Physical vs. Digital

[Elberik]

Physical Discs
Pros:
>the consumer has complete control over access to the product
>Collector's Editions
>Price naturally changes with supply and demand

Cons:
>takes up space
>disc can be damaged
>rarity of certain titles

Digital
Pros:
>No game cases to pack, move, and unpack
>really good deals and sales, occasionally
>unlimited supply

Cons:
>Consumer does not control access to product
>Different downloading services rarely work together
>Price does not change with supply and demand

log your disputes/edits below please

edit: So which do you think outweighs the other?

 

[lacktheknack]

A couple errors:

>Consumer does not control access to product

http://www.gog.com/

>Price does not change with supply and demand

Wat?

Uh... why else would there ever be sales or falling-over-time prices?

 

[mad825]

>Price does not change with supply and demand

Wat?

Uh... why else would there ever be sales or falling-over-time prices?[/quote]
The prices are static, they are controlled whereas the retail they can vary according how the general market reacts. Mass Effect 3 is one example, the negative rep and returns nearly slashed the game price in half.

Figure 1 [http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/04/16/best-buy-slashes-the-price-of-mass-effect-3/]

 

[Elberik]

A couple errors:

>Consumer does not control access to product

http://www.gog.com/

>Price does not change with supply and demand

Wat?

Uh... why else would there ever be sales or falling-over-time prices?

1- gog is a website, therefore I require a connection to initially get the .exe files (unless I download the entire library to my hard-drive) And yes some games require an internet connection to play but the majority do not.
2- Yes the price does fall over time but it's artificial. A physical copy of Duke Nukem Forever costs about $5, and a digital download is still $20.

 

[lacktheknack]

>Price does not change with supply and demand

Wat?

Uh... why else would there ever be sales or falling-over-time prices?

The prices are static, they are controlled whereas the retail they can vary according how the general market reacts. Mass Effect 3 is one example, the negative rep and returns nearly slashed the game price in half.[/quote]

That's a response to demand, yes. I recall the digital copy of the game going on sale very quickly after being released, because people were being scared off.

A couple errors:

>Consumer does not control access to product

http://www.gog.com/

>Price does not change with supply and demand

Wat?

Uh... why else would there ever be sales or falling-over-time prices?

1- gog is a website, therefore I require a connection to initially get the .exe files (unless I download the entire library to my hard-drive) And yes some games require an internet connection to play but the majority do not.
2- Yes the price does fall over time but it's artificial. A physical copy of Duke Nukem Forever costs about $5, and a digital download is still $20.

Once you have access to the gog.com game, you can burn it to a CD and keep it forever. By the same token, I do not have initial access to a physical copy of any game because I'm not within walking distance of any game retailers. I have to drive there, which is a much more strenuous and difficult feat than signing into gog.com. And while the internet may be down, the brick-and-mortar store may also be closed for whatever reason.

As for Duke Nukem: That's because people are buying "enough" copies at that price. If no one bought it, they'd drop the price again (and they periodically do by putting it on sale, because demand rises when products are on sale). Digital games have little problem with supply, but they're very vulnerable to the forces of demand.

 

[Tom_green_day]

Prefer physical, just so I can have a real-life shelf of real-life games that I can look at when I'm doing other things. And I really like having the box so I can read the blurb and look at the pictures etc.
And nothing beats browsing a media store in real life, looking at different products and having special offers and stuff. You think looking at the steam library is similar? I'm sorry.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

1- gog is a website, therefore I require a connection to initially get the .exe files (unless I download the entire library to my hard-drive) And yes some games require an internet connection to play but the majority do not.

Are you saying there are games on GOG that require an online connection? Because I can't think of any. Their whole shtick is that they're completely DRM free after all.

Personally, I prefer physical copies because my internet sucks. Except some games *coughshogun2cough* still require a huge download even if you buy them physically so I can't even play the game I bought and can't return it because I found that out AFTER it was bound to my Steam account

YAY!

 

[Elberik]

Once you have access to the gog.com game, you can burn it to a CD and keep it forever. By the same token, I do not have initial access to a physical copy of any game because I'm not within walking distance of any game retailers. I have to drive there, which is a much more strenuous and difficult feat than signing into gog.com.

GOG is in many regards an acceptation because it almost exclusively deals with old games that are no longer available elsewhere. It is also an acception because it gives you the direct .exe files. Most other sites require you to install their launcher to play games.

And while the internet may be down, the brick-and-mortar store may also be closed for whatever reason.

So the Internet is down and you are marooned at your house....I guess you're just done then.

"for whatever reason" I don't think you should be able to site "acts of God" as a supporting argument.

 

[Elfgore]

Imma just drop my opinion on this subject matter.

Old Opinion: When I lived in the middle of now where and had nothing but satellite internet, I avoided digital games and steam like the plague. I remember I snapped my Company of Heroes case in half when I learned about the mandatory online login. I almost punched a wall when I saw Mount and Blade Warband was on steam. I even bought two games and had them imported from Britain just so I could own the physical copy.

New Opinion: I have cable internet so I now own more digital games and love the idea of digital games as I can purchase games in my underwear without being arrested.

 

[Maximum Bert]

I still prefer physical copies most of the time I only go digital if I cant get it physical anymore (or at least not very easily) or the physical copy is very rare and expensive which sort of ties into the other point.

