Poll: Digital distribution vs. Hard copy

[mikecoulter]

Game makers seem to be pushing digital distribution more and more recently. And I can't help but feel slightly annoyed by it. Here's why, hard copy media has re-sale value. And I enjoy seeing my game/music/movie collection on a shelf, not just on a screen. I can lend/borrow games with friends.

I can't view digital distribution as anything but another way to rip me off by making me pay for essentially, nothing but code. Of which is locked to me forever, what happens when I die? Could the heirs to my throne inherit my account also? Hmmmm.

The only good thing I can see with digital distribution is a factor I don't think the producers of hard copy media have even played on. There's no material waste, or production. Which I suppose is far more environmentally friendly.

What do you prefer and why?

 

[joystickjunki3]

I'm prefer hard copy because it makes me feel secure w/ my purchase. That, and I don't always have the internet at my disposal to DL games.

 

[JRCB]

I like hard copy more. It's there in front of you, so you know you have it.

This is also the reason why I started buying CDs again.

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

Digital Distribution if it's good, like Steam, and saves my games in case I lose them on my PC. It also works well for episodic games.

Otherwise Hard Copy for everything. I give you money, you give me game. Simple as that.
It's a kind of technophobia and also why I don't do credit / debit cards. Just cash.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

Hard copy for me. If I want to sell it to a friend then I can do that. Cant do that with a digital file. Plus I like having the disk with me and knowing its there.

 

[Calobi]

Digital distribution mostly. I don't like the way EA does it where you only have so long/so many downloads, but Steam is nice. Of course,hard copies will always have a place in my heart since that's where gaming started.

 

[Caprice0083]

Hard copy, your hard drive or storage device takes a nose dive then what? Or you want it for later use but don't want it taking up space.

 

[Subzerowings]

Publishers prefer digital distribution.
Consumers prefer hard copies.

 

[Nutcase]

mikecoulter, joystickjunki3: don't confuse digital distribution with DRM. GOG.com has no DRM on anything, you just download the stuff and it's fully yours from there on. Make a backup copy if you like, or stop playing the game and give it to someone else if you like.

edit: that is the kind of distribution I like the most. I tend to buy hard copies but only to avoid DRM.

 

[LordCraigus]

I have a respectable amount of games downloaded in my Steam account but I believe a hard copy is naturally more 'trustworthy' in the sense that it's something you physically own and can do what you want with it.

 

[Nutcase]

I have a respectable amount of games downloaded in my Steam account but I believe a hard copy is naturally more 'trustworthy' in the sense that it's something you physically own and can do what you want with it.

Burn a downloaded game onto a DVD and you've got a hard copy. Even better, mirror all your game installs onto a large hard disk so you have a backup copy without dealing with a stack of discs. Of course you can't do that with Steam, but that's a problem of Steam, not the online distribution model in general.

Compare and contrast to online music sales, where many stores have gotten rid of the DRM and people can now backup their stuff normally.

 

[Snotnarok]

I do like steam since you can get games fast/cheap/and they're trust worthy with no bullshit DRM that expires from changing the difficulty mode too many times or whatever, but I still like that safety net that is a hard copy. At least you know you always have a version that you can install and play.

Games with DRM make me want to pirate so I don't have to put their garbage software on my PC. Prototype for instance I found out has DRM 5 minutes before I left to buy it, I instantly canceled my store visit plans and downloaded it instead. Maybe one day EA will learn that screwing over people who actually buy your games is a bad idea since all of their games are cracked the DAY they're out with no damaging DRM

 

[mikecoulter]

mikecoulter, joystickjunki3: don't confuse digital distribution with DRM. GOG.com has no DRM on anything, you just download the stuff and it's fully yours from there on. Make a backup copy if you like, or stop playing the game and give it to someone else if you like.

edit: that is the kind of distribution I like the most. I tend to buy hard copies but only to avoid DRM.

I'm not confusing it with DRM... Games downloaded via the Playstation network, Steam or Live are only playable by you're account. That was my point.

 

[Xanadu84]

Digital Distribution for the win. It is not only cheaper, but its cheaper in terms of little things like the gas it takes to get to the store. It's far more convenient, I can buy it with the click of a button and download any time. In addition, its much, much safer. CDs break, are lost, get worn or scratched or a million other things, not to mention new technologies may make a lot of games bought physically be useless: If I found an old game on a floppy disc, I could not play it. With Steam, I know that every single last one of my possessions could be vaporized, and I could be in a coma for years, and when I wake up I could find a computer, type in my name and password, and there is all of my games.

