Buying games: physical vs. digital

[Kain]

Generally, and if you have the choice of either, do you prefer to buy games on a physical disc or digitally?

[SirBaron]

I like the ability to resell, but I fecking hate dvd cases and switching games. So digital wins for me.

[|MaguS|]

Once I go new gen I plan to go digital only.

[twonha]

On PC I definitely prefer digital. If I had to buy a physical disc, I wouldn't. Can't remember the last time I bought an actual game on an actual disc for PC.

On consoles, the norm is still physical copies and being able to sell those off again is a nice thing to have. If the market for digital copies were open, I'd prefer that. As it stands digital is often just as expensive or even more expensive on consoles than physical, so meh.

[|MaguS|]

On PC I definitely prefer digital. If I had to buy a physical disc, I wouldn't. Can't remember the last time I bought an actual game on an actual disc for PC.

On consoles, the norm is still physical copies and being able to sell those off again is a nice thing to have. If the market for digital copies were open, I'd prefer that. As it stands digital is often just as expensive or even more expensive on consoles than physical, so meh.

You can get PSN Credit and Games through Amazon which is sometimes cheaper than directly through Sony.

[Zero]

I'm old school and collect special editions so physical.

[clerick]

Consoles = physical, PC = digital. If console prices for games were reduced like they are on pc for digital it would be a no brainer, but paying full price for digital as physical with no ability to resell makes no sense to me.

[Pr3tty F1y]

Physical for consoles, digital for PC.

My reasoning is that x86 compatibility has been with us for ages and so has software piracy.

I only buy from Steam, but in the unlikely event Valve were to go bust, I'm certain I could have relatively easy "alternative means" to play the games I already purchased and that my PC at that time would likely have the compatibility (or application, such as DOSBox) to play them.

Consoles have a set life span and server resources are limited. At some point you are pretty much guaranteed to lose access to the games you paid for. Without an easy way to back said games up; if your antiquated console dies, your SOL until someone has a kickstarter for an "alternative means" to play the games you once loved If you'll need to repurchase them in some bundle for a new console and that just pisses me off.

[Maverick123w]

Digital, I lose stuff too easily.

[KAC]

I am buying Digital for games I don't want to sell off.

On PS4 that was Last of Us Remastered
On XBONER it was Forza 5, Forza Horizon 2 and now Halo Master Chef.

[wc326]

if you buy digital you can share your games with friend and play them together on separated ps4 but you cant resell it

[lviz]

One more vote for the physical for consoles, digital for pc. Most of my digitals are from GoG, so there's no need to worry about the service provider doing funny things in the future.

[Omega53]

I have gone digital only on my PS4 and physical only on my xbox one. Reason being is that 99% of multiplats are better on PS4 and I'm only buying exclusives on xbox one. When I beat the exclusives I can trade them in towards new exclusives.

[SirBaron]

Digital on PS4, Physical on Wii U.... I would go digital on Wii U but it has like 32GB of space.

I'm not buying a fecking external drive.

[Cream]

Digital.
Never trade in games anyway.

[SubCog]

I usually buy my games for cheap off of amazon (used) a year after they release. That makes me in the "physical" category.

[Sundance Kid V2]

I'm old school and collect so physical.

+1

[Dungeoncrawler]

Digital.
Never trade in games anyway.

same. although i still have a ****-load i could trade-in. probably leave them to my step-son when i pass

[gamekill]

(...)event Valve were to go bust, I'm certain I could have relatively easy "alternative means" to play the games I already purchased (...)
Consoles have a set life span and server resources are limited. At some point you are pretty much guaranteed to lose access to the games you paid for.

This pretty much sums it all up.
It is stupid to depend on a digital drm-centric online platform to "buy" games.
I love to collect. So physical on consoles is the best.

The only exception is the PSVita, 90% of my games are digital but I knowingly chose that route (the Vita is only a temporary source of fun for me, not a collectible).

And on the PC, I have some Steam games but I prefer GOG.com's approach (even better and easier than cracking pirate games). Just download and keep the installer.

Last but not least, I think the perfect solution would be: if you buy a retail physical copy of the game, you get access to the digital version (for as long as the servers are available). So you have the simplicity of digital, but a nice, original, hard copy of it (without the patches but that is another discussion).

[Cream]

This pretty much sums it all up.
It is stupid to depend on a digital drm-centric online platform to "buy" games.
I love to collect. So physical on consoles is the best.

The only exception is the PSVita, 90% of my games are digital but I knowingly chose that route (the Vita is only a temporary source of fun for me, not a collectible).

And on the PC, I have some Steam games but I prefer GOG.com's approach (even better and easier than cracking pirate games). Just download and keep the installer.

Last but not least, I think the perfect solution would be: if you buy a retail physical copy of the game, you get access to the digital version (for as long as the servers are available). So you have the simplicity of digital, but a nice, original, hard copy of it (without the patches but that is another discussion).

Would only work if you couldn't sell the hard copy. Remind you of anything from about a year ago?

[Sound_Card]

Why is every thread of yours a poll?

[gamekill]

Would only work if you couldn't sell the hard copy. Remind you of anything from about a year ago?

People actually WAIT for Steam sales. Because of that, several thousand launch-week sales are lost already. And a Steam sale makes your 50.00 game turn into a 2.00 joke.

So I honestly don't think that "being able to sell the hard copy" would impact devs profit. It could even help. More people would buy the game and only a part of them would "share" it with a friend.

[Kain]

Why is every thread of yours a poll?

I like numbers.

[Cream]

People actually WAIT for Steam sales. Because of that, several thousand launch-week sales are lost already. And a Steam sale makes your 50.00 game turn into a 2.00 joke.

So I honestly don't think that "being able to sell the hard copy" would impact devs profit. It could even help. More people would buy the game and only a part of them would "share" it with a friend.

So you think one person buying a game, Installing it and then selling it on, and on and on. That would benefit developers. I think not. Little short of piracy.

[gamekill]

So you think one person buying a game, Installing it and then selling it on, and on and on. That would benefit developers. I think not. Little short of piracy.

It's debatable and hard to tell.
There's tons of possibilities and factors.
selling.. and on and on and on is not actually true most times. People tend to collect, or not even bother to sell. I believe that most times it would be like.. get a new game, sell it. Then it might be sold a second time and that's it. Because the second buyer wouldn't have access to the digital copy.
And if the game is so bad that people actually don't hold onto it then well.. that's the dev's own fault.

[Sound_Card]

Hard disk advantages:
-Can sell to the used market
-Can return for refund (if not open)
-Can let friends borrow
-Tends to be cheaper than digital quite often

Digital advantages:
-No more swapping
-No disk drive noise
-Don't have to wait for UPS/FEDEX
-Don't have to hassle with the store
-Don't have to drive


I would go digital if the price was more inline with hard disk prices. Fact is.. they are not. Sony and MS rarely have digital sales. That **** stays 59.99 for a very long time.

[Chuck]

Physical for console and digital for PC. Physical copies of PC games are pointless because of Steam and GOG.

[Nevermind]

Physical based on price.
In Aus the cost of physical is massively cheaper if you shop around.

I recently purchased AC:U physical in a pre sale.

Physical $AUD 55.00 (delivered)
Digital $AUD 99.95

[MyTMouse]

I absolutely DESPISE digital games with every fibre of my being. I don't mind small games like on Xbox Live arcade or something but for full games I will NEVER buy digital unless they are almost giving it away.

To me a digital game that I have no control over isn't worth 1/10th what a physical game is.

When the games world goes digital only is when I stop getting new games and just play what I have already.