Report: Sony Rejected Download-Only PlayStation 4

[Vie]

Wait, Sony is learning from it's mistakes now?

I'm not sure if I should celebrate this, or fear for them deliberately making more mistakes to learn from from now on?

 

[Ironside]

Steam has had as many as 5 million concurrent users. That is awesome and proves that PC gaming is far from dead and is even growing since that number is much bigger than it used to be. But look at what the consoles did in worldwide sales. As of March 31st on this year, they have sold almost 70 million units. That means having potentially a large portion of them doing a similar or same operation. The numbers are just way different. All of that aside though, you can still buy PC games on physical media. To go exclusively online is not a smart move. I think they should move towards digital sales definitely. Just not cloud gaming.

5 million concurrent users is just the most peopl online at the same time - Steam has 40,000,000+ total users and not every pc gamer uses it. However that is still dwarfed by the number of consoles sales though which is closer to 200 million if you add all the sales for wii, ps3 and xbox. I agree that digital sales is probably the way forward though - they should still keep physical media, but they should also allow you to just download the game if you have a good internet connection. However i hope to god they stay away from cloud gaming - that would essentially mean you would have to be permanently connected to the internet just to play your games.

 

[ActionDan]

I think Sony/Microsoft should go down the Solid State media route, like in the Jimquisition or MovieBob suggestion, using Flash Drives instead of using DVD's because that would decrease the load times significantly.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Good to hear. It's not really just about connection speed, it's also about usage caps. Here in Canada, for example, we have pretty solid connections with very respectable speed.. but it's difficult to find a service provider who doesn't have a strict monthly bandwith cap. My monthly limit before hitting overage charges is only 60 GB and I nearly hit that every month just with regular usage. There's no way I'd be able to download even a game or two a month without getting seriously kicked in the ass by it.

 

[Oirish_Martin]

It may not have ended up being so bad, but I'm not entirely bothered that they gave this idea up either way.

 

[phantom495]

o thank god!!!

 

[Xanthious]

Good on Sony I say. Download only is a fine concept but the market isn't there and neither is the infrastructure in a lot of places.

Hell, I have Comcast and have a 250 gig monthly limit that I usually go over every month as it is between work and other less noble hobbies. How it is I haven't gotten a letter or anything is nothing short of a miracle. Outside of issues like mine where I just don't have the cap room you have countries where downloading a full game would take longer than playing the actual thing start to finish as their bandwidth simply isn't up to par.

I think the other issue is that the market simply isn't ready to accept a console that is download only. Video games are still largely seen as a tangible product to a good portion of the customer base. If you make them download only you will have a ***** of a time trying to get a soccer mom to drop 60 dollars on a new game. On the flip side there are a good number of educated gamers that wouldn't touch a download only console with a 10 foot pole. Beyond all that though people just like to have physical copies.

 

[Shadie777]

This could be a bad decision on their end. As we've seen over on my side of the pond with the whole GAME fiasco, retail is going out of date. I'm not sure it can last another whole cycle, especially given how long they are nowadays.

Though if it goes the way of the PC and hybrids up, then it'll be fine.

Thats not really a problem. Retail stores may be going out of date, but online stores such as amazon are making loads of money by delivering games. Physical copies aren't going anywhere for a long long time.

 

[Something Amyss]

which brings into question why developers still think Always Online is a good form of DRM.

They also think DRM prevents piracy period, so....

OT: Good to know I still have to worry about disks getting scratched up for the next generation.

How about we meet halfway? give us the ability to download copies of retail games digitally while at the same time have physical copies of the games?

Kind of how it is now, but instead of waiting several months if not a year or more for a game to become a digital copy on a consoles marketplace, have it day one instead.

Little of both worlds.

Odds are, the next gen will be using BD. Those things can stop tanks. If you're worried about scratching them, you're doing something wrong.

I otherwise agree. The idea of tandem releases seems so obvious, one might wonder how they could screw it up so bad.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

The unnamed source said that Microsoft is looking to include an optical drive in its next console as well, having expressed similar concerns about internet connectivity in designing the successor to the Xbox 360.

Uhm... This is news? That consoles are retaining optical drives otherwise known as CD/DVD or BluRay drives?
I still prefer the physical merch first. I like my $60 coffee cup coasters... I mean game discs.

 

[Something Amyss]

This could be a bad decision on their end. As we've seen over on my side of the pond with the whole GAME fiasco, retail is going out of date. I'm not sure it can last another whole cycle, especially given how long they are nowadays.

