House. So Digital is a good Option for me. Physical version is good at the low price for secondhand and can re-sale.
Sorry to say, that I'm all for retail. Just like on PS4 and XBONE, if the games come out as a retail format, I'll get it on that...if it's digital only (which there are some great games that are digital only for PS4, Switch and XBONE), I'll only get them on that, but I'm one that would rather have a console with a stack of games near it, with the artwork in tact...rather than a console with no retail games, that makes it look like you bought something and still haven't touched it yet...plus, if you bought an expensive game as a digital only, and the game turns out to be terrible, you're stuck with the fact that you just wasted money, whereas, if you bought it retail, you can easily get rid of it and at least get some money back for it. The only thing I hate about the Switch retail-side, is the side of the boxes are horrible looking...just a red side and small typed letters...no colors or anything else added to it...imagine owning a ton of physical retail switch games, having them all side by side each other, and trying to find one!!!!
@Kilroy While the point is good about the switch getting lost as well in a fire, you can easily replace it, some games are harder to find (had a hard time finding arms for my 4 years old as an example). Renter insurance will give you money but if you can’t find the game (I guess you can go digital at that point bringing the thing full circle haha).... as for theft, the insurance will pay under specific circumstances... and depending on what was stolen and the deductibles you might not make a claim.... as for the sd card, it’s basically the same rule, might be covered by insurances... as for kids damaging the thing, from my experience is while they’re too young to play that there’s the biggest chance for damage... I remember not being able to insert disc in my ps3, then I opened it and realized that my then 2 years old had managed to insert two disc in it (both damaged) as well as a few buttons from his PJs and a gift card... fortunately the ps3 was salvaged...
At the end of the day, I’m mostly physical myself, but can’t deny that I sometime see huge benefit (and convenience) in being digital...
Hands up if you voted "tasty label" for the hell of it.
@Crono1973
I'm a different kind of dad I guess. I'm trying to teach them the value on things, if you broke it, you'll have to live with the consequences. Pretty successful so far (if it intrigue you)
You don't even get a short booklet these days with carts unless it's some collectors edition. I wish more games had manuals.
Price is a factor. Some games are more expensive physical but many end up a lower price. Mutant Football league physically was $20 for the cart for me vs $30 digital and had some extra teams with the cart. However, some digital are cheaper and you get more points for digital.
Convienence is another. I like being able to scroll through my games list and choose a game without having to get up and switch carts.
Storage is important too. If it's a big game might be worth saving some space on my sd and getting the cart. However, games under a gig can seem like a waste of a cart.
My switch collection is pretty split. I look at the option on a game by game basis.
I now prefer digital only for all of my consoles.
I'm not a collector. I don't care about sharing/selling. I'm not worried about keeping these games for histories sake.
I like the convenience of digital. It's easier.
There is one intrinsic unassailable fact about physical media. The purchaser owns it until such time they resell it or the physical media fails. Digital media is highly dependent on the storage of your system and whether faults are introduced by the storage itself or the user, the support of the retailer or publisher to provide backup copies in the event of a non bootable situation by the digital version.
In addition the physical copy can be transferred for use onto other compatible systems without foreseeable complications commonly presented by digital such as license restrictions and save file intractability.
To be totally honest I do own some digital media but I have no expectations it will around as long as my mostly physical games. I am not a fan of Steam or any streaming service. I refuse to rent video games for the price of an actual physical item. Streaming is just a money grab by the ph***ic worshiping corporations that now control the majority of the industry.
Only reason people want digital is due to lazyness going to a store to buy the game, or carrying the small cards
Physical will always be better, It's your game, you can share it/sell it, and not worry about the online stuff like if you delete the game by mistake and have to redownload it you only need the server to go down, and it will make your digital games unplayable since it needs to make sure your the owner I seen it happen with the PS3 before.
@Kalmaro you play with whatever version it came shipped with.
@Vash_Visionz Can you though, without an update?
I tend to prefer physical if at all possible, but I do have digital copies of a handful of retail games that I know I'll be happy to have on my system at all times for quick gaming sessions like Smash and MK8 Deluxe.
