Sony Boss Downplays Digital Future

[latenightapplepie]

Never?

That's a pretty big call.

I thought it was wisest never to say never.

 

[Irridium]

As someone who works in games retail, I approve.

And honesty, who doesn't love that new-game smell? Digital distribution can't beat that!

 

[Credge]

The entire market for physical copies might not be dead for some time yet, but I believe the option to buy most if not all games digitally will come much sooner than 2020.

Doubtful. Highly doubtful.

 

[Aurgelmir]

I'm guessing he means an "download only" console from Sony. OnLive works, it is not for everybody, but I like it and use it and can't wait for the microConsole to hook it up to my bigger HD television.

Works? Only if your internet is good enough. And well OnLive is not an download console now is it?


I for one like owning my copies, and will continue to buy in stores. Atleast as long as the download version is shitlads more expencive than the store version.

Swapping a dollar sign for an euro sign doesn't work people, the euro is almost worth twice the amount of the dollar...

 

[mjc0961]

Good, I'm going to bookmark this and shove it in the face of any people who think the PS4 will have no disc drive because digital is teh future right nowzlol!

He not only ruled out the next Sony console being download only, he also said that there may never be a totally digital PlayStation.

Uuuuuhhhh...

Spoiler

Last time I checked, the "PS" part still stood for PlayStation:

 

[Baldr]

The US ISP speed average is 10.25 Mb/s(speedtest.net) over 2 times the minimum requirements for OnLive. Like I said though, it is not for everyone, and yes it is download(via stream) only.

 

[commasplice]

Huh?
So what if your download gets corrupted?
Just download it again.
What if your physical copy breaks then?
Your argument is entirely reversed.

What if you're only given a limited number of downloads? What happens if you want a new game, but your console doesn't have enough disk space? What happens if your account gets banned? What about people who don't have credit/debit cards, or would just rather pay for their games in cash? What happens when publishers decide they want to take an old game off the "shelves" to make room for newer titles, and you need to "just download it again" because your system's been wiped or something? Anyone who has ever said that either form of distribution is perfect was being purely hyperbolic. They both have their issues, and that's why I think they should both be options when one chooses to make a purchase.

The US ISP speed average is 10.25 Mb/s(speedtest.net) over 2 times the minimum requirements for OnLive. Like I said though, it is not for everyone, and yes it is download(via stream) only.

Mean != Mode

While I agree that digital download only content is a long way off, it is inevitable that one day, there will be no physical copies.

I find it funny that some (certainly not all) digidistro proponents like to advocate the total annihilation of physical media, but I have yet to see a phymed supporter call for all digital distribution to end. I don't see why they can't exist in tandem. Hell, even books haven't chosen one method over the other.

How video games are distributed goes along with how the rest of the entertainment media is distributed. For example, for the longest time, my buddy refused to let go of buying movies on DVD in favor of his Beta machine. But eventually, the DVD format took over distribution, and he was forced to buy a DVD player. Video games converted from their CD format to DVD format shortly afterwards. Same with CD music - as more and more people are converting to the MP3 digital music format, physical CDs are slowly losing ground and reporting declining sales.

There are a few differences between the DVD vs. VHS and digital vs. physical. For one thing, magnetic tapes offer nothing that the DVD/CD can't do better. When it comes to digital vs. physical, however, the debate is more balanced. Digital files are easier to store, but physical ones can provide backups in the event of a crash. Digital files are quick and convenient, but physical copies give you ownership of the CD that cannot be arbitrarily revoked for perceived ToS violations. If your 360 gets "double-tapped" because your son was exposing himself during a round of Uno, you can still go out to the store and buy whatever games you like. Without that option, you're screwed into buying a whole new system, or, I guess, trying to appeal the ban with Microsoft.

When movies slowly transfer over to a purely digital format - regardless of whether a portion of Americans/Europeans can affort to buy the appropriate machines to watch pure digital movies - then console/computer games are not far behind. The saved cost of digitalization will win out against the costly physical copy.

