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[cakely]

Ugh, I hate ignorant comments like this. You don't pay more for digital.

It's not ignorance, you do pay more for digital.

The reality of the matter is that physical console games are cheaper to buy at launch than digital console games, because of policies like Best Buy Gamers Club, Amazon prime, and others. After launch, physical games go on sale long before digital prices drop.

I will keep buying physical games for consoles because of cheaper prices, the convenience of lending my games, much quicker install times, and the satisfaction of having a collection of tangible goods.

 

[Melchiah]

But look at the cost of games over time. SNES games cost between $50-60 in 1991, which adjusted for inflation is $87-104 today. We now pay significantly less for games than we used to, despite the fact that the cost of development has risen insanely high. It's why bigger budget games need to sell multiple millions of copies to remain profitable now, leading to mid-budget developers and publishers exiting the industry, and a noticeable lack of risk-taking with new IP. Higher profit margins for developers and publishers from digital sales is exactly the solution we need, since consumers don't have to face a price increase for the same end result.

...

I also think it's bizarre to assume digital will replace physical. Physical Collector's Editions will always exist for obvious reasons, and there will always be a market for physical standard copies of games in supermarkets (in the UK at least). Dedicated game stores might well fade away soon, but any store that caters to a wide range of consumer markets will sell games. Same way digital books and music haven't, and will never, replace physical equivalents. Digital will take market share from physical, but if you love the idea of buying physical forever you've got nothing to worry about.

The thing is, I can get the physical edition for 60€, whereas the digital one usually costs 70€. Paying more for less, and more restrictions, is a no-no to me. And the digital versions don't include a digital soundtrack and concept art, like the physical special editions do. It's beyond me, why they don't offer those in the digital side.

I've made an exception with few games, like Driveclub and Destiny, which I bought digitally for the convenience, as I knew I would be playing them often. I also didn't have a need for the aforementioned extra content with these two games.

 

[SmokedMeat]

But look at the cost of games over time. SNES games cost between $50-60 in 1991, which adjusted for inflation is $87-104 today. We now pay significantly less for games than we used to, despite the fact that the cost of development has risen insanely high.

If only wages rose to.

In 1991 I was fresh out of high school making $9.60hr in retail. There's still people working in retail for much less in 2015, so I don't care to hear how cheap everything really is. It's not.

 

[Hostile_18]

People saying that in an all digital future on console there would be no competition but that is only part true. Publishers would still compete on price. If two triple A blockbusters come out at Christmas one is 45 pounds and the other is say 75 outside of the hardcore fans the general public is going to vote with their wallet (and gamers are more vocal than most).

Sales on classic titles will always be available as a way to increase interest in products once sales have slowed down at market entry price.

 

[Neo_Geo]

Sounds ignorant and wasteful, especially since there is no guarantee the games will work on whatever next box the console companies put out. To each their own, it's not illegal to make dumb decisions.

 

[Stilton Disco]

In the UK at least digital games can be as much as £20 more expensive brand new than the equivalent physical product in a shop, until this changes I'm staying mostly physical. You'd need to have money to burn to waste that amount regularly buying games brand new digitally.

Also, Nintendo really needs to get a proper account system before I'm comfortable buying too many digital releases on their side. They again also suffer massively from pricing at MSRP when the rest of the market ignores it.

This. Until Consoles catch up to PC's when it comes to pricing, if they ever do, you're either far wealthier than I am or a complete mug to not buy the far cheaper physical copies of games.

Even a year or more after launch, unless it was a seriously limited run, console games are almost always significantly cheaper physically.

And that's without even getting into the second hand market and trade in deals.

Also, yeah, Nintendo really need to sort their shit out.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Sounds ignorant and wasteful, especially since there is no guarantee the games will work on whatever next box the console companies put out. To each their own, it's not illegal to make dumb decisions.

hows those ps3 discs working on the ps4?

