The revolution is inevitable, so whether or not you embrace it is probably irrelevant.
Obviously, there will be more than enough consumers who do embrace it, even if you don't. That younger crowd that has its nose planted in any electronic device it can find? The generation who may have grandchildren who have never heard of a newspaper or a CD or DVD? They're all about digital; for most of them, it's what they know, it's the most convenient, and it represents cutting-edge technology rather than "old-fashioned stuff."
I know. I remember being that age. At 20, I probably would've eagerly jumped aboard the digital bandwagon without a second thought. The benefits are clear on all sides. Besides, who really cares about having the physical manifestation of our entertainment? Who cares about a silly box? Isn't it just so much easier to have the collection on a screen, where it doesn't take up any actual space, and I can access it all much faster? I'd be asking those very questions, scoffing at the possible importance of physical, tangible products. "Embrace the future," I'd probably say.
Right now, however, I have difficulty fully embracing digital, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to manage it. Still, as time goes on, I'm always happy to see evidence of industry progression within the digital space; after all, that's often where we find the most original, innovative stuff these days. It's simply because publishers don't want to take huge financial risks with big-budget titles, while smaller budgets and smaller expectations aren't anywhere near as risky. Hence, the bite-size creativity we're seeing everywhere right now. I definitely acknowledge and appreciate that.
As for a full embrace, though…not really. How about you?
I can't embrace digital. I almost did download Need 4 Speed, and then my wife showed up with the disc one day. I realized though at that point she saved me. I can't embrace digital because there's still too many consumers who would be affected.
The problem is that even my discs take the same space now and switching discs is another *potential* inconvenience. I just can't jump on board.
Well im sure everyone can embrace digital. Maybe if the price is right, everyone will convert. If the value of he physical copy is deducted from the digital price, maybe 30 isntead of 60 on released games. (it sounds crazy but just trying to prove a point).
I used to love collecting the instructoon booklets that come with each game. Now its all digital manuals. One less item to collect in physical media.
That would be the selling point. Games would have to be at a Cheaper price and significantly. Because for some reason this generation has started out with games being discounted quickly. I haven't spent $60 on one game I own (5) for the PS4. In fact I haven't spent over $50. If this trend continues at retailers and digital versions are still $60 there's no way I'd even consider it. I did consider NFS as I said but my wife picked it up for $50 at Walmart.
Amazon routinely has PS4 digital downloads for $50 on brand new games. Just FYI.
Ben, thats close to what I feel. It similar to having grown up since the beginning of personal computers and my parents not entirely embracing them. Mind you I love the physical copies of books on my shelf, but my father reads books off his tablet. That is a bit ironic.
As for the digital age of things, humans like trophies, but yep, things are changing. Whether we want it or not, we have to get use to it. Developers, publishers in many industries are going digital and using the cloud, be it still in infancy. We do not have a choice anymore.
My concern? We pay the exact same prices for digital as we would if they were physical. Although the whole it costs more I am sure will come up to justify it.
If prices can and are lower for digital music and movies compared to there physical counterparts, the same should follow with games I think.
I am not convinced and I am set in my ways, but I guess we all will have to adapt to change. Especially if we love this form of entertainment and cannot live without it.
Keep playing!
I find that very annoying! why do I have to pay the same 60$ if Im getting less? away from that, I acctually like digital games 🙂 Embrace the future! hehe
There's nothing like having the physical disc and saving space on your hard drive. My PC has 1TB storage and I'm still anal about what I save. I want to touch the games that I own.
Money, music, office files even movies in fine with those being digital but my games? I want them to be tangible.
I'm an older guy (47) and I've been gaming literally since pong. My uncle bought it for us one Christmas a thousand years ago. After that it was Intellivision and I've been going strong ever since.
With that in mind, have completely embraced digital. Mostly for the convenience factor. The other day I wanted to get KZ:SF. It was -47 outside with the windchill. I thought about going outside and going to buy it. I said screw that! I downloaded it – Amazon digital code for the discounted price – and very quickly I was playing the game. Excellent!
I also like being able to pause a game, go use an app, and zip right back into the game without any quitting/restarting/reloading – very nice! I'm sticking with the 500gb hard drive for now. By the time I fill it, prices on big replacement ones will have dropped significantly. Plus, I actually like not having any more clutter in my house!