Regardless of what you say about saved cost for production, there are still people who want to buy physical copies. There is still demand. You're assuming that, if game distribution switched to a strictly digital format, all of the people who buy physical copies will switch along with it. This is not necessarily the case. I, for one, would stop buying games altogether. I'd play them at friends' houses, if at all. Ceasing production of physical copies may cut cost, but it would also cut profit.

 

[poiuppx]

Good to see Sony learned its lesson from the PSPGo. Pure digital distribution is inevitable, given the heavy reduction in production cost, environmental impact, etc., but its clear the market just doesn't want to support it fully yet. Still, anything that speeds up the ol' Singularity, I'm in favor of, so bring on the all-point digital distribution systems!

 

[Jumplion]

As someone who works in games retail, I approve.

And honesty, who doesn't love that new-game smell? Digital distribution can't beat that!

I think I was addicted to that smell for a time, and probably still am.

[sup]oh, oh my precious! let me smell you! let me hold you! let me caress you like no other precious man can do! ahahaha ahaha haha ha......ha.........I need to get out more...[/sup]

 

[Denamic]

No offense, but if you're breaking, or by way of action causing the breaking of games, you're an idiot.

Humans makes mistake.
You might for example drop the disc when putting it into the drive, which can easily break it.
They can also break by natural causes, or rather they will eventually, or they could simply be broken from the start.
The slightest damage on the top of the disc is more than enough to destroy a few vital bytes of data.

They come in jewel cases for a reason. People don't just leave my Blu-Ray games lying around the house, the second anyone takes a game from my PS3 and lays it anywhere but inside the case it was purchased in, they receive a huge ration of shit for it, until they do the right thing.

And since you flesh and blood is protected by a layer of skin and fat, you've never been injured, right?
Just because they have protection, it doesn't render them immune to damage.
Any number of things could happen.

That's the difference, my intelligence and forethought, keeps my games safe and secure. People who treat $60+ games like coasters, deserve to have no games.

That's the difference, my intelligence and forethought, keeps my games safe and secure. People who treat $60+ games like coasters, deserve to have no games.

Get your head out of your ass.
You've broken things you've cared for by accident; we all have.
If your intelligence can't see the flaws of such simplistic arguments, I'd be fairly worried about your games.

 

[FloodOne]

Huh?
So what if your download gets corrupted?
Just download it again.
What if your physical copy breaks then?
Your argument is entirely reversed.

No offense, but if you're breaking, or by way of action causing the breaking of games, you're an idiot. They come in jewel cases for a reason. People don't just leave my Blu-Ray games lying around the house, the second anyone takes a game from my PS3 and lays it anywhere but inside the case it was purchased in, they receive a huge ration of shit for it, until they do the right thing.

That's the difference, my intelligence and forethought, keeps my games safe and secure. People who treat $60+ games like coasters, deserve to have no games.

No, they deserve their games, I just don't want to hear any bitching about how much they cost.

 

[robert022614]

i have to say i love physical media. i like my bookshelves full of books instead of on a kindle. the same goes for my video game collection. its nice to have everything there for you to see and touch. not saying im totally against download content i love that the PSN is making psone classics i thought id never get to play again available.

 

[Draksila]

The entire market for physical copies might not be dead for some time yet, but I believe the option to buy most if not all games digitally will come much sooner than 2020.

Call me a fogey, but I still take some comfort in owning physical copies of things. Games, movies, books... yes they can all be downloaded, but we're not yet in an era where computers are so infallible that you can't lose or corrupt one of the files you download.

Huh?
So what if your download gets corrupted?
Just download it again.
What if your physical copy breaks then?
Your argument is entirely reversed.

Your definition of 'reversed' is both odd and naive.

To take the medium of books as an example, there are books that are hundreds of years old. As in, the physical copy thereof. Those of us who take comfort in a physical copy of an item take pains to maintain it, as shown by mint collector's copies of comics, my father's old Betamax collection, and my collection of PC games that dates back to the days of DOS and Commodore 64/128.

On the other hand, while I use Sony's Playstation Network and download items frequently, I've had a few cases where the download binds to a single system as opposed to an account. When that system's motherboard gave out (it was one of the original PS3s), the company that provided the downloaded content refused to transfer it's ownership to the replacement system I purchased even after I provided faxed documentation showing that I had indeed bought a new system and wasn't trying to cheat to give my copy of their game to a friend.

