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[Zen_Arcade]

I'm fine with it as long as they keep making physical copies. There are too many benefits to them for me to want to give them up.

But I like that the option is there. More options are always good.

As someone who starts many evenings asking who wants to play what fighting game with me, I'm all digital these days. Fighting games have awful resale value, anyway.

However, I am miffed that no one out there is offering discounts for digital. Amazon Prime and Best Buy at 20% off physical copies only. What the crap? Why are digital customers second-rate?

Well on consoles, it's because digitally there is no competitor for the company's digital storefront. The only reason physical copies are cheaper is because that company wants you to buy the game at their store and not someone elses. Sony and Microsoft don't have this issue on console storefronts because the only place you can buy those games digitally is straight from them.

They're never going to give you the same deal as box stores will because there is no incentive for them to lower the price.

 

[Nesther]

I don't really mind. Games are games, I'm not going to quit playing games if physical boxes disappear like some people seem to plan on doing. I never sell my games anyway.

 

[User 479360]

Does the fact more and more games allow you to pre-load several days before launch alleviate some of the issues?

Yes and no. I often can't preload, and the slow Internet sets me back on writing projects.

I also worry about having expensive hard drives running for 30 hours straight to download games.

My friend lives in a new construction townhouse his in-laws bought for their family to live in, and he gets 300mb/s, which I would kill for. He can download these games in 30 minutes, and it's 30 hours for me. Frustrating stuff.

 

[0ptimusPayne]

I would love to go all digital, but I just can't stand how expensive it is. I wish the PSN/XBL stores would price match physical copies, then I would be all over it. Really thought Amazon would change the game when they announced digital copies for sale on their site, and they never put those copies on sale like the physical ones

 

[Steve Youngblood]

As someone who starts many evenings asking who wants to play what fighting game with me, I'm all digital these days. Fighting games have awful resale value, anyway.

However, I am miffed that no one out there is offering discounts for digital. Amazon Prime and Best Buy at 20% off physical copies only. What the crap? Why are digital customers second-rate?

Yeah. That's a big pet peeve of mine. Particularly now that Amazon does sell more and more digital codes now.

 

[fernoca]

Is that every Wii U release? I only own around 8 games for it >.>

Not even half.

 

[Goose_Se7en]

Not against digital. My entire PS Vita library (not including PS+ games) is digital.

I do own many digital games on PS4 & Xbox One but generally they're titles that I can't get physically.

Given the choice I'll buy physical copies when it comes to my home consoles and will continue to do so. Not for resale value because I don't trade games in or buy used just like having the physical copy.

Do I see myself every fully buying games digitally? Yea sure when they get the same discounts physical games do.

2-3 gens from now I envision everything being digital.

 

[Juanfp]

Yes and no. I often can't preload, and the slow Internet sets me back on writing projects.

I also worry about having expensive hard drives running for 30 hours straight to download games.

My friend lives in a new construction townhouse his in-laws bought for their family to live in, and he gets 300mb/s, which I would kill for. He can download these games in 30 minutes, and it's 30 hours for me. Frustrating stuff.

2 Mbps and all digital. I take 3 days to download a game I understand that frustation.

 

[TriAceJP]

Saying how almost all my gaming is done on PC, I've made peace with the idea of digital only.

I'll still always buy physical with my console when the option is available (plus that Best Buy/Amazon Prime discount only works on physical iirc) but if media releases stopped happening next gen I won't be too broken hearted.

And to be honest I'm running out of room for all these cases anyway

 

[Astery]

I called it when xbone reveal was trying to push digital, so I'm not surprised in any way.

Retail still has its place, especially in countries where bandwidth is a major concern.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Business is picking up good ole JR.jpg

 

[Wagram]

I'm all for options. I still purchase physical at the end of the day, but sometimes digital deals are too sweet to ignore.

 

[Lucentto]

I am touching myself as we speak.

 

[orochi91]

I am touching myself as we speak.

Lmao

 

[Stallion Dan]

Even with a disc you have to deal with installs. At least I can remotely start a download.

Takes like 30 seconds most games on PS4. That is including the time to put the disc in.

 

[LordBaztion]

I'm quite sad for the people who will lose their jobs at retailers but digital is just more convenient and benefits developers. I eventually will only buy special edition physical. My p/d radio is around 1/5 and shrinking

 

[flatearthpandas]

I'm contributing but I think it's a pretty dumb way for most people to go, especially with the great physical deals available through Best Buy and Amazon.