Though if it goes the way of the PC and hybrids up, then it'll be fine.

I'm sure that the only thing that happened to impact GAME is the death of retail. I'm also sure that's why another company bought out the stores and brand. Additionally, I'm sure that's why Gamestop is in dire condition.

Honestly, unless they're planning on a decade+ system cycle, it's unlikely we will see a sufficient demise of retail for them to come to regret still including an optical drive. I can't speak to the UK, but the states have some massive infrastructure issues that make an online-only system unfeasible in the near future, and the companies behind the scenes really don't want to foot the bill to upgrade. I'm sure they will be dragged into the future kicking and screaming, but it will be slow. With increasing game sizes and greater demand, physical games still have a while before obsolescene.

Even digital music, with a steady increase, lower bandwidth consumption, and better business model is a minority share of the music market for now.

 

[Beautiful End]

That may be all true but launching a system that required download-only games means alienating a big chunk of their clientele. Look at the Wii, for example. It is aimed at families and specifically parents who buy pretty games for their children. What about children, or adults for that matter, who save their money to buy or preorder the next CoD? Or people who need money for something and decides to sell their games? I'm not talking specifically about retail problems, by the way.

It's not the same for someone to buy a game that might look okay, play it, decide it sucks and try to sell it to someone to buy the next new thing. With digital games, you can't do that. Whether that's good or bad doesn't matter; a big amount of people will not like that and they will think twice before buying a game. So that means less profit.

Also, I'm pretty sure at least 30% of those who own a console (PS3, 360, or Wii) don't really care about playing online or having anything to do with the internet and connectivity while playing their game, just like in the ol' days. And 30% might not sound like much but no company wants to lose that profit especially now that games are not as profitable as they used to be because of the economy and price tags and whatnot. Believe me, I see it every day at work.

And yeah, I probably would have to hold back regarding my gaming habits if the next console does that digital game thing. I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to games and computers and stuff but my games do take ages to download, which is why I skip that altogether. At the moment, I don't need a better modem; it does the job just fine with my laptop. So yeah, just think of all the extra stuff you'd need just for the next

People made the exact same argument about PC gaming when steam first came out. The reality of the market place has disproved those arguments. Why would consoles be any different? Is the ipad a failure because its download only for apps but cell phone coverage isn't universal

Because a console is supposed to be much more simpler and accessible than a PC or an iPad. There's plenty of clueless parents (and gamers, why not?) out there who still buy a lot of games. That clientele still prefers to take their kid to the store to buy a game that's, let's say, less than 20 bucks and looks pretty. While you can do that online, it's just not the same. Not because of the experience but because it's just not as accessible as brick and mortar stores.

PC/iPads/whatever are meant for more savvy gamers. That's why parents buy their kids a Wii and not a PC or an Ipad for Xmas. I don't even need to get into the argument of owning a title for life. It's been discussed before.

We might get to the digital era someday. But not anytime soon.

 

[Albino Boo]

Because a console is supposed to be much more simpler and accessible than a PC or an iPad. There's plenty of clueless parents (and gamers, why not?) out there who still buy a lot of games. That clientele still prefers to take their kid to the store to buy a game that's, let's say, less than 20 bucks and looks pretty. While you can do that online, it's just not the same. Not because of the experience but because it's just not as accessible as brick and mortar stores.

PC/iPads/whatever are meant for more savvy gamers. That's why parents buy their kids a Wii and not a PC or an Ipad for Xmas. I don't even need to get into the argument of owning a title for life. It's been discussed before.

We might get to the digital era someday. But not anytime soon.

Err so you are saying that console owners are too stupid to handle the steam UI? Both the xbox and PS3 already have dowonloads via the Xbox marketplace the PS network, are console owners too dim to use it? As I said, in my first post, the only reason my they haven't chosen to do it this time, is the cost of sever infrastructure. All the other arguments put forward here haven't even stood up to basic examination.

 

[monkeymo4d]

Err so you are saying that console owners are too stupid to handle the steam UI? Both the xbox and PS3 already have dowonloads via the Xbox marketplace the PS network, are console owners too dim to use it? As I said, in my first post, the only reason my they haven't chosen to do it this time, is the cost of sever infrastructure. All the other arguments put forward here haven't even stood up to basic examination.

No I think given the right incentives console owners as you said can and will adapt to a new method of distribution but really that wasn't Beautiful End's point. The point he/she was trying to make was that speaking from a marketing perspective, moving to a download only model WILL definitely alienate a large portion of Sony's and Microsoft's consumer base and inevitably lead to a loss.