I also have downloaded software that's become obsolete. After a year or two, the service that sold it to me either went under or just quit supporting that bit of software. If I had a physical copy, that wouldn't matter a bit. In addition, I've seen plenty of downloads (especially where PCs are involved) that give you a limited license; download the program/game/whatever two or three times and that's it, you have to buy a new one. If you're having hardware issues or are accident prone, that can potentially be a deal-breaker.

These are the problems I have with the idea of download only at this time. I like the idea that if my hardware breaks, be it because of an act of God or the carelessness of one of my children, I still have a copy of the software stashed somewhere and haven't lost it (and yes, I keep my movies/games/books out of the hands of my children and seperate from their own collections until I've taught them proper handling). Granted, there are anti-piracy measures out there that can cause similar issues with binding a program to a one-system use, so it's not a problem unique to downloaded software. Still, I take comfort in the physical copy being in my possession and not vaporware somewhere in the aether.

 

[Draksila]

Blah, double post. Sorry ladies and gents.

Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, interesting point by Nova5 above. I think I touched on something similar in my response to Denamic, but your more recent and direct example is good to see.

 

[Kapol]

Maybe they're just making up an excuse for that failure.

Or maybe they're just stating what they learned from trying. Which is, y'know, the more obvious possibility.

One failure, even more so one like the PSPgo, is no real reason to say that there will be no consoles like that for 10 years (which in terms of technology development is a LONG time). The PSPgo was a failure because the PSP had been out for years and there was no way for the people who had PSPs to get their games onto the Go, meaning they'd have to buy them all again. It would be different if it had exclusive games, or didn't have to deal with the majority of the people who would have interest in it already owning a PSP.

Plus, what about the Ipod Touch? It's download only and is fairly successful as being a portable console of sorts. Yes, it had other features, but so did the PSP and pretty much every other system out now.

My point is that having one of their consoles fail doesn't mean that it won't be until 2020 that consoles will only be digital, especially since it's becoming more and more common to download games anyways. The fact he said that there may never be a digital-only console when they already have one seems like he's trying to skirt around that system.

 

[Denamic]

To take the medium of books as an example, there are books that are hundreds of years old. As in, the physical copy thereof. Those of us who take comfort in a physical copy of an item take pains to maintain it, as shown by mint collector's copies of comics, my father's old Betamax collection, and my collection of PC games that dates back to the days of DOS and Commodore 64/128.

DVDs and Blu-rays will not last nearly as long as a CD.
Kinda like how a modern consoles will not work nearly as long as an 8-bit nintendo.
The tech is many times more complex and thus much more fragile in DVDs and especially blu-rays.
Either way, this doesn't really matter, because a HDD can last decades too.

On the other hand, while I use Sony's Playstation Network and download items frequently, I've had a few cases where the download binds to a single system as opposed to an account. When that system's motherboard gave out (it was one of the original PS3s), the company that provided the downloaded content refused to transfer it's ownership to the replacement system I purchased even after I provided faxed documentation showing that I had indeed bought a new system and wasn't trying to cheat to give my copy of their game to a friend.

Yeah, that sucks.
I don't see why you use this as an argument though.
It's just a shitty decision made by whatever people made it.

I also have downloaded software that's become obsolete. After a year or two, the service that sold it to me either went under or just quit supporting that bit of software. If I had a physical copy, that wouldn't matter a bit. In addition, I've seen plenty of downloads (especially where PCs are involved) that give you a limited license; download the program/game/whatever two or three times and that's it, you have to buy a new one. If you're having hardware issues or are accident prone, that can potentially be a deal-breaker.

And I've seen physical copies with DRM that limits the amount of times you can install it.
Isn't that exactly the same thing?
It's just retarded decisions made by retarded people.

I'm not saying that digital downloads are some kind of saviours of the industry.
It has its flaws, definitely.
Most of your arguments seem to be about shitty distributors rather than actual flaws of the concept.
Steam is a good example of how to do it right.

Also, God probably doesn't even exist, so don't blame 'him' when shit happens.