Discussion Thread: Distribution of Games - Physical vs Digital

[RedNether]

Let's talk about the pros and cons of the physical and digital distribution methods of games, and which do you prefer.

I've actually become a bit ambivalent on the subject, due to my new PC. on which I can buy only digital as I have no external disk drive, on PS4 I buy physical.

 

[LordOfDarkness]

A lot of games I have digital because I just install them from Xbox Game Pass. I don’t see a problem with digital. I actually prefer it now whereas I was more accustomed to physical copies. I’ve had minor problems with some of my digital games, but nothing uninstalling and reinstalling hasn’t fixed.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Mine is all down to cost & ease of access. I don’t have many physical games on PC (Starcraft 2 series was last). With Steam, Origin, GoG etc on PC with sales all the time it’s so much easier to buy games on there & get immediate access. However console digital prices are ridiculous so I don’t buy many on console at moment, though even with physical discs most the games are actually downloaded and not on the disc as a whole these days. I also dont have a lot of places to store discs anymore as all shelves have been cleared to rehome other things so they tend to be relegated to a drawer.

I want to build my stepson a gaming PC when I finally have the cash as he tends to borrow my physical games on console and then I never get chance to play them as hes always on them. At least if he has a gaming PC I can buy 2 copies in Steam sales for fraction of console price and we can both play.

 

[Carlos]

I love my physical games. I never buy digital games worth $50 or more unless I need to. I usually buy cheap games from digital stores, and if a sale is going on and it's on a game that I like, I'll grab it. Digital distribution is a good thing, and it's a bad thing. The good news is that it has a convenient way to buy and play your game. You purchase a game, download it, and its on your system. But if that game can only be playable online, then you're screwed, because if PSN goes down, that game goes down, too. Whereas, if your game's server goes down, you can play something else online. That's the bad news. There's another disadvantage to digital copies: You can't get your money back. You can't trade it with someone else online. You can't sell it. None of that.

I never sell my physical games, but when I have a change of heart, I'd want to do it. I did it with The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind. It was a very slow moving game. I like RPG's, and for it to be open world - I would put my hours in and play to my heart's content, but Morrowind wasn't it. Dragon's Dogma, and Skyrim both, too. I couldn't really get into Dark Souls 3, even though I spent some time with it. It really tests your patience.

I never want my favorite game console to go full digital. If that does happen, I'll be very frustrated often. For example, wen PSN went down, I never let it get to me, I would play my single player game(s). Just that simple.

 

[Angel]

We emulate our games so it kind of pulls us towards both options, depending on what can or cannot be emulated.

Personally I like a physical copy; I like the look of them, the little books that come with them and seeing a shelf full of titles and platforms. Having said that, once your disc is damaged or magically "unreadable" for no discernible reason, then digital becomes far more attractive.

Then again, digital copies have not been without their problems - especially those gosh darned super-pirate-killer features some distributors have (hello there, uplay). Whilst I get their paranoia, it's a major pain when two people in the house want to play the same game but can't without buying multiple copies, making separate accounts and having to always be online.

I like the speed of downloading a game compared to the good old days of inserting disc number 3000 after four days of loading discs in and out of the tray. I like the convenience of being able to click, install and play all within just a few minutes. I even appreciate what Steam does with their returns policy so you can still get your money back if the game sucks. But there is still something special about having a brand new cellophane wrapped box to open, looking at the freebies you usually get chucked in like a map or some decals - maybe a code for DLC. If I'm gifting a game, I still think it's nice to have a physical copy to wrap up and hand over, rather than a more impersonal digital version. Digital can obviously be cheaper, which is a plus, but that's not to say a physical copy is always the most expensive option.

 

[Captain Xin]

Back in the days PC games used to have bigger boxes, those were the magic good old days, back when opening one of these was like opening a treasure full of wonders. And manuals weren't a piece of paper telling you to register for UPlay, Origin, things like that.

Having said that, the speed and convenience of digital copies really is pretty rad. No longer do I have to prove the game I just bought is legit or not is also a great benefit.__Some games even require an app(Which no longer support windows7, 8-10) to examine your disk(Which you probably scratched more than a few scratches) just to confirm that you didn't use a pirated copy of that game! It's tedious, It's boring, and it's not fun.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

I've become more open to digital copies in the last couple of years. That being said I still prefer physical copies, I like having something I can hold in my hand, I like something I can line up and display

 

[berto]

It is a hard thing to debate. Digital is convenient but physical is reliant. Digital is accessible but you can hold physical.

Both have strengths and drawbacks and it's not like either is bad. I actually don't know how to approach the subject but I might as well get my say so and the best way is usually to just start so I'll start with the bad.

I was thinking about the PS4's lack of backwards compatibility. Same with the Switch. The problem always seems to be that they are trying to milk every penny they can out of us in order to do things we should be able to do already, trying to get you to pay for a game you already own, be it only being able to play PSP game digitally on the Vita, having the Switch not support or honor your previous purchases on the Virtual Console since it won't actually have that, or how the only way to play PS3 on the PS4 is with a streaming subscription (Which in fairness in not a bad idea, just that it's really a premature idea right now) and arguably how they release HD or 4K versions of older games.

Playing old games is getting to be a complicated thing, and it only gets more complicated if it wasn't a popular game. If a game isn't popular it doesn't get ported, it doesn't get a version on the next gen system and accessibility becomes harder. Arguably, though, that is the most damning thing about physical games. How your ability to play them are reliant on a technology that won't be readily available for long and all the consequences that brings. For example, what if I want to play Valkyrie Profile? A) It's a very rare and expensive game. A copy can run you well over $100US. And B) The PSP version is for a system that is kinda falling apart. Missing analog sticks, dying batteries, and power cord connections that don't really connect unless you wiggle them. It's a bit of a leap but my point stands. Physical relies on too many things that age too fast to last. If I want to play something on the gamecube and I don't have one? These systems are old, and while they are reliable they still break down and require special attention to be repaired.

On the other hand you don't really own digital. Sony or Nintendo get mad at you and they can cut you off from the things you bought. I'm pretty sure I've read that Microsoft has done that and the other probably have, too. The list of terms and services is way longer on a digital purchase than a physical one and that's BS of the highest order. They are also reliant on a secondary service, your internet connection, which is something that is in constant flux. The governments want to lay claim on it so they can determine what you can or can't obtain from it, servers require constant maintenance, and we are still not a fully connected world where anyone who wants internet can have it.

 

[Meg]

I prefer having a physical copy, but as I only have one shelf to fit games and it's pretty full, combine with lots of great PSN sales, not to mention I recently got a nice external hard drive, I think going digital is in my future. :laugh:

 

[Pale Rider]

Physical copy all the way. I have 128GB SSD + 3TB HD on my computer, good connection, and I still prefer physical copies. There's something about looking at those hard copies, shuffling through em and saying "nothing to play" to yourself lol. I really like looking at my collection.