Moving toward digital distribution

[smokehouse]

Buy a physical game, play it, beat it, sell it for 60% of retail price. Buy digital, get nothing back.

Itsdoesntaddup.jpg

This is and has been the key all along. Game developers despise the used market and have long wanted it gone. For a few years now, we are at a point where you can download games with no physical media required. No physical media = no used market.

Personally, I'm done with modern gaming. My PS3 was bought in early 2008 and that is the last new system I picked up. Glitchy games, pay to play, micro transactions, pay to win...none of these things interest me in the slightest.

I may be wrong on this one, but I have a feeling the big gaming market is going to cut its own throat...only time will tell.

 

[Gentle Ben]

This is and has been the key all along. Game developers despise the used market and have long wanted it gone. For a few years now, we are at a point where you can download games with no physical media required. No physical media = no used market.

Personally, I'm done with modern gaming. My PS3 was bought in early 2008 and that is the last new system I picked up. Glitchy games, pay to play, micro transactions, pay to win...none of these things interest me in the slightest.

I may be wrong on this one, but I have a feeling the big gaming market is going to cut its own throat...only time will tell.

Agreed. I had actually decided I wasn't going to get any of the current gen machines, but my buddy bought me an Xbone Xmas of '15. I played Alien Isolation, and that kind of reinvigorated me on current gen, ended up getting a PS4 as well.
One day I came home from work, wanting to play some game on XBone. Turned on system, massive update waiting. OK, let that run, turn on PS4. Massive update also waiting. YOu gotta be kiddin' me!?
OK, leave that updating, turn on 3DS to play Fire Emblem. FUCKING UPDATE NEEDED!!!
And don't get me freakin started on the whole "dashboard changes every other month" on XBone. Honestly, XBone is the home of many of my complaints about modern gaming.
I use the current gen consoles way less than retro consoles.

 

[smokehouse]

Agreed. I had actually decided I wasn't going to get any of the current gen machines, but my buddy bought me an Xbone Xmas of '15. I played Alien Isolation, and that kind of reinvigorated me on current gen, ended up getting a PS4 as well.
One day I came home from work, wanting to play some game on XBone. Turned on system, massive update waiting. OK, let that run, turn on PS4. Massive update also waiting. YOu gotta be kiddin' me!?
OK, leave that updating, turn on 3DS to play Fire Emblem. FUCKING UPDATE NEEDED!!!
And don't get me freakin started on the whole "dashboard changes every other month" on XBone. Honestly, XBone is the home of many of my complaints about modern gaming.
I use the current gen consoles way less than retro consoles.

I call that "updating your update while you're updating the update"...

I still get updates on my PS3...an 11 year old console for christ's sake...

I've been knuckle deep in my RetroPie and I've been loving the thing, it would take a game of the century to come out to force me into buying a PS4.

 

[NeoSneth]

Buy a physical game, play it, beat it, sell it for 60% of retail price. Buy digital, get nothing back.

Itsdoesntaddup.jpg

To be fair.... Microsoft had digital resale and digital trading with the Xbox One launch planned.
.....the public had a tantrum over the required DRM. All those features were quickly stripped out. It's not like DRM has gone away with all that pouting either.

 

[smokehouse]

To be fair.... Microsoft had digital resale and digital trading with the Xbox One launch planned.
.....the public had a tantrum over the required DRM. All those features were quickly stripped out. It's not like DRM has gone away with all that pouting either.

They're going to have their way, plain and simple. Physical media for video games will be long gone here sooner or later, its only a matter of time.

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

I don't do PC terminals masquerading around as home consoles. Real gaming imo died after PS2. To the original poster, you put up a valiant effort to conform but playing video games should not be a chore.
BB

To be fair, Nintendo still makes non-PC game consoles. The Gamecube, Wii and Wii U were all PowerPC based, which hasn't been used to make a home computer since 2006. The Switch is ARM based like the DS, 3DS and most smartphones.

 

[fake]

TL;DR, but here are my thoughts.

Yeah, it sucks that games are going mostly digital. But it actually fits nicely with the fact that I don't have any more room for games, and I'd rather keep my vintage games than sell them to make space for modern games. So with the exception of my favorite series (Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Bayonetta, etc.), I'd be OK with just downloading everything.

To be fair, Nintendo still makes non-PC game consoles. The Gamecube, Wii and Wii U were all PowerPC based, which hasn't been used to make a home computer since 2006. The Switch is ARM based like the DS, 3DS and most smartphones.

