How Are You Towards Direct Download Games?
- Thread starter Terramax
- Start date
Recommended Videos
I buy physical copies of the games I love but with GOG, Amazon, and Steam I can get most of the games I want for good prices. I may have to extend to Green Man at some point as they have had some better deals so far but not on the games I want.
However many physical games are now being linked to an account, so physical means almost nothing. Most of my games are digital, and the games where I have a digital and physical copy usually the digital copy is easier to use or runs better/faster.
I am also better at hunting for prices I am willing to pay online. I will however pay full price for most indie games as they tend to be $10.
However many physical games are now being linked to an account, so physical means almost nothing. Most of my games are digital, and the games where I have a digital and physical copy usually the digital copy is easier to use or runs better/faster.
I am also better at hunting for prices I am willing to pay online. I will however pay full price for most indie games as they tend to be $10.
I outright refuse to buy recent releases online, because for that price I deserve to get a physical copy (and whatever goodies may come with it). I don't mind going to the store to pick my games up, it's certainly quicker and in most cases cheaper than waiting for some 22 gig monster to download from Steam. Also, I don't trust Steam to exist ten or twenty years from now, investing any significant amounts of money into it seems unwise.
That said, I do buy stuff on Steam or GOG from time to time - usually something classic on sale or when some indie thing catches my eye.
That said, I do buy stuff on Steam or GOG from time to time - usually something classic on sale or when some indie thing catches my eye.
I've seen far worse and more invasive DRM on physical copies than I have ever seen on a DD game. Steam, Gamefly and Impulse all offer great service and few hassles. The terrible DRM that I have to fight with on a typical disk copy is far worse than whatever stigma is attached to not having the disk.
Besides, in house publisher clients like what Ubisoft has and Origin are gonna be the rule rather than the exception. Expect that disks are gonna be nothing more than window dressing in only a few years
Besides, in house publisher clients like what Ubisoft has and Origin are gonna be the rule rather than the exception. Expect that disks are gonna be nothing more than window dressing in only a few years
If you asked me a couple of years ago I would've said screw digital distribution, but honestly after all these years I've come to prefer it. No more hassling with boxes and disks, seriously where do people find the space to house all the boxes? No more hassle with going to a store on release day and having to deal with a crowd/lack of copies. Granted I'd prefer if some services cleaned up their off-line mode, but otherwise as a mainly PC gamer I really don't see the point of physical copies anymore...especially since a lot of them are basically just a box with a code.
They don't even do that. As long as you haven't actually logged out, you can always go into "offline mode", so you NEVER need to go without your games unless you compulsively log out of things.Terramax said:
I'm ok with both, but the only time I buy a physical copy is when it's a collectors edition of a game that I want.
I've come to find some computer based download services to be convenient, but I absolutely loathe the services that the consoles have.
For most people I really don't see why not to use digital distribution. Its more convenient and you save gas money driving back and forth to a retailer, I don't ever need to worry about losing my games and Steam Sales are amazing. Ya, you don't get to have a physical copy to resell so the only negative is you can't get ripped off by Gamestop which I personally count as a huge plus considering they are the most evil and arguably most damaging corporation in this entire industry and the sooner they die the better.
If it's a digital only game, i'll try and get it discounted, but AAA titles i usually try and get on hard copy, I don't play a lot of PC games as i have a PS3 and love it (and also my PC isn't that powerful). But until gaming goes wholly digital, i think the digital copies should be slightly cheaper than hard copies as you don't get the physical disk.
I'm ambivalent towards digital distribution as a concept, while I like having a physical product, I can appreciate the benefits of digital downloads too. However when I have to have steam to run my physically purchased games, and put up with its crap I get unhappy.
Additionally, since I refuse to give out financial information on the net, I only use services which have gift codes for sale in physical stores. Which because I don't live in the states is a very limited subset of the digital retailers.
Additionally, since I refuse to give out financial information on the net, I only use services which have gift codes for sale in physical stores. Which because I don't live in the states is a very limited subset of the digital retailers.
A lot of the download games i'm getting nowadays are through the playstation plus program. It is mostly a bunch of games I have no real interest in that I'm trying out. So far it's been 50/50. I hate certain titles because they do nothing for me.
That being said, if there's a disc copy, I prefer the disc. It's mostly a habit. I've been using discs and cartridges for 30 years and it's a hard habit to break.
That being said, if there's a disc copy, I prefer the disc. It's mostly a habit. I've been using discs and cartridges for 30 years and it's a hard habit to break.
It's handy, but not easy on those with bandwidth limits etc. Steam for example has a server hosted by my ISP, it's un-metered, cool right? But there is no way to tell whether a game is on that server or not, until after I buy a game. I have a program that whilst active only lets me download from that server, but only one in every ten or more games are on it, and usually they are the small games. It's irritating, when you share one hundred gigabytes with 3 other people, it doesn't work out to much if you're all buying different games.
As long as I don't have to have a constant connection (looking at you, Ubisoft.) then I don't mind them, but they won't get a sale from me if they're charging too close to store retail.
As long as I don't have to have a constant connection (looking at you, Ubisoft.) then I don't mind them, but they won't get a sale from me if they're charging too close to store retail.
Digital downloads
pros:
- don't get lost/scratched/damaged in any way
- don't take up shelf space
- usually cheaper
cons:
- DRM
- having to wait for the download to complete (and dealing with bandwidth caps for some people)
- can't sell/trade/etc. even if you've never played it
- don't come with any physical manuals,boxes, or merchandise of any kind
Overall I prefer digital downloads, mainly because I move a lot which makes it hard to keep track of physical discs.
pros:
- don't get lost/scratched/damaged in any way
- don't take up shelf space
- usually cheaper
cons:
- DRM
- having to wait for the download to complete (and dealing with bandwidth caps for some people)
- can't sell/trade/etc. even if you've never played it
- don't come with any physical manuals,boxes, or merchandise of any kind
Overall I prefer digital downloads, mainly because I move a lot which makes it hard to keep track of physical discs.
I still prefer physical but I have bought many things off XBLA/PSN/Steam. (GOG doesn't really count as I can make a physical backup which will never be dependent on anything external.)
I see DD as the future but, at the same time, it's one of the reasons that I'm dropping gaming so take that for what you will.
I see DD as the future but, at the same time, it's one of the reasons that I'm dropping gaming so take that for what you will.
I have no problem with digital downloads of games. Heck, it's particularly convenient to be able to download games to handhelds and carry your entire library with you for no extra effort. However, and it's a big however, I expect it to be cheaper than buying the boxed copy, and that doesn't seem to happen often. Presumably part of the cost of a game is the shipping, manufacturing and retailer markup that occurs with physical copies. Digital obviously removes those hurdles, so the game should justifiably be cheaper. Even if you claim that publishers are "footing the bill" for the manufacture and shipping, that still doesn't excuse the retail markup.
The other thing about all-digital is, as many have said, the lack of any tactile representation. I think, on some psychological subconscious level, one feels more validated purchasing a physical object than a digital one. And, a lot of games now come with nifty little incentives to pick up a boxed copy, and I'm a sucker for that sort of collectable stuff.
The other thing about all-digital is, as many have said, the lack of any tactile representation. I think, on some psychological subconscious level, one feels more validated purchasing a physical object than a digital one. And, a lot of games now come with nifty little incentives to pick up a boxed copy, and I'm a sucker for that sort of collectable stuff.