I'm in.
47 with windchill? That's cold for you? It was 5 degrees last week here in NYC and with the windchill it felt negative 3 and if I had to go outside and buy a game I would have and I think I'm lazier than you despite being younger. Heck I'm typing this from my Samsung Galaxy Note ll because I don't want to get up.
I'm not sure what you mean. Maybe I wrote it funny- it was negative 47 or 47 below zero. And yeah – that's cold to me!
I'm at your age (45) and I too have fully embraced the digital reality.
It's not without some nostalgic sadness though. I do sometimes miss my wall with CDs and the vinyl collection taking up far too much space.
Not to mention the game boxes, back when the games came in boxes that were more than just a DVD cover. Big clunks with fat manuals even for the simplest of games, maps, posters, stickers…
But today? It's just a silver disc in a casing, with a standard leaflet with legal mumbo-jumbo inside. Not much of a loss if you ask me.
Wow, seems to be a lot of us old farts still hanging around. I'll hit the big 5=0 next year and I just finished knocking back about a dozen PS2 and PS1 games this weekend. I accept the digital age and will happily take advantage where I can (I love tablet reading even tho I have over 500 real books in my library) but gaming is truly a different thing. I don't quite consider digital gaming as "real". Things like Angry Birds and app games I can't see paying $30+ for because I know how much actual coding went into it (sizewise) and altho I like the back-and-forth ability between games and apps, my PS4 does that just fine with physical discs. Playing my old games this weekend and taking them out of the cases (not to mention poring over the boxes deciding what to play) was akin to a labor of love that I will never be willing to give up.
And don't get me started on the feeling of actually slotting a cartridge into my other systems. 🙂
Harerazer,
the only difference between "digital" and "physical" is the lack of physical media. It's the same games we talk about.
So "digital" is more than Angry Birds & co – a genre game that also never ever will cost $30+. 🙂
Still prefer my physical copy of games but I understand the ease and convenience of digital games. The problem is storage there but with cloud gaming that issue may be a non factor in the future.
For me , price is the biggest factor prohibiting me from going digital. A digital copy of a game just gives you noticeably less than a physical copy does and yet it sells at the same price. You get no game case, no disc, no manual, no boxart, no option to loan or resell.. Until digital copies become significantly cheaper than their physical counterpart, I'll keep buying physical copies of my games.
You say they're the same price but I almost always find the digital version to be much more expensive.
Really? I've only checked and compared a few times. And in those instances I always found that the games in question were priced similarly between retail and PSN.. I haven't done this often though. Only when a game I'm anticipating has been delayed at stores. But since the prices were always similar I opted to wait a week or two for a hard copy instead.
I'm probably in the minority here, but after a long day at work, the gym, work around the house etc., when I relax on the couch or in bed and game it, I don't want to keep getting up and changing discs.I can respect people's desire to own the physical discs, but I'm at the point where I love being able to switch between MLB the Show and NHL 14 without having to get up and switch discs. Its not laziness, because that is the last thing I am. Its just the CONVENIENCE of knowing that when I turn my PS3 on after a long day, I won't have to get up to switch my sports games. Skyrim, GTA5, Uncharted, etc still need to be switched, but that's for now. Someday maybe my PS4 games can all be digital for purpose of convenience.
I just like to put my feet in the pool. I give Sony credit for having so many killer deals, it makes conversion less painful.
Yep. I don't love digital until Sony gives me games for free or at steep discounts that fit just fine on my 500 GB hard drives. I'm still on the fence about whether the next time a big, AAA game comes out — I guess Infamous is the next one I'll buy? — I'll go digital or physical, if only because games this gen are absolutely massive. But there's no question the transition is underway. Indeed, I quite like my digital collection of games all being in one place, much more than I thought I would actually. I can peruse them with ease from my couch and start up easily.
PlayStation Plus has changed my mind about having a digital collection.
I'm not very fond of it. To me, there's nothing like having your collection shining in that shelf. I do acknowledge the benefits of digital gaming, but I have no problem whatsoever getting up and changing my disc every couple of hours. And as some have already mentioned, with the digital version mostly costing the same, I really don't support it yet.
from time to time, especially when steam has sales.
biggest problem with online distribution is its always significantly more expensive than retail.
even when they have "sales".
for instance $onys january sales on ATM, allot of the games on there stores have even cheaper.
but if somethings online cheaper than retail if i havent used too much of my download usage for the month, ill definitely download it.