That said, I have nothing against digital downloads, especially when it comes to smaller indie developers who produce fantastic games but may not have the means to put out a physical game. Just because I prefer physical doesn't mean I am willing to skip a great game because they don't have the resources to do a game card version.
I do often wonder though, with so many physical games getting Day One patches and mandatory updates/downloads, if servers eventually go down - whch is the big fear with digital only games - how will that affect these card-based games? If years down the line, you have to replace your Switch and those servers are down, will the game still function in the way you remember it without being able to download the patches, or will it even function at all? A big part of retail games now are patches and additional downloads, and I would think that they would be at a similar risk as digital games in the case of servers being shut down.
First party games are physical purchases for me. I rarely get those titles in digital format. Indie games on the other hand, and most third party AAA games( depending on the file size) are digital only.
I don't have a Switch just yet, but answered the questions based on my history of buying. Though after I collect my fantasy football winnings this week, I'm finally going to bite the bullet and pick up the system.
But I'm buying physical whenever possible. Digital games can be removed or taken away at the publisher's decision, and plus you can't see you own it. I do it with PC, but that's because Steam, gog, indiegala and humble bundle allow you to buy all games for $5 or less.
The other concern about digital only is 10-20 years from now I can still play the games I own physically on other Switch hardware. Even Splatoon 2 has some components that work out of the box (though sure much of the new content would be missing). Games I own physically now are mine forever. If you just look over at Apple there are some early digital purchases I have that are no longer in my library, they are just gone forever. And that's one major concern of a digital only library is if the game is removed from the store front or worse your digital library it is gone forever. Also there is the concern that games can get patched into oblivion and the final game can be nothing like the game you originally purchased and liked. Not a concern for Splatoon 2, but it happens.
@flapjack-ashley "I do often wonder though, with so many physical games getting Day One patches and mandatory updates/downloads, if servers eventually go down - which is the big fear with digital only games - how will that affect these card-based games?"
For one thing I do think the updates stay on the System Storage could be wrong but I have my set to save all updates onto my MicroSD as they will need more then the 32gb system storage. And I've seen it shrink as well so buying a MicroSD is the smarter way to go for storage and backups. So for both Digital and Physical if you set to save the updates to the SD card you should be ok. The downside is if your Digital and Updates are on System Storage and should something go wrong then it's gone unless you had it stored on the SD card to start with. For all my games Digital some and Physical all are stored on the SD card that way any loss to the Switch I still have the updates there. That is the main reason for having the SD card - internal is good but for how long if problem appear. FYI dayone or updates all games will require it - it's the location you store those at that at the end of the day would mean a updated game play or lost days of game play re-downloading the updates. So this is why one should get a larger then large at least 200gb or 400gb SD card so you don't have to worry about download or updates being lost.
@flapjack-ashley "If years down the line, you have to replace your Switch and those servers are down, will the game still function in the way you remember it without being able to download the patches, or will it even function at all? "
If you have everything download to the SD card you should be ok as this is the where update files are located. And this is where Digital gets into trouble. If you can't redownload the Digital game your lost but with Physical the game is still there and if you properly set to save to SD card then you can power and start playing again. You might not have the saved data but your Card Game will play again. This is where Digital loses out in - so unless your setting is to save all the Digital and updates to the SD card your asking for trouble.
@SwitchForce The risk of buying a digital game that you cannot return. That's what we're talking about. I buy games I know I'll play and love. If there's an indy I'm curious about, I'll read trusted reviews and, more importantly, listen to word-of-mouth from people I also have in my network. So going full digital is working very well for me. I typically don't resale my games anyway because everything I buy is quality and I'd like to keep them. Plus, l travel a lot. Not interested in carrying around 30 carts.
@NewAdvent if true where on the Nintendo site does it says this options is available? If the receipt has it then it would be noted on the site for Digital purchases.
Here's what I see on Nintendo site part of it:
Refund Request for Downloaded Game or DLC (Wrong Game, Didn't Like Game, Accidental Purchase)
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1981
We are unable to provide refunds or exchanges for mistaken purchases.
So this would mean buyers remorse is not a valid.
I feel quite strongly about this! With a digital copy you're only renting access to the game, you never actually own anything. At least with a physical copy you have something of value. I've bought a few physical copies (often used) of games, played them until I'm done, then sold them on.. That way you can play lots of different games without spending a lot of money. Physical if possible all the way
@EriXz I thought you said you just buy digital so they can't break or lose it.