Yep. I'd say that the gen after PS2 wouldn't really count as "consolized PCs" either. 360 and Wii were PowerPC. PS3 was a custom box of tomfuckery.

My biggest turnoff about the Switch is that it really is a tablet that just happens to play Nintendo games. It's a SoC FFS.

 

[fake]

Merp. Double post.

 

[Liquid Snake]

Like it or not, digital is the way forward. First of all, there's no point buying physical games that require updates in order to function properly.

From an environmental standpoint, manufacturing and distributing physical products produces a lot of waste and pollution. Thanks to demand from collectards we now have ridiculous things such as the Battle Garegga release where a download code was shipped to people in a fancy box.

All this retro junk that people are currently jizzing themselves over will eventually end up in a landfill with the rest of the trash.

EDIT: Another issue I forgot to mention is the potential for CD/DVD/BR drive failure is much higher than HDD failure. My Wii U drive recently died. All my games are on disc so I have to replace the drive/console in order to continue playing them. If I had purchased the digital copies, I would still be able to play them.

Get rid of your Mega Drive collection thx k

 

[Morden]

Personally, I'm done with modern gaming. My PS3 was bought in early 2008 and that is the last new system I picked up. Glitchy games, pay to play, micro transactions, pay to win...none of these things interest me in the slightest.

These things are always a matter of personal preference, but I too have noticed I'm less and less drawn to modern games. I do own current generation consoles, but during the past six months or so, I've only bought one PS4 title. And I don't own a Switch.

I don't play online, so lootboxes and paying to win doesn't really affect me, but when I know a game I'm interested in is getting DLC expansions, I'll wait for a Game of the Year, Complete Edition, or whatever you want to call it. I don't mind waiting. At all. I bought Mortal Kombat X and XL, but only after they were released with all of the characters. Street Fighter x Tekken taught me that when it comes to fighting games these days. Back then I only got half of the game, and I've never paid for the remaining characters.

I pick and choose my games, but from this generation forward, I'll be picking and choosing consoles, too. Enough is enough. I'm done buying launch hardware.

 

[smokehouse]

These things are always a matter of personal preference, but I too have noticed I'm less and less drawn to modern games. I do own current generation consoles, but during the past six months or so, I've only bought one PS4 title. And I don't own a Switch.

I don't play online, so lootboxes and paying to win doesn't really affect me, but when I know a game I'm interested in is getting DLC expansions, I'll wait for a Game of the Year, Complete Edition, or whatever you want to call it. I don't mind waiting. At all. I bought Mortal Kombat X and XL, but only after they were released with all of the characters. Street Fighter x Tekken taught me that when it comes to fighting games these days. Back then I only got half of the game, and I've never paid for the remaining characters.

I pick and choose my games, but from this generation forward, I'll be picking and choosing consoles, too. Enough is enough. I'm done buying launch hardware.

I'll gladly admit that it's me and (for the most part) not the industry. I do not like first person games, never have, I do not enjoy one on one fighters either. I'm a product of the late 80's/early 90's...I like JRPGs, platformers, beat em ups.

I'm sure there are modern games out there that I'd enjoy...I'm just no longer willing to seek them out. Again, that's not the industry, that's me. I'll gladly admit that games are bloated all to hell and the way the gaming industry is handling things is not something I agree with...but it doesn't make it black and white. I often wonder what 10 year old me (what I was in 1987) would think of modern games...I'm guessing I'd love them as much as a 10 year old does now.

I mentioned it earleir, I'm currently running a RetroPie...something not really possible years ago. It has allowed me to play hundreds of NES, SNES, Genesis, and arcade titles that I haven't seen/played for years. I lived on the thing last week...so I obviously am still willing to game. I'm watching the Switch from a distance to see how it pans out, if small batch games continue to come out for it, I may look into getting one eventually.

 

[100proof]

While I can appreciate people being upset about DRM and not having reselling rights on things they paid for, you've already lost that battle. Steam resurrected the PC gaming industry, Xbox Live Arcade breathed life back in to 2D gaming as an art form and patching/DLC makes the 1s and 0s on your discs irrelevant.

Yeah, not being able to sell that shit on fleabay when you're hard up for cash or your wife divorces you because you had a room full of plastic shit in your house is a bummer but that was never the point of video games for me. I still own about 100 games across all platforms... mostly the old games that truly mean something to me. But I also have two 4 TB hard drives in my media server that contains every video game ever made thru 2005. I love playing games, I don't care about looking at the retail packaging they came in.