Sony's sale actually ticked me off because their Ni No Kuni and Tales of Graces f (for example) are more than 50% cheaper than I bought them for (they were in-store sales). Got Graces f a few weeks before this sale and had a laugh at myself haha.
There's a nice amount good prices in this January sale.
I agree that the PSN Jan sale does have a few decent bargains in it however the general pricing is all wrong. New release games should not ever be listed as £60. Ever.
New releases on the highstreet (or delivered to your door with a couple days patience) cost sub £40 for all but a handful of new titles. The digital version has no reason at all to be more expensive.
I have no problem buying digital instead of physical but I have never spent more than £20 on any single dl title and I don't intend for that to change.
one reason why i dont buy PSN games anymore, so many times ive bought something to see it go on sale a few days later, or worse offered on plus.
My Vita collection is mostly digital. Keep filling my 16gb memory card mind you. My crappy and expensive Internet provider keeps me physical for my PS3. Downloading one game a month is enough for my download limit.
My Vita is 8gb and on PS+… many games have come and gone + return I tell ya.
Don't think it depends on age as much as since when you've been gaming seriously. I'm only 21, and you're much more likely to find me with my nose in my phone than to ever see me buying a physical movie or a music cd. But I've been here since at least the PS1, and I got used to seeing my shelves full of games. I just don't feel like I properly own it unless I can see the box in my room and hold it in my hands.
On the other hand, there are 2 main reasons I see for people embracing digital, and only one is partially related to age. You either find it very convenient. Or you only started gaming recently because you're either very young or only picked it up when it became more mainstream.
For me i want to own my games,that's wat i like.
Also now i can go on the net and look for the best price for a game,when it's all digital in a couple of years they will make the price,take it or leave it.
also when they are working outside at the internet-cable's[and lately a lot] or when there's a malfunction from the provider i can't use the internet:
so no not full digital for me,as long it is beside the physically gameplay so that you can choose to go digital or not i have no problem with it
i am ready for it ofc, but what iam not ready for is the crazy prices for full ps games on the ps store! you would think they would be cheaper than the disc versions but no they are more expensive
For me, I guess it depends on the platform.
For handhelds like my 3DS and Vita, I don't mind going digital. Mostly for the reason that that games aren't too large, and in the case of Vita, being subscribed to PS + means a whole bunch of free or discounted games that don't apply to the physical versions (obviously…).
However, I'll admit I'll probably make the jump with the PS4, simply for the reason that you can be playing the game without having to wait the the lengthy install times.
One of my gripes with digital releases this gen is the fact that I'd have to wait hours at a time to play a game I just bought….which was even more painful when having to decide which games to delete due to a lack of space.
And I'm not sure if age is a huge factor…or perhaps I'mm just in the minority. Just turned 20, but not too fond of digital. Still in the process of building up my dvd/Blu-ray collection 🙂
I seem to remember this same discussion in the months leading up to the release of the PSP Go. If everything new that came on the market immediately took over that entire market, then everybody with an idea would be a millionaire.
Actually in Latin America it is cheaper to go all digital (al least on PS platforms).
Since the PS Store is managed by SCEA and the prices are in USD, the digital games are 60USD, physical the games go up to 85USD.
Unless there is a good sale going, I'm sticking with digital copies of my games. And I even get some points in the Sony Reward program.
For consoles I don't really like digital. But my Steam Library is close to 100 games, so some part of me is embracing some aspect of digital lol.
Just added a few more to mine to get it up to 673. Still got another 73 stored in my wishlist as well, for now. Since I started the switch to digital back in '06, I haven't looked back. It's been close to two years since I bought a physical copy of a game. All the space that my physical collection was taking up has also been cleared up as I sold most of it as it was replaced digitally.
I didn't think I would like digital, but PS Plus has made it much more palpable for me.
Why do you guys need a box? Why do you hold on to the idea that you need a fiscal collection?