 

[Albino Boo]

Err so you are saying that console owners are too stupid to handle the steam UI? Both the xbox and PS3 already have dowonloads via the Xbox marketplace the PS network, are console owners too dim to use it? As I said, in my first post, the only reason my they haven't chosen to do it this time, is the cost of sever infrastructure. All the other arguments put forward here haven't even stood up to basic examination.

No I think given the right incentives console owners as you said can and will adapt to a new method of distribution but really that wasn't Beautiful End's point. The point he/she was trying to make was that speaking from a marketing perspective, moving to a download only model WILL definitely alienate a large portion of Sony's and Microsoft's consumer base and inevitably lead to a loss.

Yawn, why are consoles different from PCs, Ipads, smart phones, and ebooks? Answer, they are not. If they did go download only, there will huge uproar by a few thousand people on forums, with the standard threats of boycotts and long winded post explaining how its illegal and then sell millions of units. Just same as those people who proclaimed they wouldn't by D3 and it would definitely alienate a large portion of the consumer base, yet somehow its sold 6 million units.

 

[monkeymo4d]

Yawn, why are consoles different from PCs, Ipads, smart phones, and ebooks? Answer, they are not. If they did go download only, there will huge uproar by a few thousand people on forums, with the standard threats of boycotts and long winded post explaining how its illegal and then sell millions of units. Just same as those people who proclaimed they wouldn't by D3 and it would definitely alienate a large portion of the consumer base, yet somehow its sold 6 million units.

True consoles are similar to pcs ,Ipads , smart phones and ebooks but really that's not the point. Just because you can release a book on an Ipad doesn't mean every author suddenly abondoned printing their books . And since you mentioned Diablo 3,Blizzard could have sold it as a downloadable title only since its a pc game and you need an internet connection to play it anyway however they were smarter than that and recognised that the physical copy market could very well increase profits.

You cant abandon a market just like that, you have to work both fields in order to maximise profit.For example, Pizza hut could very well stop serving in shops and adopt a home delivery policy only but they haven't because doing both simply is more profitable
.My suggestion would be that both Sony and Microsoft lay the ground work for the download age in their next consoles but should not abandon physical copy distribution just yet.

Look man we could argue this all day but really aren't we just arguing semantics at this point,I mean both saying that a download only console market isn't fee-sable right now. And even if one of use is right its not like Sony's going to descend from on high and declare one of us the victor. So lets just agree to disagree

 

[Beautiful End]

Because a console is supposed to be much more simpler and accessible than a PC or an iPad. There's plenty of clueless parents (and gamers, why not?) out there who still buy a lot of games. That clientele still prefers to take their kid to the store to buy a game that's, let's say, less than 20 bucks and looks pretty. While you can do that online, it's just not the same. Not because of the experience but because it's just not as accessible as brick and mortar stores.

PC/iPads/whatever are meant for more savvy gamers. That's why parents buy their kids a Wii and not a PC or an Ipad for Xmas. I don't even need to get into the argument of owning a title for life. It's been discussed before.

We might get to the digital era someday. But not anytime soon.

Err so you are saying that console owners are too stupid to handle the steam UI? Both the xbox and PS3 already have dowonloads via the Xbox marketplace the PS network, are console owners too dim to use it? As I said, in my first post, the only reason my they haven't chosen to do it this time, is the cost of sever infrastructure. All the other arguments put forward here haven't even stood up to basic examination.

Yeah, pretty much. I wouldn't say "stupid", though. But we're barely entering the era where consoles are being openly accepted by families and parents. Videogames are no longer a toy just for kids; everyone is slowly getting into this whole videogame world. DLC and stuff like that are being accepted by those of us who are more into games. But I seriously can't picture a parent being okay with letting their kid choose whatever game they want from the PSN or XBLA or Wii store. Or risking buying a game there that might not be as good as they expect.

What I'm getting at is that it's possible but Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo would certainly lose money. They're slowly getting there, but they're not ready yet.

Yeah, the price tag is also one of the main reasons why they're not moving forward with this. But the consumer needs to be more educated when it comes to digital downloads if they expect to succeed. And I mean every single consumer, not just us casual (And above) gamers. It's not rocket science, I know. But we're just not there. I give it one more generation before we're there.

 

[Something Amyss]

I always put my disks back in their cases, but then there are event out of my control, like the dog headbutting the 360 and causing the disk to gash inside the disk tray.

BD is more likely to survive that.

Though the solution for that is simple: They need to stop using tray systems.