 

[Heimbeck]

Sounds ignorant and wasteful, especially since there is no guarantee the games will work on whatever next box the console companies put out. To each their own, it's not illegal to make dumb decisions.

Yeah this is one thing that really needs to improve.
If I buy anything digitally, movies, books , music etc. they all work with the next thing I buy I don't have to get my old Kindle out if I want to read a book I purchased years ago.
Everything is like this, except for games.
The fact that nothing carries over should stop now that you can get every game digitally, but somehow I doubt the PS5 will play everything you purchased on PS4.

 

[SmokedMeat]

hows those ps3 discs working on the ps4?

You sell them when you get rid of the system. Let me know how you make out selling your digital games.

 

[Hostile_18]

Sounds ignorant and wasteful, especially since there is no guarantee the games will work on whatever next box the console companies put out. To each their own, it's not illegal to make dumb decisions.

I think it's almost guaranteed that digital purchases will carry over now a) because of the architecture b) because unless both Sony and Microsoft don't offer it, the competing company will be at a huge disadvantage. Offering backwards compatability like Apple and Nintendo is a huge hook to retaining customers.

 

[cakely]

hows those ps3 discs working on the ps4?

My PS3 discs work really well in my PS3, which didn't vanish when I bought my PS4. Thank you for asking.

 

[TheHolyTurnip]

Digital helps the environment, allows publishers/developers to keep a larger percentage of revenue, and it has ease of use since you don't need to manage or swap discs.

This is false, OP.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/189268-digital-game-downloads-are-worse-for-the-environment-than-blu-ray-discs

The study, published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, focuses on the carbon footprint of games distribution — specifically, an 8.8GB PlayStation 3 game — using the metrics of a typical UK production and distribution cycle. When measuring carbon emissions, there are more factors that go into the both the physical retail and digital cycles than it may seem. Aside from the obvious metric of factories creating the discs and packaging, other factors — such as the vehicles used to deliver the products, and the output created when eventually disposing of the items — contribute to the overall footprint. The same applies to digitally distributed games, like if televisions and monitors are powered on during a long download — something that doesn’t apply to purchasing a retail disc.

Surprisingly, it turned out that the carbon emissions of a retail disc — including the production, vehicle delivery, and so on — were actually lower than that of a downloaded game.

 

[binarymelon]

I prefer digital, because as many have said, it's just far more convenient. My big issue is we're never going to see any savings passed along to the consumer. Publishers are already seeing increased margins on the sales of digital goods and they're not all of a sudden going to wipe that away. People can say the cost of games has never been cheaper, but quite frankly they're wrong. Games have never been more expensive. We're getting less for the same price, with shorter support windows, more costly content updates (DLC, season passes) and the community/industry has evolved where you're buying more games than you ever did.

 

[Maelstorm1226]

I would love an all digital future for games. I'm there already with music and getting there with movies. I just don't see it happening for quite a few years though, in the US, at least. Our internet in the US is monopolized and we few choices for ISP providers. The price of Internet is outrageously high and Comcast is implementing data caps. I'm sure other ISPs have data caps as well in the US. We, as consumers, have spoken out against Comcast, but we can do very little when they are our only option as an ISP and implement data caps.

Trust me, I want a digital future, but the infrastructure in the US for the mass market just isn't there, yet. If Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and other game publishers want a digital future, they will need to battle the ISPs to get the infrastructure up to speed.

 

[SMOK3Y]

This is false, OP.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/189268-digital-game-downloads-are-worse-for-the-environment-than-blu-ray-discs

Yeah funnily enough i remember seeing a show saying the same about electric compared to petrol cars

 

[mangochutney]

Who buys from physical? Lol. Seriously, digital all the way, its conviniant and easy. Preloading games a week before release has been a godsend, I can play 12am on the dot without queing up or waiting for Amazon. Digital only from here on out.

Who buys from digital? Lol. Seriously, physical all the way, its conviniant and easy. Receiving many games ahead of street date has been a godsend, I can play before 12am on the dot without having to wait for a timer to count down. Physical only from here on out.