Physical copies might seem more satisfying to own because they are more unwieldy and less convenient. You have to put effort into cataloging and caretakeing it all. There's a lot of old games that I loved, and then lost. That will never happen with Steam.

Also, with both hard copy and digital distribution, all your buying is code. Both put the same code on your hard drive, and give you the same game. The difference is that with a hard copy, you also have to screw around with a fragile plastic disc that takes up space. I would pay good money to turn my old, hard copy games into my Steam account in a heartbeat. The only downside is that EB can't cut developers out of profits through the used game market. But that will make games cheaper for us in the long run.

 

[Emphraim]

mikecoulter, joystickjunki3: don't confuse digital distribution with DRM. GOG.com has no DRM on anything, you just download the stuff and it's fully yours from there on. Make a backup copy if you like, or stop playing the game and give it to someone else if you like.

edit: that is the kind of distribution I like the most. I tend to buy hard copies but only to avoid DRM.

I'm not confusing it with DRM... Games downloaded via the Playstation network, Steam or Live are only playable by you're account. That was my point.

That's a form of DRM. GOG doesn't have that as you can burn the games to a DVD easily. Same thing with Stardock's impulse service.

 

[LordCraigus]

Burn a downloaded game onto a DVD and you've got a hard copy. Even better, mirror all your game installs onto a large hard disk so you have a backup copy without dealing with a stack of discs. Of course you can't do that with Steam, but that's a problem of Steam, not the online distribution model in general.

Of course I'm going to back up downloaded software/music when and where possible, that's a no-brainer. Buy it on CD or buy it online and burn it to CD, either way I'm still wanting a hard-copy of the stuff I've paid for.

 

[squid5580]

mikecoulter, joystickjunki3: don't confuse digital distribution with DRM. GOG.com has no DRM on anything, you just download the stuff and it's fully yours from there on. Make a backup copy if you like, or stop playing the game and give it to someone else if you like.

edit: that is the kind of distribution I like the most. I tend to buy hard copies but only to avoid DRM.

I'm not confusing it with DRM... Games downloaded via the Playstation network, Steam or Live are only playable by you're account. That was my point.

No they aren't. Not XBL anyways. You can take your HDD to your friends house and as long as you are online you can still access all of your arcade titles. You can make a million different profiles on your console and they will all have access to all of your arcade titles. The D/L is tied to your console. If you are using the console you used to D/L it to you can play offline and online. If you switch your HDD to another console all of your arcade stuff will appear as demos while offline. If you go online all your D/L stuff will be there in full glory. And if your console should break down you can do a license transfer (an irritating process) once a year to tie all of your arcade and DLC to your new console.

 

[Xanadu84]

I have a respectable amount of games downloaded in my Steam account but I believe a hard copy is naturally more 'trustworthy' in the sense that it's something you physically own and can do what you want with it.

Burn a downloaded game onto a DVD and you've got a hard copy. Even better, mirror all your game installs onto a large hard disk so you have a backup copy without dealing with a stack of discs. Of course you can't do that with Steam, but that's a problem of Steam, not the online distribution model in general.

Compare and contrast to online music sales, where many stores have gotten rid of the DRM and people can now backup their stuff normally.

Actually, you can make a hard copy backup of any game through Steam. Under file, go to backup games, and select whatever games you would like. Ive never done it personally, but its there

 

[mikecoulter]

Digital Distribution for the win. It is not only cheaper, but its cheaper in terms of little things like the gas it takes to get to the store. It's far more convenient, I can buy it with the click of a button and download any time.

I can understand what you're on about here, but you can also order a hard copy from home. And digital distribution is not always cheaper! WipEout pulse on the Playstation store was £14.99, however I managed to get it off eBay second hand (a plus side to hard copy) for just £4.91. A saving of over £10!

 

[Gladion]

I'm starting to change my mind. I've been for hard copies all the way, but they take up so much room if you get many (I'm a movie collector, so yes, I do have many), they get broken very easily (especially when you lend them to other people who often don't take care of them) and, as the OP already stated, digital distribution is just more environmental friendly. I guess especially the latter one is the point where everybody should ask themselves whether the 'security' of a hard copy is really that important.
Also, what do you get these days from hard copies outside of special editions? An Amaray-box with a disc, copy protection that's more annoying than anything (and doesn't even work) and an incredibly badly written manual made by people who never played the game. I don't think hard copies are that great I'd rather fill my shelves with books.