There are a lot of Steam users on this page that have allready made the change and they are not complainting att all. Digital media is all-around more convenient and comfortable. And if you really think about it, from a productive point of view digital really makes a lot of scense. it's time to "Embrace the future" 😉
The future lies with giving people choices, not herding them all into the same pen and telling them they have to like it.
Look at how movies are distributed – you can see them in the theater, buy them on DVD or Blu ray (both new or used), rent them from a store or from a machine outside of a store. Stream them to any number of devices, buy a digital copy to download or buy a copy that's stored on the company's servers.
Pretty much every one of those was at some point in time said to be destined to put all the others out of business. And yet they all co-exist because that's what consumers want. Choice.
In my case, I don't like to pay for things you can't touch. I am one of those… yes, I still buy music CDs, Blurays, DVDs and physical books. Especially if you are a collector, you will understand that feeling of having your physical copies.
I don't really see the convenience of digital (until they reduce prices when compared to physical, if it even happens) other than being too lazy to get up and change the disc anyway. Since I only play on one console and don't really use any streaming service other than Netflix, it just doesn't catch my attention. I just feel kind of empty when I drop my cash on something I can't touch.
I'm coming around to digital. Over the past few years I've slowly come to the realization that I have entirely too much stuff, taking up entirely too much space in my house. Going digital is a great way cut down on the accumulation of more stuff.
I've completely gone digital with my books. I buy and read books exclusively on my phone/tablet now. It's so fast and convenient that I can't think of any reason not to. The best part is that all my books take up zero space on my bookshelf.
There are several things holding me back with video games though. Some of them are HUGE. They take a long time to download, they eat up a big chunk of my internet bandwidth for the month, and they chew up hard drive space. If you have multiple consoles you have to download it multiple times. God forbid you have 3 PS3's, because then you have to de-activate one to play on another. The latter wasn't a problem back when Sony allowed 5, but it's been a huge pain since they cut it down to 2. I can play my disc games on any of my PS3's without having to download another 30GB's or de-activate and re-activate a console.
No doubt it's the way of the future, and it works great for many forms of media. Though, I think video games still have a little ways to go before I can go 100% digital.
Embracing the revolution only on my Vita for now
I'll still buy a physical copy here and there due to Canadian bandwidth limits but I've pretty much gone almost exclusively digital. Cheaper prices, no taxes and I can buy from home. All my PS4 gaming has been digital only so far.
Like many others, I don't feel like I really *own* a game unless I can hold it in my hand. I have a large game collection, and can almost always remember whether or not I own something if it is physical. My collection is well implanted in my mind, because it seems like it matters, like it's real. When it comes to things on Steam, GoG, or even PSN sometimes, even with my modest excursions into them, I have moments of, "oh, I own that?" when browsing them. It's just not the same experience. Even things I could easily pick up digitally for less, I'm more inclined to pick up physically, instead–I certainly will be doing so with Ground Zeroes.
When I buy things digitally, it's almost always at fire sale prices, since the trade-off of physicality and intrinsic value, at that point, makes sense. If it's something I'm not hyper-excited for, I will totally go digital for a $20-30 savings. But full digital for everything? nu-uh. Not gonna happen.
I think the massive backlash on Microsoft over their initial XboxOne plans just goes to prove that most people don't want all digital, either.
With over 2,000 physical discs & cartridges in my gaming collection, I'll only buy DL games if they don't come on disc at all, or if they're free on PS+ or Vita games(& only if I don't already physically own them).
And at 61 now, I'll tell you what…….
"They can try to pry those physical discs & carts out of my cold mummified hands(but only after I've finally kicked the bucket".)
I like it, but at the same time, I love having games on a disc. Also, digital downloads take up so much space on my HDD. I like it for its convenience, but I am someone who can get stuck in their ways to a degree, so I'm going to miss the disc based game when it's gone.
I will stop gaming once I can't get any titles that interest me on physical media.
A LOT of people are forgetting 1 VERY key point against digital media, YOU DON'T OWN IT… That means if a company decides to stop supporting a digital format IT'S GONE, I know some are saying "well I would just keep it DLed", well what if the device you have it stored on goes belly up?
