2 in 3 Gamers Prefer Discs to Downloads, Says Survey

[Cousin_IT]

This current "pre-owned games are everything" narrative in the gaming world is a tad boring. Did this survey take into account the number of people who both download & buy physical discs? I know I do. If theres a good sale on Steam for a game I want but not that desperately, I'll buy it. However, for new releases & indeed most of the games I want beyond a whim, I find buying off Amazon to usually be cheaper than digital distributors anyway, so stick with that. It's certainly a lot more convienient to just order off Amazon & wait a day or two than have to download 3+ gigiabytes on a 200kb/s line.

 

[Dogmeat T Dingo]

I prefer digital downloads myself. Maybe it's because I don't play games much anymore and it's just plain easier to get a downloaded copy, especially when a lot of them come from Steam for a couple of bucks on their specials pages since I usually don't get a game until it's been out for over a year. I fully understand the urge to own a box copy, certainly. But it's just not for me, I don't need pile upon pile of scratchable discs taking up space in my room when I can just download them when I want to install them.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

For the PC, digital downloads are the way to go.
Simply because the physical copies normally have as much, (or more!) DRM attached to the game as the digital copy.
Plus Steam and Good Old Games are pretty convenient for me, as I have a lot of PC games now, (As I have been buying steam stuff for a while), and if those were all physical copies, having to install, and manage those games would be an organisational nightmare! (I already have limited room in the house).
With Steam, I can download and delete games at will. With Good Old Games, I can download one simple install file, then stick it in my harddrive, (Plus I get neat extras, like artwork and OSTs which I just wouldn't get in standard retail).

As for consoles, these benefits are not really there, so I stick to the physical copies.
(But that doesn't mean I don't buy Arcade and Indie titles, because I do! I have loads now, (especially since the sales have been good as of late)).

This is really all possible, because of Paypal, if I didn't have that, I would have to stick to the ridiculously expensive retail. (Seriously, for £40 these days, I can get 2 or three relatively new titles through stores like shopto, and zavvi).

 

[Major_Tom]

Regardless of the method of sale, publishers just love translating US prices directly into Euros regardless of the fact that Euros are worth more than dollars, resulting in higher prices in Europe.

Yes I know, and it's sill cheaper than in our stores, sad isn't it?

Overall, it's still better to purchase a physical copy or at least wait for it to reach bargain bin prices.

They never do. I will never be able to buy L4D2 4-pack for 23 euros as I did on Steam summer sale. Maybe if I wait 10 years but then they won't have any copies of the game left.

If someone has a low salary and invests in something as expensive as a video game, than they can even less afford to potentially lose it due to the company going under or something similar.

You are missing the point, I was pointing out that our country is a paradox: We receive lower salaries because it's a developing country (that's normal) but our prices (not just the games - everything) are the same or even higher than in developed countries. So yeah, fuck stores.

 

[El_Glovenator]

I do prefer discs, because when i own something I actually like to OWN things if you get me

 

[Kurokami]

I like it IN MY HANDS. I want the art, the original casing and everything.

DD is a last case scenerio for me.

Agreed, I like that Blizzard and others allow you to download the games you've activated a CD-Key for, especially when I'm so very good at losing them (or replacing them in some other CD case).

 

[Funkysandwich]

I use steam because I live in Australia, the land that gaming forgot. But there are heaps of threads about this already.

 

[Layzor]

Seems a bit loose to me, what is a "gamer"?

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I love having lots of games on my PS3, that's why I dowload demos all the time.

 

[ACM_Shadow]

hmmmmm, physical copies of games are always gonna be popular, especially the non-online games like fallout3, Dead-space etc as you dont need updates, you always have it ready to install and if you get tired of it or it doesnt work on your setup you can sell it. Also when you have a 7GB limit downloading unreal tourny 3 (8GB) just aint fair.
Steam is good, but they should also put out copies of the games at stores, sure every now and again i get a game off steam ($10 US max), also with steam games if you save the folder the game is in ie:"steamapps/common" you can delete the game, then if you want to play it just copy paste it in.
Now i see this topic of buy online/cd's going onto the fact of internet and DRM, i got bad company 2, do i want to play with disc in or connected to the net.. NEITHER BUT FNG DEVELOPERS MAKE ME TAKE THE DISC, then the disc breaks, developers say sorry mate, go buy it again.

sorry for wall of text, avid hater of downloading games and DRM (devs have no respect for gamers today it seems) and feel like a bit of rage today.

 

[votemarvel]

For me it is a physical copy all the way.

I refuse to buy anything that relies on me having the internet to use, or reinstall in the event of a hard drive failure.

 

[Grey_Focks]

.pdf's are soulless, game manuals you can hold in your hand are an art form.