The trouble with digital is that they dont really have to shift it as space isnt really an issue and so while you get some excellent deals they dont match up to ones you can get at retail however the deals are easier to see and more accessible.

I may go more digital in the future mainly because of space limitations but I am not happy with the services in general except GOG which is taking things in the right direction as for Steam, PSN, Xbox live etc I may buy occasionally but its very very rare, oh and digital copies are a problem with newer games if you have an internet usage cap or dont have superfast broadband because its not available where you live i.e like where I live.

Downloading anything over 3 GB is a nightmare for me as it will lock up my internet for the whole day Infamous took me 3 days to download I wouldnt have bothered if it wasnt free.

 

[Uriain]

I prefer physical copies of games. I seeing the collection. Not to say digital is bad, as I have a bunch of steam games as well, but to me Physical copies are "king".

I think its worth noting as well that with the next gen consoles and the ability to download many titles (so they say) that Digital downloads might become more popular than they currently are for the console market. Most of my PC games are digital download, but 99% of my console games are physical copies.

 

[Elberik]

1- gog is a website, therefore I require a connection to initially get the .exe files (unless I download the entire library to my hard-drive) And yes some games require an internet connection to play but the majority do not.

Are you saying there are games on GOG that require an online connection? Because I can't think of any. Their whole shtick is that they're completely DRM free after all.

Neither can I. I was talking about PC games in general. GOG is frankly the best example of digital download services I have ever seen.

Looking back at the original comment I realize that I incorrectly inferred something thereby leading me to respond to an implied accusation that never existed.

 

[MysticSlayer]

If the game requires Steam on the PC, I cannot think of any good reason for buying the physical copy unless you want the box art to appreciate (which I did do for Civ5). Other than that, you're forced to use Steam, the cons that you get from digital distribution and physical copies together far outweigh the pros.

Otherwise, I prefer physical copies. There's just something more concrete and satisfying about holding the physical copy in your hands. Still, I'm poor, so if I can get a massive sale from a digital distribution site, I'll take the opportunity to pick up a few games I'm considering. Of course, there are sometimes sales of physical copies that rival those of digital distribution, but they are generally on older games that I don't care about anymore. Still, in those rare instances, you can guarantee I'll be shopping at my local store that day.

 

[rig0r_m0rtis]

I enjoy physical copies for the same reasons mentioned by others. Some developers are actually offering up "Digital Download" like many movies (for PC games). Which is a great idea in case there is physical damage to the disc, but you still have the box art/collector's goodies to enjoy without having to buy another copy. Remember "no disc" cracks/hacks? I did it all the time on PC by default.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

Neither can I. I was talking about PC games in general. GOG is frankly the best example of digital download services I have ever seen.

Looking back at the original comment I realize that I incorrectly inferred something thereby leading me to respond to an implied accusation that never existed.

I thought that might be the case, but I wasn't sure.

Games that require a constant connection are a no-go for me. My internet is anything but steady, to the point where I can't even enjoy a full-game of Left 4 Dead with my buddies anymore :[ I WILL disconnect at some point.

If the game requires Steam on the PC, I cannot think of any good reason for buying the physical copy unless you want the box art to appreciate (which I did do for Civ5). Other than that, you're forced to use Steam, the cons that you get from digital distribution and physical copies together far outweigh the pros.

If it weren't for the annoying practice of most games now forcing a download even when you buy the physical version, I'd say that it makes installing large games far easier for people like myself.

As it stands, large games typically install 3-12GB from the disc and then download the rest...

 

[rig0r_m0rtis]

Aren't those sizable downloads usually a patch? Or is it actually additional content? I can understand why the dev would want to introduce a patch as soon as possible to avoid any "That problem has already been addressed" issues. It would be nice to be made an option, though.

 

[lacktheknack]

Once you have access to the gog.com game, you can burn it to a CD and keep it forever. By the same token, I do not have initial access to a physical copy of any game because I'm not within walking distance of any game retailers. I have to drive there, which is a much more strenuous and difficult feat than signing into gog.com.

GOG is in many regards an acceptation because it almost exclusively deals with old games that are no longer available elsewhere. It is also an acception because it gives you the direct .exe files. Most other sites require you to install their launcher to play games.

Fair enough. Just know that it's there.

And while the internet may be down, the brick-and-mortar store may also be closed for whatever reason.

So the Internet is down and you are marooned at your house....I guess you're just done then.

"for whatever reason" I don't think you should be able to site "acts of God" as a supporting argument.

Well, when my internet is down for longer than a few seconds, it's generally because of an Act of God.

So... it continues to work two ways.

 

[Miss G.]

I prefer physical, because at least when I no longer want it, I can trade it in and get things like new consoles for under $37 USD and more expensive exclusives like TLoU for free. I will get digital when it's literally the only option for a game, like Rain, Okami HD, and Journey.

 

[TehCookie]

Physical, if I can't play it it's because of my neglect. When I can't play digital it's usually out of my hands. I also like getting something I can hold my for money.

Though moving would be debatable, picking up a physical game and bringing over a friends is easier than attempting to download it over there. As for moving houses, I didn't have internet for the first week so I couldn't download new games or play DRM. Though my DRM free DD titles still worked. However all my physical games worked.