Plus the sooner digital comes around, the quicker Gamestop dies a painful, well-deserved death. Fuck that company.

 

[GregN]

When the PSP Go was released, I thought it was ridiculous. Limited storage and games put me off. Flash forward to the N3DSXL. It got me addicted to DL gaming. It's nice to just open it up, select a game and you won't have to worry about carrying matchbook-sized game carts or losing them. I was like the above poster - WiiU and PS3, and X360 will be my last systems. I have an Xbone, PS4, Switch, but I only play RB4 on Xbone. PS4 is a a little better with Jgames. Switch I haven't touched in months - too many indie games that don't interest me.

 

[Mr Bakaboy]

While I can appreciate people being upset about DRM and not having reselling rights on things they paid for, you've already lost that battle. Steam resurrected the PC gaming industry, Xbox Live Arcade breathed life back in to 2D gaming as an art form and patching/DLC makes the 1s and 0s on your discs irrelevant.

Yeah, not being able to sell that shit on fleabay when you're hard up for cash or your wife divorces you because you had a room full of plastic shit in your house is a bummer but that was never the point of video games for me. I still own about 100 games across all platforms... mostly the old games that truly mean something to me. But I also have two 4 TB hard drives in my media server that contains every video game ever made thru 2005. I love playing games, I don't care about looking at the retail packaging they came in.

Plus the sooner digital comes around, the quicker Gamestop dies a painful, well-deserved death. Fuck that company.

Seconded.

Personally I don't understand the fascination with owning the original unless you have a separation anxiety with something you used to own or a sheer desire to own something you never got to own as a child.

 

[smokehouse]

Seconded.

Personally I don't understand the fascination with owning the original unless you have a separation anxiety with something you used to own or a sheer desire to own something you never got to own as a child.

Honestly...I don't like paying full price to borrow something. I do not like that my rights to that item can be taken away via many different means. If you want to sell me a download only, non physical piece of media that I cannot resell or trade at a later date, I do not want to pay full price for it.

Who cares if a shithole like gamestop will only give me $10 on a trade in game? It's better than the guaranteed $0 I'll get out of a DL only copy.

 

[RAZO]

I'll tell you one thing I don't like about online downloads is that now you have to hold onto the console or get rid of it and lose everything you purchased if you decide to sell it. Microsoft is at least trying to bring stuff from the 360 to the Xbox One but Sony is making you buy shit over again.

I don't know about you guys but I'm getting too old to be hoarding shit. Just give me One Sony Console that is backwards compatible all the way to the ps1 era and a Xbox console that is backwards compatible all the way to the OG Xbox and don't make me rebuy these games.

Ahhhh, what do I care at this point. Fuck it, just get rid of it all and that way you don't have to think about it. Steam is the only online gaming app that seems to make sense.

 

[famicommander]

Most Steam users are just digital collectards anyway. Buy 30 games in the Steam sale you're never going to install, much less play, then tell everyone what a great deal you got.

 

[Yoshi]

Plus the sooner digital comes around, the quicker Gamestop dies a painful, well-deserved death. Fuck that company.

Amen to this.

Honestly...I don't like paying full price to borrow something. I do not like that my rights to that item can be taken away via many different means. If you want to sell me a download only, non physical piece of media that I cannot resell or trade at a later date, I do not want to pay full price for it.

Digital versions are full price because of places like GameStop. They would go ape shit if people could buy the same game cheaper, and the publisher would likely lose shelf space in retaliation. This is exacerbated by the fact that physical copies are more expensive to produce, specially cartridges like the Switch uses. There are already some multiplatform games where the Switch version is more expensive, and that price bump is also passed along to digital Switch users.

I'll tell you one thing I don't like about online downloads is that now you have to hold onto the console or get rid of it and lose everything you purchased if you decide to sell it. Microsoft is at least trying to bring stuff from the 360 to the Xbox One but Sony is making you buy shit over again.

I don't know about you guys but I'm getting too old to be hoarding shit. Just give me One Sony Console that is backwards compatible all the way to the ps1 era and a Xbox console that is backwards compatible all the way to the OG Xbox and don't make me rebuy these games.

That's largely the way it works on PC. I can play every Steam game from almost 20 years ago on my current hardware, and GOG continues to give even older games new digital life. Disney recently restored online support to the original, non-EA Battlefront II.