They make great pleasure reading and you can always come back for an "Ohhhh" moment on a little trick or control that you missed out on before and would've made the game a whole lot easier/ more fun.

...and I also like instruction manuals (I need something to read while dropping the Browns off at the super-bowl)...

Wait-wha?
I had to reread that twice but is that a euphemism for what I think it is?

It's exactly what it sounds like. Judge me how you will.

 

[KrazyKain]

NEWS FLASH.... no shit...

of course we prefer physical copies, i'm surprised it wasnt more then that infact

 

[AcidLillies]

Physical copies don't occupy bandwith; for instance, if I was to buy and download 3 games (which I would say I usually buy a month), I'd have taken up at least 80% of my bandwidth for that month, and I'm on the top BT package for places with no fibre optic broadband (<3 living on 3 hills and no where near a main town). 80% of my bandwidth gone equates to no image heavy sites, YouTube videos in anything but the lowest quality, or even for downloading various other tidbits. No frigging thank you.

And physical boxes just feel... right. You have the disc, and nobody else can feesibly take it from you without physically doing so. It isn't dependent on your computer, it's dependent on the disc itself; which is reliable in it's own right. I've grown up having discs; and I'm certainly not getting rid of them, unless any games I do download can be put on a disc. Pedantacism. <3

You do realize that in the most of use don't use that kind of internet payment system? right?

What the MAJORITY of us (who play video games, not necessarily the world) use a differant system, we pay a set amount every month for a cetain speed of internet, and now matter how much we download the rate does not go up.

for example 20$ a month for 500kbs or 500 kilo bits per second (not bytes mind you)

Could I ask where you live? The U.S, I presume? No other U.K internet service provider allows for such un limited use of internet. :/ I'd be rather amazed that other places have a complete lack of "fair use" policy; developed or not. Of course there's no cap at non peak hours, such as 2 - 5 in the morning; which is ridiculous to have to exploit to download anything, especially with obligations the next day to be had.

For instance, I have a cap of 100 GB (I presume it's much less, but company's never tell you the true cap; but instead say it's "unlimited" when it quite clearly isn't), which with games dowloaded, various MMO updates downloaded, daily dose of 10 YouTube videos and perhaps a football match streamed by the brother, the cap comes into force quite easily; essentially reducing my broadband to the speed of a dial up connection and forcing me to pay an extra £1 for every 3 minute YouTube video, page of pictures "downloaded" or even for a 10 minute session on a forum allowing GIF profile pictures. It's ridiculous.

 

[Plazmatic]

Physical copies don't occupy bandwith; for instance, if I was to buy and download 3 games (which I would say I usually buy a month), I'd have taken up at least 80% of my bandwidth for that month, and I'm on the top BT package for places with no fibre optic broadband (<3 living on 3 hills and no where near a main town). 80% of my bandwidth gone equates to no image heavy sites, YouTube videos in anything but the lowest quality, or even for downloading various other tidbits. No frigging thank you.

And physical boxes just feel... right. You have the disc, and nobody else can feesibly take it from you without physically doing so. It isn't dependent on your computer, it's dependent on the disc itself; which is reliable in it's own right. I've grown up having discs; and I'm certainly not getting rid of them, unless any games I do download can be put on a disc. Pedantacism. <3

You do realize that in the most of use don't use that kind of internet payment system? right?

What the MAJORITY of us (who play video games, not necessarily the world) use a differant system, we pay a set amount every month for a cetain speed of internet, and now matter how much we download the rate does not go up.

for example 20$ a month for 500kbs or 500 kilo bits per second (not bytes mind you)

Could I ask where you live? The U.S, I presume? No other U.K internet service provider allows for such un limited use of internet. :/ I'd be rather amazed that other places have a complete lack of "fair use" policy; developed or not. Of course there's no cap at non peak hours, such as 2 - 5 in the morning; which is ridiculous to have to exploit to download anything, especially with obligations the next day to be had.

For instance, I have a cap of 100 GB (I presume it's much less, but company's never tell you the true cap; but instead say it's "unlimited" when it quite clearly isn't), which with games dowloaded, various MMO updates downloaded, daily dose of 10 YouTube videos and perhaps a football match streamed by the brother, the cap comes into force quite easily; essentially reducing my broadband to the speed of a dial up connection and forcing me to pay an extra £1 for every 3 minute YouTube video, page of pictures "downloaded" or even for a 10 minute session on a forum allowing GIF profile pictures. It's ridiculous.

what I'm saying is your comment is null an void if were talking about the vast majority of video game players. not that you don't actually have to use that shitty system.

Besides it gets kind of annoying with you people whining about your internet service to every one HERE, instead of YOUR IP.