Oh, and it's like 30-35% cheaper. And if the game is straight up garbage I can trade it in or sell it on. If my friend wants to play it for himself I just give it to him, and then I hand him the disc. And if I need space on my console I can delete it and pop the disc back in later and I don't have to wait ages to re-download it.

 

[Heimbeck]

I would love an all digital future for games. I'm there already with music and getting there with movies.

Well you could go all digital though, there being no other option doesn't mean you can't get every game digitally if you wanted.

 

[NoWayOut]

Coming from PC (since the DOS days) and having been using Steam since it was launched, for me it's digital only. I got a PS4 last year and I buy everything digital unless physical is WAY cheaper (which here in Canada rarely is).

I'm not interested in reselling games so for me the convenience outweighs the cons.

 

[Anno]

I would say that as someone who hasn't owned a console for a long time this makes me slightly more interested. I still think there's a ton of work to do before I'm in, but I'm glad that digital is becoming more viable on console.

 

[Maelstorm1226]

Well you could go all digital though, there being no other option doesn't mean you can't get every game digitally if you wanted.

Trust me, I would love to go all digital, but it seems Comcast is about to implement a data cap in my area. I can't go all digital if Comcast implements a cap on my internet. My only other option is DSL @ 2mbps. Can't go digital then either. I'm buying more games physically now so that when/if Comcast implements the cap, the transition is easier for me.

 

[EPaul]

It could be cheaper and more convenient for me to buy my games cause i import all my games. The downside is my internet bandwidth sucks so it would that days to download a 50gb game which is the normal size of a AAA game these days.

 

[Maligna]

When I can buy Borderlands Collection for $28 and Sleeping Dogs Remastered for $10 on PSN like I have these past two weeks, there's no reason to buy physical. Plus there's no sales tax on PSN.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

All things being equal digital only is my preferred method of buying, but prices don't seem to drop as much for digital as they do for physical on consoles. It the two are priced the same I get digital, otherwise I get whatever is cheaper, which is almost always physical.

 

[Lord Phol]

I love that you can buy games online and that there's sales, I just wish the consoles came with bigger HDDs out of the box.

 

[Kill3r7]

More digital releases and better sales on digital games.

 

[Bolivar687]

It's great that we have more options and business models but I did shift my purchasing habits back more towards physical this year. Games just feel far more disposable to me this Gen and I'd rather have the option to donate or sell a game if I want, rather than have it tied to an account in perpetuity. Digital makes sense on PC, where games are less focused on self-contained single player narratives. I want to revisit those games down the line on new machines. But for the console ecosystem, it's really not much more convenient, especially considering it's easier to install a AAA game with a disc than a download.

It's also scary hearing digital has a bigger carbon footprint than physical.

 

[TechJunk]

I went pretty much all digital for the PS3 360 era. My music, movie and photo collections have been all digital for a long time too, why not games?

 

[Birgitte2004]

I don't want raw digital numbers.

I want digital numbers on titles which also include a physical release.

How much of the digital money is because people chose to buy digital?

I mean, if there were say...100% more digital releases this year and Physical releases were about the same, then you'd expect digital $ to go up, with no indication at all that this means people are shifting to digital. Note: Please don't tell me this didn't happen, I know it didn't happen, I'm trying to explain my point.

 

[Nameless]

You sell them when you get rid of the system. Let me know how you make out selling your digital games.

The resell argument ignores the fact that you take an insultingly massive loss that only grows the longer you wait to resell/trade-in a game. I've been gaming a long time and have always purged most of my old gen games when upgrading to a new console, and in each instance it would have been better just to keep my old shit instead of taking pennies on the dollar, but you have a new system and want as many new games as possible so you say fuck it.