 

[Uncle Moe]

I don't object to being deprived of tchotchkes for my shelves as much as the deprivation of first-sale rights. I can't lend you my copy of Life is Strange, nor can I sell it on eBay. At minimum, digital games with a physical equivalent should provide buyers with a small price break as compensation.

 

[TLZ]

I only buy digital when its heavily discounted. If that trend continues I have no issue with it.

Same here. I don't feel comfortable spending $60 on digital. Anything between $0-$19 is ok for me.

 

[Worldshaker]

I buy 90% physical copies on consoles. I usually buy games on sale, something which doesn't happen on digital often.

The day consoles go full digital the day I only buy the must haves. At that point I might as well just buy everything on PC.

 

[GametimeUK]

I hate the thought of digital taking over console gaming. I hate the thought of purchases being tied to an account, especially given Sony and their incompetence and the amount of effort it could take to get your stuff back if lost. I don't like the power that would be given to their digital storefronts in regards to pricing. I'm not keen on download times, I hate the refund system (or lack of it), I hate that it will abolish second hand sales. P.T has been taken off the store, licenses could potentially tally be retroactively revoked (long shot, but a possibility).

Digital to me feels like it's for people who see gaming as a kind of disposable medium. A bit of a short sighted, live in the moment approach. Physical to me feels infinitely more secure and long lasting to me.

 

[AndrewRyan]

I take more risks on new release games due to having the option to sell. The biggest problem with the original xbone plan was trying to control the re-sellers since we all see how a gamestop type market works. If digital used games were available in an open market, that plan is a winner.

Digital was not a good way to go on the PS3 since they're not compatible with PS4. That's made me lean heavily towards PC for digital purchases. Without the option to sell though, games need be priced low or the developer has already earned my trust.

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

I'm fine with it as long as they keep making physical copies. There are too many benefits to them for me to want to give them up.

But I like that the option is there. More options are always good.

Well on consoles, it's because digitally there is no competitor for the company's digital storefront. The only reason physical copies are cheaper is because that company wants you to buy the game at their store and not someone elses. Sony and Microsoft don't have this issue on console storefronts because the only place you can buy those games digitally is straight from them.

They're never going to give you the same deal as box stores will because there is no incentive for them to lower the price.

I agree that limiting competition between storefronts could be a problem, but I'm curious as to how significant of a problem.

We know that as a storefront on an open platform Steam faces competition from other digital storefronts like GOG.

We know that Steam features a great number of games sold digitally at discount.

But did one cause the other? This is me genuinely asking as I'm curious and don't know a lot about Steam. How much control over pricing is enforced by Valve? For their seasonal sales, is Valve actively campaigning publishers to list their games for half price? Steam is the dominant platform for PC sales, correct? How dominant?

I'm guessing that lower prices for digital games is not caused by the existence of GOG and itch.io in addition to Steam, but it's based on some assumptions to those above questions.

 

[AyanFaust]

I dunno. I buy digital when it's a really good sale, but I still prefer physical. I like looking in my tv stand and seeing my collection, and limited edition versions are sometimes too awesome to pass up.

 

[Xenoflare]

Did the fact that both PS4 and XB1 require full installations of physical games made people buy digital more often?

 

[paragonpro]

Im all digital already. I for one welcome our new digital overlords. Kill those discs, save the trees!

 

[primasaurus]

Physical tends to be much cheaper, so I'm buying those even if I prefer digital, the affordability of physical shouldn't be ignored

 

[Fleshfeast]

I've been trying to go all digital since before consoles would really allow it. As more games are added to Xbox One's backwards compatibility list, I'm sure I'll be re-buying games just to have them digitally. Most of these are games I would have bought digitally in the first place, but on 360 the digital version almost always came months after the physical release, if at all.

 

[GametimeUK]

Did the fact that both PS4 and XB1 require full installations of physical games made people buy digital more often?

I don't think this is something the average consumer even knows or thinks about. Even friends that I have thought that games were still ran off the disc. It could be a factor for some, but I bet it isn't a majority thing. This actually sways me to physical. With only a 500gb hard drive, reinstalling games off the disc is faster than downloading. (I have great Internet too).

 

[BasilZero]

Not 100% on console but its more than previous years.