One advantage of digital that I have not seen discussed is that you can support the developers and publishers much more easily. When I buy a 10-year old game on Steam, I'm supporting the people that made it. When you buy a 10-year old game on ebay or God forbid at GameStop, you're just supporting some asshole who likely hasn't contributed anything to gaming.

edit: It's also worth noting that Steam/GoG/Origin/etc. update games automatically as patches are released, so the only way you'll have to wait to play is if your PC has been turned off, or if you happen to have unfortunate timing.

 

[marktheshark]

I don't even bother with digital distribution unless the game in question happens to be DRM-free, which certainly has its benefits. It's nice being able to back digital games up to as many hard drives as you want without any restrictions.

However, one thing that has always worried me about digital distribution is that games with licensed material will eventually be removed when the developer or publisher loses the license (Scott Pilgrim, After Burner Climax, and the various Transformers games that were on Steam). A bigger worry is that the digital stores will shut down someday, affecting pretty much everything on that store. XBLA is already over 12 years old, and both the Wii Shop Channel and the PS3 Playstation store are both over 11 years old. In fact, the Wii Shop Channel is going to be shut down in 2019.

 

[Mr Bakaboy]

Honestly...I don't like paying full price to borrow something. I do not like that my rights to that item can be taken away via many different means. If you want to sell me a download only, non physical piece of media that I cannot resell or trade at a later date, I do not want to pay full price for it.

Who cares if a shithole like gamestop will only give me $10 on a trade in game? It's better than the guaranteed $0 I'll get out of a DL only copy.

Most games can stop playing by many different means. I've had to replace a few games simply because I played them too much and my hard copies of multiple 360 games are all cracked in the center. Most digital games will be in your collection long enough that they can be emulated on PC for free.

 

[Heinz]

I like digital distribution, no more fucking discs! I can download the game faster than I can physically buy it, it doesn't take up any physical room, there is significantly lower install time (especially PC.. GTAV is a good 4 hour example) and did I mention no clutter?

Maybe this is a problem for people who buy 30 games a year and can't sell them later but I'm not one of them. I might buy a couple games a year? could care less about all the bullshit of selling it second hand to what? get change back? what a waste of fucking time.

To me, gaming was not always JUST about the games, it had a tactile facet to it. Putting a cartridge into a console, having a game in your hands...I miss that.

You're living in the past, in some ways it's a nice trip but living there is bullshit.

 

[oliverclaude]

I like digital distribution, no more fucking discs! [...] You're living in the past, in some ways it's a nice trip but living there is bullshit.

It's not that you have a choice there. Living per se is bullshit, one way of can, at most, sting lesser than the other -- and that's only, if you have the snobby nose of an aristocrat. Are you by any chance the Viscount Bruce of Melbourne? Just being curious .

 

[100proof]

Honestly...I don't like paying full price to borrow something. I do not like that my rights to that item can be taken away via many different means. If you want to sell me a download only, non physical piece of media that I cannot resell or trade at a later date, I do not want to pay full price for it.

Then don't pay full price. The only company that doesn't consistently run good sales on digital goods at this point is Nintendo and, well, you're a moron if you're buying digital goods from Nintendo.

Video games don't have to be an investment that needs to retain a certain degree of value over time. That line of thinking is part of what leads us to the ridiculous gouging and speculation of the used games market. If we move to digital distribution, there will never be another $600 Panzer Dragoon Saga or $1,000 Hagane or whatever other "rare gems" bullshit people complain about. Anyone can buy any available game at any time on Steam, they never run out of copies and the price will never go above retail. Plus every game goes on sale at least four times a year.

 

[RAZO]

Then don't pay full price. The only company that doesn't consistently run good sales on digital goods at this point is Nintendo and, well, you're a moron if you're buying digital goods from Nintendo.

Video games don't have to be an investment that needs to retain a certain degree of value over time. That line of thinking is part of what leads us to the ridiculous gouging and speculation of the used games market. If we move to digital distribution, there will never be another $600 Panzer Dragoon Saga or $1,000 Hagane or whatever other "rare gems" bullshit people complain about. Anyone can buy any available game at any time on Steam, they never run out of copies and the price will never go above retail. Plus every game goes on sale at least four times a year.

Yea Same here, I only paid for two full price digital games in my lifetime and I'll never do that again. One was Street Fighter 5, I got fucked on that one and the other was Witcher 3 because I wanted to see what my gpu could do and the game is pretty damn good.

I only buy digital games when they go on sale. Even if it's one of those big budget games, I wait till it drops under $20. Yea, Nintendo digital shit hardly ever go's down in price. Makes no sense buying anything from them online unless they have a sale and everything they have for sale is shit that no one wants.