 

[Rezae]

I like it. I used to like staring at my physical collection as much as anyone, but at this point I like the clean and clutter-free look. The few physical games I have left I barely play compared to digital ones. I know it's not much effort to get up and change a disk or cartridge, but if I'm just grabbing a controller or handheld, I normally jump into whatever is already at my fingertips. I also think there is a blurring of digital vs physical due to all the day 1 patches, constant updates, persistent online connections, etc. The days of having a physical disk as future proofing vs networks going down is getting more complicated.

 

[TheSpoiler]

I like it. The more people that go digital, the more they'll keep giving incentives to keep floating the boat. The deals on PSN have only gotten better, compared to the meager offering before Plus.

Besides, I go digital with games that aren't of high priority due to space. I'll collect them from certain developers and certain games, but otherwise, if you ain't a part of that group, I go digital.

 

[Enter The 36 Chambers]

All digital for me at this point. It's just way too convenient.

Yep.

I only buy a game or two a year on release at full price. Even then I use the US MS store trick and get them cheaper.

Hail digital baby.

 

[cakely]

I think it's almost guaranteed that digital purchases will carry over now

I agree that it's possible, but it is far, far from guaranteed.

 

[LUXURY]

I feel sick.

 

[Phoenix944]

When I can buy Borderlands Collection for $28 and Sleeping Dogs Remastered for $10 on PSN like I have these past two weeks, there's no reason to buy physical. Plus there's no sales tax on PSN.

Yea but how much time do you need to wait for those prices ? Also, I'm sure you can find used copy of these games for these prices.

Digital sale are good, but for most game it's not worth it (on console at least)

 

[robertlebrone]

I go digital in pretty much all cases. I really wish Best Buy and Amazon would get on board and offer discounts on digital codes like they do for physical copies. As it stands I've only purchased one game through either service (Splatoon for my kids Christmas gift) since signing up.

I have no use hard copies of games these days.

 

[Darryl M R]

I went all digital 6 months into the current gen console life. I enjoy a very minimalistic lifestyle where I can just go to a home screen and play whatever game I have.

I just need to find a way to get my games for less. I think getting a Target red card can let me get 5% off PSN cards

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

I feel that the doom and gloomers in NPD threads anytime retail software sales are down YoY can go kick rocks.

 

[Darkstorne]

The thing is, I can get the physical edition for 60€, whereas the digital one usually costs 70€. Paying more for less, and more restrictions, is a no-no to me. And the digital versions don't include a digital soundtrack and concept art, like the physical special editions do. It's beyond me, why they don't offer those in the digital side.

Yep, pricing is definitely an issue over here in the EU, I agree with you that we need parity. I've noticed (in the UK at least) that it's only a few games that try pulling this stunt though. Ubisoft seems to try their luck with higher prices. The majority of digital games seem to match physical prices at launch though. It's a few months after release that physical stores get competitive with pricing though, whereas digital sticks to launch price, and that's when physical becomes much cheaper. I'm not sure how that can be addressed either.

As for special and collector's editions offering bonus content, I think we'll see that change over time. Certainly on PC it's incredibly common to have soundtracks and art PDFs bundled with digital special editions. It will happen for consoles soon enough.

If only wages rose to.

In 1991 I was fresh out of high school making $9.60hr in retail. There's still people working in retail for much less in 2015, so I don't care to hear how cheap everything really is. It's not.

I didn't say games we're cheap. I said they're cheaper. Average wage today is definitely higher than it was in '91, including minimum wage, whereas video games have stayed at almost the exact same price for 25 years. All this despite the cost of developing games increasing significantly, and the profit developers/publishers get per unit being much lower as a result. $60 digital games ensure developers/publishers get the bigger profit margins per unit they so desperately need, without forcing the consumers to pay more. It's a great solution to a big problem.

 

[Heimbeck]

Yep, pricing is definitely an issue over here in the EU, I agree with you that we need parity. I've noticed (in the UK at least) that it's only a few games that try pulling this stunt though. Ubisoft seems to try their luck with higher prices. The majority of digital games seem to match physical prices at launch though.