100% on PC though.

 

[Illucio]

I own more digital PS4 games, granted they're titles on sale or available for a cheaper price.

Bigger games like FFXV, Persona 5, Uncharted 4 will all be bought physically.

 

[neurosyphilis]

Still never buying digital.

 

[NeoGIF]

100% digital here as well on both PS4 and XB1, and can't really see myself going back to physical copies.

 

[poodaddy]

I'm fine with it. Nowadays most physical games are just discs in cheap cases with no manuals and a few download codes anyway. They are about as satisfying to own as an AOL disc.

This man. I'd understand the preoccupation for physical goods if they still served a purpose in the new gaming landscape, but they're just becoming more irrelevant as time goes on. As for me, I'm all digital this gen, even on the Wii U, so this is great news to me. For those who don't like digital, that's fine you don't have to; physical's not really going anywhere.....but eventually your "physical" products will just be download codes in jewel cases and even the games with discs will require large updates on release day just to be playable, so take that for what it's worth.

 

[Guardian Monkey]

My only gripe is that it will keep game prices up longer than normal for console games. If it hits pc type pricing then we will be fine.

 

[EdgeXL]

I am proud to contribute to the digital future.

 

[Faenix1]

Digital-only will happen soon, but I was hoping I'd have a few more years. My net is too unstable for big digital games.


This gen stores don't even stock games long it seems.

 

[VicDaMoan03]

Mostly physical but I wish there was a way to convert your copy to digital. I guess I've gotten lazy but changing discs have become a pain lately.

For example right now I'm playing Battlefront and Fallout, both physical. I wish one was digital so I didn't have to worry about switching discs every time.

 

[dano1]

Probably 90 % for me.

 

[DeadlyParasite]

I've been digital-only for the entirety of this console generation and it's been great. A solid 4 terabyte external really helps.

 

[Miracle]

Don't really care at all as long as they continue making physical games as well.

 

[notaskwid]

90% of that are Halo sales.

 

[Tyraniboah]

I only buy digital for games on sale really cheap or for games I know I'll never sell or that I'll play repeatedly. I'm wary because I always want to have access to a handful of them and I don't think digital is the way to do it. Otherwise I'd be all digital. Plus, with having a kid and getting a dog sometime soon, it's nice knowing I only have to replace the box and not a bunch of discs and cases should my stuff get damaged.

 

[On Demand]

I'm never going 100% digital. Physical copies are too personal and beneficial.

 

[Coffee Dog]

I'll keep buying physical on consoles as long as it keeps being cheaper for me. While the convenience factor is there, I still have to get up to change controllers, plug or unplug things, etc, and reselling is pretty important to me as well. I won't be upset when physical copies stop being offered, as I assume that digital sales will become more frequent as well.

I've been all digital on handhelds since forever, though, the convenience there is absolutely insane. So I guess if I get the NX handheld I'll keep that up.

 

[CielTynave]

Given how shit my internet speeds can be, how large games are, and how little space there is available comparatively on PS4 by default, I try not to go digital unless it's like $40 cheaper than physical or has a file size 10GB or less.

 

[elitewillie1]

I'm all digital. I usually stock up on psn and Xbox gift cards when they are on sale. Last year I got like $500 for each with 20% off. That had me covered for all year and I still have $100 on each system left to use. All digital is way too convenient for me as I play several games at the same time.

 

[outunderthestars]

All digital here as well. I don't own any physical media outside out reference books. Happy to be rid of the clutter.

As the poster above me mentions, once you get cards at a discount and wait for a digital sale, you can save a ton of money while still going digital.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

I've mostly transitioned to digital. Just easier.

 

[minkymuskyslyoldstoaty]

I hate the thought of digital taking over console gaming. I hate the thought of purchases being tied to an account, especially given Sony and their incompetence and the amount of effort it could take to get your stuff back if lost. I don't like the power that would be given to their digital storefronts in regards to pricing. I'm not keen on download times, I hate the refund system (or lack of it), I hate that it will abolish second hand sales. P.T has been taken off the store, licenses could potentially tally be retroactively revoked (long shot, but a possibility).

Digital to me feels like it's for people who see gaming as a kind of disposable medium. A bit of a short sighted, live in the moment approach. Physical to me feels infinitely more secure and long lasting to me.

This is exactly how I feel.