Poll: Do the discs have any future?

[Chieffw]

With the announcement of The Grid (new super fast internet under development by CERN) [http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2001/03/42230] I have begun to wonder if the discs have a future.

I am not talking about dvd, cd, blu-ray format. I mean the physical thing you put in your console. Currently the only thing which keeps the discs alive is the fact that copyright protection is the best ensured with signature on the disc that you can't play the game without.

The other reason that prevents virtual discs is that the internet speed of most people is limited which would prevent efficient download speeds.

But we have things like XBox Arcade, PS Store, we can buy smaller games currently, and we see this CERN experiment comming in the future.

Also to play pirated games, you need to mod your console, which would get you banned from using online support. There is a constant risk which prevents people from generally using pirated games.

So the things which keep the discs alive will be gone in the near future.

I wanted to see what is your opinion on the future of hard media destribution

 

[gibboss28]

I'm gonna put money on it being quite a while before the general public have access to this 'super fast internet' And I'll also put money on discs still being used after this thing has been implemented.

 

[thatstheguy]

What with the internet, it would be a lot cheaper to post downloads for games, movies, maybe even books as you wouldn't have to spend money on disks

 

[shansta619]

the cost to put the game on a disk, ship the disk, have a store buy the disk then raise the price so they make a profit, stock the disk on the stores shelves, and then pay the salary of the guy at the game store is huge, think about it. if we made everything on the internet the price of games would go down by a huge amount. and for the people without fast internet, or who want a disk, you could still make some disks. only problem is all the game companies are in contract so that wont happen for a while, but im sure when there contract expires, it will by all online. just like everything else in the future.

 

[Jursa]

Recently I went to buying games ONLY over steam. No discs, no worries, cheaper and great security and best of all, the games are instantly received. Discs will exist forever but their use will definitely go down by a mile.

 

[Chieffw]

the cost to put the game on a disk, ship the disk, have a store buy the disk then raise the price so they make a profit, stock the disk on the stores shelves, and then pay the salary of the guy at the game store is huge, think about it. if we made everything on the internet the price of games would go down by a huge amount. and for the people without fast internet, or who want a disk, you could still make some disks. only problem is all the game companies are in contract so that wont happen for a while, but im sure when there contract expires, it will by all online. just like everything else in the future.

And here comes the third reason: if they stop using discs, hundred of thousands of people will get fired

 

[Jumplion]

I prefer a physical collection, and the new game smell you get when you open the package.

It will be a very, very long time before disks in generall are completely subdued by digital media. You can't exactly expect a, I dunno, 100GB game (hypothetical, though I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case sometime) to download easy on your computer. If the disk can handle it, as well as the computer/console, then a disk would be a much more viable solution to a huge, epic, 200+ hour game instead of a huge 100GB file to download for days on end.

Until we get ultra-super-fast-internet (faster than light?), then I think disks will stay for a long while. Plus, nothing beats the feeling of a huge collection of games right next to your box. You can't show off your collection as easily if it's all in one box, but if you've got a closet full of games, then you can easily say "I am obsessed!"

Downloadable games are good for a quite few minutes, they shouldn't replace complete disks full of more, for lack of a better word, mainstream games unless it's something like STEAM and is very easy to use.

 

[Jandau]

And here comes the third reason: if they stop using discs, hundred of thousands of people will get fired

In the end, that's a poor argument. Should we stunt technological development because people might have to look for new jobs?

 

[BallPtPenTheif]

Even in a fully realized computerized world, archival of information is still key.

 

[vede]

Discs, or other portable solid-state information storage devices, like flash drives. Why? Because of the undetectable need for people to prepare for the apocalypse. If everything is over the internet, and suddenly that location gets knocked to shit by a bomb, we've just lost all our information. Whereas if there's disks and drives scattered about in protective cases, we've only lost some things, and people all over the place will still have their stuff backed up (hopefully).

 

[Axolotl]

But we have things like XBox Arcade, PS Store, we can buy smaller games currently, and we see this CERN experiment comming in the future.

But they're not universally used, most Xbox 360's are never connected to Live, forcing people to use online distribution, cuts out a large chunk of the market.

 

[Chieffw]

Well XBox Live should be free to be honest. You shouldn't have to pay two internet fees.

But that is another discussion. The internet is so well spread that it shouldn't be a problem

 

[AdjectiveAnimal]

Well XBox Live should be free to be honest. You shouldn't have to pay two internet fees.

But that is another discussion. The internet is so well spread that it shouldn't be a problem

Plus all the advertising Live shamelessly shoves down your throat.

I prefer disks to data in all mediums. You can lend/borrow them, actually see the collection, and I love box art.

 

[Woe Is You]

Downloadable games are good for a quite few minutes, they shouldn't replace complete disks full of more, for lack of a better word, mainstream games unless it's something like STEAM and is very easy to use.

You're posting this like full downloadable games are something completely unheard of. You don't even have an excuse here: PSN has titles like Wipeout HD, Siren Blood Curse and Warhawk that are full titles in every sense of the word.

Not to mention Steam, Direct2Drive and a couple other services have already been offering full games for download for years and years now.

A shelf full of games are nice when you have about a 100 of them or so, but when your game collection starts approaching a thousand...well, you start wondering "where the hell do I put these boxes?". That's why I've grown to love digital distribution.

 

[Jumplion]

Downloadable games are good for a quite few minutes, they shouldn't replace complete disks full of more, for lack of a better word, mainstream games unless it's something like STEAM and is very easy to use.

You're posting this like full downloadable games are something completely unheard of. You don't even have an excuse here: PSN has titles like Wipeout HD, Siren Blood Curse and Warhawk that are full titles in every sense of the word.

Not to mention Steam, Direct2Drive and a couple other services have already been offering full games for download for years and years now.

A shelf full of games are nice when you have about a 100 of them or so, but when your game collection starts approaching a thousand...well, you start wondering "where the hell do I put these boxes?". That's why I've grown to love digital distribution.

Disks arn't going to stay forever, obviously. But I'll enjoy the time I have with them for the time being. It's still a long long way before we're completely digital, if it's ever possible to be "completely" digital.

 

[new_age_reject]

Quite simply, it will be a very long time before everyone has access to this super internet so I don't think that disc's will be dying out any time soon.
Also, I don't know about anyone else, but I prefer to have something more substantial than just a piece of data on a hard drive.

 

[xitel]

I say we go back to cartridges!

 

[fix-the-spade]

Yes, forever.
Where are you going to put your hard copies/backups without a disc to put them on?

As far as consoles, discs probably won't die out ever either, as long as there is a retail market for games at any rate.

 

[Zersy]

I say we go back to cartridges!

this actually already been tried and done

ya they succeded they managed to make them

perfect for storing games, make some ways of stopping piracy, make them practical,

no loading signs, much larger memory since
it's basically a larger version of a USB.

BUT !!!

the reason this very effective and great idea failed was because
of the fact that simply making disc were a hell lot cheaper and
easier to manufacture in simple term the company wanted something

that would still work but be cheap

so for them it's "you get what you pay for"

(now marketing the disc is a whole other story)

 

[number2301]

Discs will die, within a decade or two we'll see a move to digital distribution backed up by solid state media. You can already get microSD cards bigger than DVDs, it won't be long until they surpass the performance of discs in all aspects.