I agree. Nothing beats a professionally crafted manual to put that extra touch on the excitement and anticipation of playing a game. The other great benefit of the manual is that it serves as an encyclopedia of offline information about the game that you can browse at your leisure, rather than having to be constantly plugged into the game. Sure, today you can just google the information on the Internet, but the Internet is a very poor substitute for the craftsmanship that goes into a well-constructed manual (also, the information in the manual is more trustworthy than the Internet).
As I was reading this, I did have the fantasy idea of an Android/iOS portal app where developers could upload game manuals (crafted to the standards and completeness resembling those of the past glory days) that gamers could read on their mobile devices. Maybe it's not quite the same as the printed manual, but it can have the potential of getting close without incurring the printing and reproduction costs of the printed manual. Plus, you won't lose it (unless you lose your mobile device, but, with that, you'll have bigger concerns than a lost game manual).
As I was reading this, I did have the fantasy idea of an Android/iOS portal app where developers could upload game manuals (crafted to the standards and completeness resembling those of the past glory days) that gamers could read on their mobile devices. Maybe it's not quite the same as the printed manual, but it can have the potential of getting close without incurring the printing and reproduction costs of the printed manual. Plus, you won't lose it (unless you lose your mobile device, but, with that, you'll have bigger concerns than a lost game manual).