Physical over digital all the time! Less storage, you get a cool box, and catridges are not even big to occupy a lot of space.
@Edu23XWiiU "catridges are not even big to occupy a lot of space."
That's the biggest downside to Digital you need the space to download and then the space to download the updates. So your storage takes a double whammy to store it. And if your microSD is too small well that's another whammy if the SD card isn't on sale or discounted. And games do come Standard so you don't have to get the CE/SE to play the physical game-that way it cost less.
Getting in late. But for me, it’s physical for games I know I’m only gonna play once. Digital for games that have high replayability i.e Smash, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart (though I do have that one in physical form). If the game is really cheap digitally, I’ll bite the bullet even if I only play through it once
I refuse to pay more than 10-15 for a digital game. I think it’s mad that people shell out 70 on a game they do not physically own. I buy stuff like Neo geo on digital as 6 quid seems an acceptable price point for games such as these. If games that cost much ore than that don’t come out on a cart then I wait for a sale or I just don’t bother.
The majority of my purchases on Switch have been indie titles from eshop, usually once they go on sale, so I'm mostly digital. I've also gone digital for multiplayer games - Smash Bros Ultimate, Mario Kart 8, Street Fighter Collection, Super Mario Party - even though they're available physically for less, as that way I always have them available on my machine. I do worry slightly about what happens when the eshop is eventually closed and my Switch stops working,, but for now I'm fine woth this set up. Splatoon 2 I got in an eshop sale for £33, as I knew the physical version would probably never go that cheap. Physically, I have Super Mario Odyssey, Skyrim, LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2, Mario + Rabbids and the LABO Vehicle pack.
@NewAdvent The USA side doesn't give such options so could you give that UK link then?
@Shinnos "I do worry slightly about what happens when the eshop is eventually closed and my Switch stops working"
And that's the crutch of the problem - that it won't close or be gone but the title may be removed and updates removed that is what would be the problem. And that's what the Digital buyers can't control. With physical you still have it regardless of what happens to eShop.
In the question about what factors make me buy physical over digital, there should be an answer about future proofing because eventually Nintendo will switch off Switch servers and you won’t be able to download any games. Unless you have them ALL on a memory card you might lose their games you paid for.
https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Support/Nintendo-Switch/Refund-Request-for-Downloaded-Game-or-DLC-Wrong-Game-Didn-t-Like-Game-Accidental-Purchase--1379023.html
Having all your games inside the console is such a joy !
> DIGITAL
@NewAdvent funny one can make lots of comments but when asked for simple link it becomes a chore.
@electrolite77 it still list the same no refunds for buyers remorse.
@NewAdvent I am in the UK as well. Its does state on the website.... No refund.
I seem to remember reading somewhere in the T&C's a while ago, that we wave any right to a refund. This was just before clicking the purchase button, if I am remembering correctly. 🤔
@SwitchForce
Yeah that’s the way I read it
I HATE getting less coins for buying physical games, but they're usually cheaper than digital copies.
@SuperWeird I often download updates for games I know I'll buy in the future so I have them already.
Since the dawn of this console generation i've completely made the jump do digital.
I'm a pragmatic guy and digital is way more practical.
Good Qs, think you could have added the question, "Which of the following factors makes you choose digital over physical when buying Nintendo Switch games?"
My answer is:
#takes upp less space (in the house)
#I won't lose the game cartridge when moving or when missus cleans up
#my kids won't try to eat it
My Zelda BotW cartridge gets reading errors every other time I plug in the cartridge even though I treat my games with care. Might have had my 2-year-old mess with it somehow though.... highly annoying.
The only downside for me is the ridiculous price sometimes, which makes me buy a few select games on cartridge when much cheaper.
Physical first choice always!!
Main factor for buying physical is special edition goodies and/or reversible cover art.
@Crono1973
I said I switch completely to digital, I bought like the first 4 or 5 games and then went full on digital
Both. Generally physical if it takes up a lot of storage. Otherwise digital.