Also, what would happen to all those Steam games if Steam decided to close up shop tomorrow(Or something happens to your account, which is probably more likely)? GONE, all gone… Any digital media needs supported somewhere, but those somewhere can and do disappear, granted it may not be tomorrow or next week but it WILL happen. But w/ a physical copy, well I have Atari 2600 games, and console of course, that I can pop into that console and be playing them w/in a few minutes…
There are advantages and disadvantages to both physical and digital, but I see the disadvantages FAR out weighing any advantage for digital in the long run.
Digital = YOU DON'T OWN IT.
There are costs with digital games that just aren't there for other formats.
1. Disk space. Music storage is next to nothing. Video storage isn't YOUR cost typically, as the most common digital video content is Netflix, which streams.
Even as storage prices drop again, another flood in the wrong part of the world could suddenly make this more expensive. It's telling neither next-gen system shipped with a drive measuring in terrabytes, which is where we'd need to be if you're going to have a large AAA gaming library on disk, ready to play whenever you want. Sure, the "streaming play" functionality the next-gen consoles are introducing is great – if it works – but there are hurdles there, too….
2. Bandwidth. When your game takes 10x the bandwidth of a Netflix show, it takes a while to download and install the thing. Play-while-it-streams sounds great, but I'm a skeptic. Until all parts of the country have affordable high bandwidth, this is going to kill digital distribution. If some version of net neutrality isn't widely implemented, your ISP may start charging a premium for downloading your gaming data – and even with net neutrality, monthly data caps could hurt digital distribution. Game installs (never mind multiplayer real-time data) require more data than anything else currently being streamed – what saves them is that you download them once and play the game as often as you want. Concerns from issue 1 might affect that.
3. Cost. The digital games I get from my PSN membership, I have little trouble with – they're cheap/free, so why would I complain about the lack of a disk? But when the game costs the exact same amount as a download or as a disk, the increased costs from disk space and bandwidth compete with the benefits of immediate play, sharing, and resale value of a disk. If the price is the same, then the incentives for digital are weak. This is less of an issue with smaller games, where the storage and download costs are minimal and the potential resale of a disk is also minimal – but it's still an issue.
4. Longevity. I've had a couple PS3 disks break on me – both with cracks on the hub. That sucks. So far, I haven't had a digital title go away, so it looks like digital distribution is the winner. But it may not stay that way. When game companies shut down the online servers for a game essentially breaking the multiplayer portion, will they also start pulling it from the store? Will they disable the single-player portion from your console? They SHOULDN'T…but they sure COULD. I've already seen content for LPB leave the store – if I purchased that while it was still available, can I download it again or if I switch consoles is it just gone forever? This is a bigger issue with licensed content (games based on movies or comics) than on games where the content is all owned by the developer – but it could be an issue at any point in the future when studios are bought and sold, go bankrupt, or distribution rights are otherwise up in the air. If you bought the game through the online store but deleted it from your drive because you needed the space, will you be able to ever play it again if the company goes bankrupt? That's not a serious issue with a disk, but could be crippling for digital content.
I'm just not sold on the idea of digital distribution, unless it's dirt cheap. The inconvenience of swapping a disk just doesn't measure up to the cost of storage, bandwidth, and uncertainty of future usability.
Oops my hard drive failed now I have to purchase my entire game collection over again. Nope physical media is better for the consumer always, why? Because you own something real. Otherwise when your system fails or your hard drive dies you loose big time. Cloud services are the same way, when their service ends your games end, or when you stop paying you stop gaming. Buying real media is always going to be the better option for the consumer. The corporations love you having to buy things over and over, and purchasing the use of content rather than the content itself. It's all to end piracy, but digital isn't better for the gamer, it restricts the resale of items, it prevents the archiving of games, and it sux when your digital media isn't available anymore because a corp said so.
Last edited by Id00urmomma on 1/16/2014 3:31:21 PM
ok on your question about DLC if you downloaded it before the server shutdowns you'll still have it i know i tested this with WKC2
ok heres how it works lets say you downloaded an extra costume the costume is in your inventory or where ever it goes even if the Server shutdowns your saved Data will still read that costume exists
as for Digital Media i couldn't care if it lives or dies
ill use it when its convient for instance Dynasty warriors 7 Empires which never got a physical NA release cause of Sonys stupid Policy in NA no english Voices = no physical copy