Pros & Cons: Digital Downloads

[Demi-fiend]

Let's settle this Kain, once and for all.

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http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2...cons-of-digital-downloads-vs-physical-copies/

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Invariably, when a video game console announces that it will be digital-only, all hell breaks loose on the internet. The vast majority of vocal gamers seem to loathe the idea of digital downloads. People generally allow exceptions when it comes to smart phones or tablets, but in regards to nearly every other venue, people come out on the side of physical copies.


Understanding why they have this reaction isn’t hard. I am firmly a member of the pro-physical camp. In fact, I own hundreds of copies of old cartridge games despite their rampantly free availability as ROMs online.


Despite my inexorable personal stance on digital games, I still happen to purchase digital copies surprisingly frequently. In fact, in the past year I have likely purchased many more digital games than physical ones.

Why have I done this in flagrant disregard of my on-paper principles? Why even have a stance against digital downloads of games at all? The sheer ambivalence of this discussion warrants laying some home truths out in the open. Doing so takes an explicit comparison between both the good and bad qualities of each medium…

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Edit:

You all know my position on this matter: I would say that "it all has to burn," but to be honest, I really don't have to.

You see, every single piece of digital content out there eventually becomes "expired" once the servers go down after every console generation (like the most recent ones that will go down in 2017 at the very latest) -- you'd have to mod your platform in order to get your hands on it.

Not to mention the inevitable game crash that will certainly end up happening (people will get tired of these shoddy services sooner or later) in due course -- any form of digital content from that point forward would have to be obtained illegally.

So in the end, nothing needs to be done. Down with the clown. :thumbsdown:

 

[berto]

I really only have one reason to prefer physical over digital and that is that you don't really own a digital copy. That's not to say that there are no advantages to digital distribution, I own at least 20 digital games, games that I bought either because they were much cheaper than the physical copy, I paid $10 for Tales of Xillia when it was still $40 at the store. You can also get rare games that way, for example, I paid $50 for my copy of SMT3 when the game was old, it got rare and expensive, but now I can buy a digital copy for $9.99 and that's, oddly enough, exactly what I would pay since they don't charge taxes on the PSN. So it's not like it's without the benefits but it just doesn't beat a physical copy.

Top it off with if either Sony or Microsoft ever got mad at me for any reason they could very easily cut me off from my purchases. If they decided that there was any violation of ToS or if they added a new restriction that said you may only own your purchase for set limited amount of time I'd be screwed out of my games, just like that.

Those Digital games I own, the like 20 or so, I paid a maximum of $14.99 for one or two of them and a minimum of .99¢ for most of my purchases, like Fatal Frame 2? Paid $1.50 for my digital copy and $22.99 for my physical one, so it's great, I don't have to go get my copy, I can just load it on the PS3 and go and I only paid a fraction of the price for a full bang disc. The thing is, most of those games are on my PS3 and only the PS3. I've got a PS4 with plenty of space and I could definitely use less black boxes on my desk and more space on my PS3. And there is the other thing, the lack of compatibility.

Digital is supposed to have more options, more possibilities, yet I can't play my PS2 purchases on my Vita or PS4 nor can I play my PSP games on my PS3 or PS4. I can play some of my PS3 games on the Vita and some of my PS1 purchases on my PSP, Vita or PS3 but the possibilities are limited compared to what it could be. It's true that physical is even more so since I still can't get rid of my PSP with that pack of UMDs I can only use on it but digital was supposed to not have those limitations but it does. Why can't I play those digital only purchases across my platforms if they have the power for it? Still, I can live with it.

Like I said, the only real reason I always buy cheap when it comes to my digital purchases is the matter of ownership and how little power over my 'property' I have if the distributor decided that I was no longer eligible to own them. The compatibility restriction also bugs me but I can deal with it.

 

[The Final Offer]

My thoughts on Digital downloads.​

Digital downloading is the evolution of gaming which is the adaptation to the Internet.

If you don't have an internet connection then you're cut off from alot of news and items.

Digital downloads are exactly what I wanted and tomorrow YES TOMORROW, PSN will be getting it's Masamune update and in this update you can place each and everything you've downloaded into a library which takes up NO SPACE and gives you the option of booting up the content whenever you choose.

Playability.

It's the same toss up as a disc. It can freeze and it can stutter nothing new. The good news is you don't have to leave your couch to switch discs.

Extras.

Physical discs can give you artwork and action figures and all that jazz right? Digital downloads can give you the artwork, the manuals, soundtracks, but not the action figures.

Things you need to know about Digital Downloads with Sony.

Digital downloads are portalable between two consoles on the PS3 and maybe more on the PS4 (accessed my Destiny character through profile on another ps4). That means I can download my content onto my girlfriend's Ps3 and she can have it forever or I can disconnect and attach it to my brother's ps3 and he can have my content. These downloads can be shared is what I'm saying.

Now with the Masamune update, I can play games I've already downloaded or bought physically with my friends that don't have the game. It's called Shareplay.