I only buy physical. At first I bought some digital only titles as downloads, but never again. After a couple of the ones I bought got physical releases I seriously regretted buying digital. I’ve been holding off on games like Celeste and The Messenger for this reason. Looking forward to the physical releases (and it’s not like I don’t have anything to play). If there is no cartridge, forget it.
@NintendoNomad This is FAR more common than people realize. Once you or someone you know has their game collection lifted (I have heard more than one take on this, and BOTH take advantage of the fact that an Empty Box on Display looks EXACTLY the same as that box with a game in it)...you figure it out ONLY the "console maker" can steal your digital games from you
And these poll results? Kind of disingenuous. The Primary reason people buy physical games AAA, is to flip them when they are done.
If the "Gamestops" of the world were enjoined from reselling, they would close in weeks, and the physical sales market would have a lot of shops sitting on unsold inventory.
Offering the Box Art, Extras...a box even...all of these things can be provided...and have been. It's about "I hate this game/I finished this game, I am getting money back."
Add a new poll question:
"If you could easily refund a digital game in 24 - 48 hours..."
For me the main factor is cost. If a game is good and costs less than $20, I'll buy it digital if it interests me. I rarely buy physical but I rent a ton of games and when I know I want to keep it, I'll buy it then, but I'm not a collector. If I really want to play a game that's digital only and over $20, I basically put it on the wishlist and wait for a sale.
the only physical games i have are the ones that cant be downloaded. i hate clutter. downloads 4 lyfe
The problem with digital on a Nintendo console is that it's all tied to the console itself whereas on a PlayStation or Xbox it's tied to your user profile/log in.
It's not an insignificant consideration.
I'm a collector. I like seeing the hard work I put into working my ass off to see the copy on my shelf. It's an easy brag when I get company. Omg, you have so many games!!!!!!!!
@electrolite77 "Yeah that’s the way I read it"
But people keep trying to make it say otherwise. I can guess those saying that is the ones that have buyers remorse for Digital purchases.
@MrKai Would definitely be open to a 48hr grace period for digital purchases. But what incentive do they have to offer that?
@hihelloitsme
That was true of Wii U and 3DS but not Switch
I’ve always preferred physical. We don’t have a huge collection but for a casual its above average. I like adding to the collection with every game I play. Other advantages of physical such as no storage issues, resellability make me prefer that option, and only buy digital when there is a huge advantage in price or it is a digital exclusive game.
Nintendo's first party games (like Mario Odyssey and Smash) I always buy the physical version. As for downloads: I have only Sonic Mania and Snipperclips as physical versions, the rest is downloads. Sure I could have hunted down physical versions of some of my download-games, but it might have been tricky and more expensive. Besides, I don't have the space for all those boxes.
@electrolite77 oh nice, can you now simply log into any Switch and download/access your game and saves? That's sweet if so.
I'm more than happy to buy indie games that are £10-£20 digitally. When it comes to full price games however, although the convenience of having them digitally is attractive, I always buy physical. 1. They're cheaper. 2. I can sell them if I don't like them. 3. If they're big Nintendo Exclusives like Zelda, Mario or Smash, I just like having the physical game as part of my collection.
Overall I’ve been getting digital more often lately, but it does still depend. Since Micro SD cards can be a bit pricey for larger sizes I don’t have the room for every digital game (I had a 2TB hard drive for Wii U so a very big difference in storage now).
And if I want a special edition for a game then I’ll definitely go for that.
But for games that I play often I’ll get digitally and double Gold Points are often a factor for me to pre-load some games too.
@Nintendofan83 : Unless you have downloaded the digital version of FIFA 19, there is no way you would need that much space.
I have the physical version and the update data was only a couple of hundred MBs (if that).
I used to like Physical, but then my whole city burned down.
Digital is the way to go baby.
Physical is a little better, because you can show it to others, and it's collectable. Digital has some ups comparing to it, such as always being downloaded.
My most important reason for physical is not on the list: preservation. I don't want my game collection's survival to depend on servers that could go down any day or the one console that has them installed.
Games I know I will play a lot like diablo, ark, fifa I will get them on download so I can play them where ever I am without worrying about cartridge.
@NybroCymerej Your comment went down like a lead balloon
A physical copy speaks to the urge for permanence, archiving, and honoring the craft of game design.
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