Poll: Would you be ok with games going exclusively digital?

[lunavixen]

I'm not keen on pure digital downloads, i can often get physical copies of games cheaper than digital ones (Steam not included as my primary game platforms are consoles), digital copies (i'm looking at you PSN) are often more expensive here in oz, because the PSN doesn't take currency value into account, so DLC that people in the US get for $16.99US we have to play at least $23.05AU for, and the AU dollar is worth about the same, if not a little more than the US dollar

 

[MammothBlade]

No. I want there to be a place where I can go to physically buy games now and then, sometimes it's good to have a hard copy in my hands. That's true more with PS3 than PC games....

 

[h4xor555]

HELL NO!

I want to be an amateur collector one day!

 

[fenrizz]

I don't mind really.

I usually buy all my games from Steam or PSN anyway, since it's way cheaper and all.
I'm not worried.

 

[AD-Stu]

Prefer discs. I want to know that if I decide to pull that game back off the shelf in 10 years time it'll still be there, ready to install, not gone because the digital distribution service doesn't offer it anymore or whatever. Plus I'd rather not have to chew through the bandwidth of redownloading every game whenever I change computers - Australian internet just isn't up to that task. It took a day and a half to redownload the DLC alone for ME3 when I last changed PCs, I don't want to be doing that for the entirety of every game...

 

[Genocidicles]

If it's like GoG then I have no problem at all. Their way is the best way.

If it's like Steam or god forbid, Origin then hell no.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I am extremely reluctant to make any digital purchases. The last few times I bought music it was in the form of a CD (I bought a CD last week for example). The digital games I do have I don't consider myself to be their owner. The day games go all-digital is the day I stop buying games...well new ones anyway. I generally make exceptions though like when Ducktales and Shovel Knight are out I'm likely going to download those. I also downloaded Scott Pilgrim and Castle Crashers but both felt like similar games I've played on Newgrounds for free. Alien Hominid straight up IS a game I've played on Newgrounds for free.

 

[aaronobst]

Physical copies always.

 

[MetalDooley]

I'm a console gamer and Digital distribution on consoles is shit so no I wouldn't be ok with it.Microsoft's Games on Demand service for Xbox 360 is an utter joke with games not being released until months later and often being anything up to ?20 more expensive then their physical counterpart.On top of that they take ages to drop in price.Here's an example

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-IE/Product/NEED-FOR-SPEED-MOST-WANTED/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80245410961?nosplash=1&DownloadType=Game#LiveZone

Need for Speed is ?70 on XBL.That's ?20 more than the physical version was when it launched 6 months ago.I can pick up a brand new physical copy now for ?25

Until the console companies sort that shit out I'll continue to buy physical copies

 

[Tom_green_day]

I love the feel of a box, I love having a cover and a manual and a physical disc to put in. I also love browsing shops, reading blurbs and picking up games I wouldn't usually. I'll download DLC and things like Fallout that are unfindable IRL now, but apart from that I don't like buying games digitally. Also downloading some is a pain on bad internet.

 

[JEBWrench]

I'm pretty sure I've said this umpteen bazillion times now, but I already prefer digital to physical, so, yeah. I'm pretty cool with the inevitable happening.

 

[Yopaz]

I wouldn't mind getting all my games from digital distribution. In fact most of my recent purchases have been digital and I kinda like that. However I don't get my consoles connected to the internet at this point so I prefer to get my console games physical for the time being. I will also choose physical if it's significantly cheaper. I recently got Valkyria Chronicles and Resonance of Fate for £22 including shipping which is a real bargain.

HOWEVER there's a big but here. I am sceptical when it comes to digital distribution as the only platform on consoles. On PC we have Steam, we have Origin, we have Amazon and probably hundreds of others. I know of several regional services around here that offers deals that can compete with Steam or Origin. On consoles there's no choice where to buy it. The only company to provide digital distribution on my PS3 is Sony, the only one to control the price for digital games is Sony. Same with my 3DS, my Wii, my Wii U, my 360. Digital distribution on consoles are controller by the company making the console. I know Nintendo let those who sell their game set the price, but I'm not sure if the others do.

However my point is that there's complete monopoly on who can provide the games. If physical copies are eliminated then Nintendo doesn't have to match the prices of GameStop or Amazon. They pick a price they want for the game and the consumers gets screwed over because they have no options.

In conclusion: I want my games digital, but I fear the day where that's the only form of distribution.

 

[floppylobster]

The choice for me is between moving forward to digital or back to cartridge. I don't want anything in between.

 

[soitgoes19]

I voted no, but not because a physical copy is important to me. My internet connection is slow, everything takes forever to download. I've been avoiding downloading FC3 Blood Dragon for a couple days now because I just know it'll take an entire day to download and I don't want to tie up my connection for that long. Everything else will slow to a crawl while it's happening. So physical is much easier for me.

 

[Nomanslander]

If there's no hard copy of something that you buy, you'll never be the owner of it!

 

[Sansha]

I'll only get a physical copy if it's not available on Steam. If Steam was literally the only way anyone could get a PC game, I'd be happy with that.

 

[Cloudydays]

I spent ~$120 on virtual console games over the years. One day, my wii died, and I lost all of them forever. Haven't bought a non-physical game since.

Physical games are usually cheaper too. There's sales, used copies, rentals... But with download only, there's usually a monopoly. PSN shop is still charging like $30 for Duke Nukem Forever...

I'll agree with this.
I have, as far as I could, avoided digital downloads. The only console games (on my ps3) are Infamous/Dead Nation (due to Sony's free giveaway after they were hacked) and Journey (only because I was too impatient to play it).

Digital downloads are, admittedly, a bit more convenient at times (as they're easier to get your hands on) but they cannot replace the feel of having the game in your hands. As Major said, if ever my console died, all the games would go poof. And physical games are simply cheaper. There's also the element of letting your friends borrow your games to play or bringing a game over to someone else's house to play it with them.

 

[Something Amyss]

Yeah, this is one of the reasons why I don't like downloads. It almost feels like I don't actually own the game.

At this point, you really don't.

To play devil's advocate (since I stated my opinion in the mirror of this thread), how would owning a physical copy make a difference if the console were to die? Either way you need to replace the console and can't play until you do.

Worrying about the PSN dying out and leaving you unable to redownload should your console die is fair enough, but you're free to redownload any games you've bought off the PSN.

The number of devices is extremely limited, though. Sony also made it incredibly hard to de-authorise a device that dies, to boot.

Replacing my Dungeons and Dragons books will be the hardest.

Just out of curiosity, why?

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

While I do very much prefer hard copies, I could cope with exclusively digital as long as I didn't also have to rely on Cloud services or any other kind of system other than my computer. There's the onward march of technology, and then there's sacrificing control of something you rightfully bought.

 

[redmoretrout]

I would hate for games to go completely digital, only because that would stop me from buying/selling used games.