The Playstation TV has just released a week or so ago and on this device I can access all of my digital content through streaming. That means just about all Sony consoles and handhelds are on that list.

Do the Pros outweigh the Cons?:

So digital copies are now more user valuable than physical. You can't break, lose, or steal these downloads and Sony has them on file for you to return to whenever you see fit. Only down side is the inability to sell/exchange them.

It's true, that with PS Plus you need to be subscribed to play the games you've downloaded that are exclusive to PS Plus. Whenever you aren't on PS Plus, you are still able to play the digital downloads that weren't exclusive to PS Plus.

You pay 20-30$ for the ability to get free games, discounts (example RE 4 is 15.00 orig/4.99 PS Plus), content, demos, and early access to betas. One subscription spans across all Sony products. If you have it on PS4 then you have it on PS3 and Vita and vice versa. These free digital downloads come every month, spanning across each Sony platform. That's three platforms and that means 3 free games a month at the lowest. Now here's a question for you.

Which retailer has ever offered you this? That's right, can only be done through digital.

Digital Games have Pre order capabilities now, which means that bulls*** that Gamestop is pushing is going to get cut.

How are digital downloads good for the gaming industry?

The better news for the gaming industry is that it's now able to cut out the middle man. That means, if they go full blown digital, they'll save on shipping and the distribution of physical copies. Only reason they keep doing physical copies is because of those that don't have a decent internet connection. But those numbers are dwindling.

Ninja Theory will be releasing Hellblade digitally. Infamous Last Light released digital as well. This means, they'll be receiving their pay up front all the while inspiring others to take the same route.

The Verdict:

It's simple, you and the creators of the content you're buying get more benefits going digital.​

 

[The Final Offer]

@The Final Offer
Very nice & it makes digital downloads sounds very attractive.
Oh &
Digital downloads are very convent for
Those that don't have easy access to local stores
Their system isn't recognising physical disc anymore
AND it's even easier for underage children to access any & all games Rated-M without a storekeeper warning them of the 18 & up content within the game or a parent even knowing about it.
Games like
GTAV
SaintsRowIV
METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES
THE PHANTOM PAIN
LollipopChainSaw
Killer Is Dead
God Of War
The Witcher 3
Bayonetta
And MORE!
OH EFFING YEAH!!!!

All ready to be downloaded by any 10yr with access any parent's money.
Even better they can spend spend spend like crazy!
With little chance of you the parent knowing about it or getting a refund.

WHO THE SMURF BOUGHT THE 2ND SEASON OF BREAKING BAD & ALL OF TWILIGHT!?

And parental control lock?
What parental control lock?

Ah the 10 yr old buying things without your knowledge. Not possible anymore. Just attach your account to your email and BAM lil Timmy about to get his butt whooped.

 

[xMobilemux]

I've gone mostly digital on my PC lately, however I still buy physical copies, I only mostly buy digital on Steam because everything is so cheap that I don't mind the digital copy, I mean I just bought my Wii U and Bayo 2 physical(f**king awesome btw), but I looked on the eshop and saw that all the other games I want(W101, Hyrule Warriors, etc) are dirt cheap for digital and 3 times the price for physical.

 

[ROCKMAN X]

Pros of Digital downloads :-
-- Easily available whereas it it much harder to find physical copies of games.
Cons of Digital downloads:-
-- Takes up your HDD space and its harder to make a physical backup
-- Needs higher than average internet speed.

 

[AlastorSword]

I usually prefer physical copies over going digital but lately I've found merit in both.

 

[Demi-fiend]

Here's another thread PHYSICAL DISC OR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ? on this with more results & points of view.

No offense... but you can't bump threads that are that old. Anyway, glad to read it, regardless.

 

[The Final Offer]

No offense... but you can't bump threads that are that old. Anyway, glad to read it, regardless.

I think it was just a whole "Why these people aren't responding" type of thing. They've already said their peace about it. So no one needs to feel offended.

Except me....just played Destiny and wtf happened to PvP? I guess the exotics are there to ruin the experience with their silly perks and unbalancing the game to all hell. For those of you that don't have Destiny and are planning on getting it. Save your Strange coins for the game breaking PvP exotics.

With that being said, I have no other choice, but to go full blown COD. I can't take the lack of balance in Destiny anymore. It's time to move on.

Oh right! Something on topic. Well...umm....VIDEO GAMES SON!

 

[Innsmouth]

Pros: - Sometimes cheaper
- available instantly as you buy it (depends on your connection speed though)
- You don't need physical discs to use them, since it all on your HDD.
Cons: - License restrictions (Capcom pulled off Marvel vs. Capcom because of license)
- Regional restriction (thank you for not being able to purchase House of the Dead 2&3 due to Germany's laws)
- demands faster internet
- sometimes demand always-on internet (last time i checked Wolf among us didn't allowed me to play offline)
- Can be not available due to different issues, while you always have physical copeis
- less price drops and doesn't have "used" market

 

[ROCKMAN X]

Pros: - Sometimes cheaper
- You don't need physical discs to use them, since it all on your HDD.