I'll have to disagree, most digital games launch at £55 and I can almost always get them for £40 physical at launch.
The only ones I can think of that are the same are some MS first party games, but even then you can get a few quid off if you shop around.

 

[LordWillin]

Eh, whatever. I prefer physical discs, and I'll continue to buy those when that's an option... but I'm not necessarily opposed to a game being digital-only, either.

I agree with this. And as the games get bigger, companies will need to provide larger capacity hard drives to be able to handle not just games, but all the updates etc.

 

[Kezen]

You can't stop the future.

 

[Sulik2]

I am willing to buy digital for smaller games, but I still buy physical for major releases. I just don't trust PSN to deliver downloads enough and I want to be able to trade in my games when I finish them. I don't care at all about replaying old games or having a library.

PC is 100% digital though, it just works there and the price is right.

 

[outunderthestars]

I go digital in pretty much all cases. I really wish Best Buy and Amazon would get on board and offer discounts on digital codes like they do for physical copies. As it stands I've only purchased one game through either service (Splatoon for my kids Christmas gift) since signing up.

I have no use hard copies of games these days.

20% off digital codes would be a game changer. I'd love to see someone get on board with this.

 

[Coxy100]

Will only go digital if forced - I love collecting games and seeing them on my shelfs, that will never change.

The only digital games I have this generation are ones that don't have physical copies e.g. Ori and the Blind Forest.

If games go digital only in the future then I'll retire from next gen gaming and just increase my collection of current gen games

 

[tiebreaker]

I heavily prefer physical versions. But I'm happy with this digital growth, as it means the likelihood of niche japanese games being published in the west is growing too. For example, Yakuza 5.

 

[Melchiah]

Yep, pricing is definitely an issue over here in the EU, I agree with you that we need parity. I've noticed (in the UK at least) that it's only a few games that try pulling this stunt though. Ubisoft seems to try their luck with higher prices. The majority of digital games seem to match physical prices at launch though. It's a few months after release that physical stores get competitive with pricing though, whereas digital sticks to launch price, and that's when physical becomes much cheaper. I'm not sure how that can be addressed either.

As for special and collector's editions offering bonus content, I think we'll see that change over time. Certainly on PC it's incredibly common to have soundtracks and art PDFs bundled with digital special editions. It will happen for consoles soon enough.

I dunno if it's a sign of change, but I just noticed that Uncharted 4's digital version costs 60€ like the physical one. Although, I have no idea what the digital versions of Sony's own games cost before.

Hopefully the digital stores on the console side begin to offer them as well. There's no reason why they shouldn't. It's pretty odd, that physical versions offer better digital extra content, like soundtracks, than the digital ones. I'd love to have concept art in PNG format instead of small physical art booklets, so I could use them as wallpapers on my laptop. On a side note, they should offer the option to use whatever wallpaper you like on consoles as well, like last gen.

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

As far as a digital only future I don't think that will happen for a really really long time. Music and movies and even comics are still offered in physical form despite a heavy presence in digital, and does benefit from streaming and subscription services that gaming will have a tough matching.

Basically physical game media is not going anywhere. Publishers of games are more reliant on retail sales than those other mediums. Even small indie games are working their way into retail, so that should tell you something.

 

[Camwi]

I'm happy for the people who enjoy buying exclusively digital, but a digital-only future can fuck off, inevitable as it may be.

 

[hikarutilmitt]

I prefer digital and get it when there's not a reason to get physical

Spoiler

(PHYSICAL!)

as it allows me to have the same game on both PS4s without having to swap the disc and/or allow the wife and I to play together in games like Destiny, so I've certainly been a contributor. Portables though, ehhhhhhhh I'm a split.

Ironically, lately, I've had a few games on preorder physically because I'm getting them day one with a hefty discount (20% off Amazon? SURE!) or it's an LE that is only physical. The day they start offering an LE package with a DD code as an option it'll be perfect.