Well you still need physical HDD space its not like you can just directly play games from a cloud server (which i think would be AWESOME!) and besides DVD's,cartridges are just great for collecting.

 

[Innsmouth]

Well you still need physical HDD space its not like you can just directly play games from a cloud server (which i think would be AWESOME!) and besides DVD's,cartridges are just great for collecting.

Generally i agree, but than again it spares you effort to look for game you want to play if you have to many of them Just start console and do your thing

 

[Innsmouth]

Yeah i definitely see your point on that & it's seems favorable but it's just moving clutter from physical to the digital closet.

You end up scrolling through games in your digital library just for that 1 game you wanna play.

Then installing a full game inFamous: Second Son 24GB file size Dead Rising 3 and Forza 5 both require 35GB for digital download. While Ryse Son of Rome is a massive 47GB of space.

The download file size varies from game to game & the size is in gigabytes, not megabytes.
The PS4, not sure about the X1 but physical or digital is alot of space to install.
However i'd rather have the disc because like you said digital games can get pulled anytime.
But still that's lots of HDD space

you're right. Though in my situation where i have games all over table, under table, in the table and scattered all around my room I sometimes enjoy easier solutions.

 

[Innsmouth]

No it seems like you cleaning up would be the better solution lol.
I mean if you're having trouble finding a game because your library is disorganised throughout your room then wouldn't the solution be to clean it up ?
lol.

I literally dont have any place for them anymore. All my shelves are 100% full

 

[Innsmouth]

Yeah i get that, i collect comics & figures.
If you have a ton of games from new, recent & very old, then maybe you could sell the older ones........The non-rare collectible ones lol.
Another benefit to physical disc, they increase in value lol.

Or get empty copy paper boxes to help organize your library.
I did & it really helps.

Something interesting
Majority of core gamers in the US prefer discs over digital


And something else really interesting & surprising.

Digital game downloads are worse for the environment than Blu-ray discs

Interesting. As for my problem....boxes than

 

[ROCKMAN X]

And something else really interesting & surprising.
Digital game downloads are worse for the environment than Blu-ray discs

Holy ****! who would've thought that digital downloading would be harmful to the environment more than DVD's.

Even if the article's research is inaccurate it does shed much needed light on the environmental effects digital downloading has.

Generally i agree, but than again it spares you effort to look for game you want to play if you have to many of them Just start console and do your thing

Well its still cluttering your HDD and that's never a good thing you'd eventually you'll have games taking up 8GB+ space and you'd rarely even play them and not to mention some of the games even have appdata.

 

[The Final Offer]

All the pros outweigh the cons to digital gaming.

Can't say the same for physical copies.

It's sad though, that alot of people that are exclusive to physical copies have no idea how many great digital only games are out there.

Also, did you know that digital games make it easier for the games to be cheaper? You know what's been racking up the price of games? Physical copies!

There are people saying that they want to pay more just to hold a disc in their hands or on their shelves?

Then complain about DLC prices.

 

[The Final Offer]

However FromSoft denies you access from playing online till you re-download that update again.

So even though you bought & paid in full for DarkSouls2, & if you refuse to accept that digital update that effects your gameplay FromSoft can deny you online play access.

The physical disc alone doesn't stop you from playing.

I only work with Sony and their way is the best way.

 

[The Final Offer]

If i had as much control over digital content that i buy as i do with physical disc i'd be right there with you @The Final Offer

10yrs from now i having a working PS2 & PS2 games.
I can connect & still play it.

10yr from now how much of my digital PS3 content will i be able to access.

I'm sorry but, I'm thinking you're not aware of how downloading on PSN works. You see, if you buy the game, it's stored no matter what. You can redownload it at anytime whether the servers go down or not. It's yours.

Now since we're talking about being weary about games disappearing.

How about the inability to find a disc of Marvel Vs Capcom 2? How about the lot of games missing in disc form? People collecting games because they're not promised to remain available in disc form. You have to go to special places to get Ps1 and Ps2 games because retailers don't sell them anymore. But digitally, they are being resurrected and there's no wear and tear on digital games so it's smooth gaming from there on.

 

[The Final Offer]

@The Final Offer
Okay so March 2015 lets see how much access PSHome users will to their content.
And besides PSN isn't the only network provider in the world, & how each network runs is different.
Each has a set of terms & services agreement.

2. Yeah that's another area where the convenience comes in but that still doesn't make digital downloads only desirable enough to the masses.
If it did then physical disc would be disappearing much faster
Studies wouldn't be showing New study from the NPD Group finds that 74 percent of players would choose physical version over digital if pricing was the same.

As sweet as the benefits of digital downloads only sound it's still not enough to get the majority to go all digital gaming only.

What will be enough are the Indie developers that help with this movement.