Poll: Digital distribution vs. Hard copy

[TxMxRonin]

Hard copy, cause god knows there has NEVER been a problem with technology.

But I buy older, non-freeware games (like X-COM) from Steam.

EDIT: I meant to say I put my freeware games on my flashdrive cause games downloaded from steam are tied to the account not the computer.

 

[crazy-j]

i like hard copy. it feels more "real" in a sense. and its probably alot easier to return if you dont like it

 

[Space Spoons]

Hard copy. In this age of DRM software, it's very reassuring to know that the game I just paid $60 for is mine to do with what I will.

 

[aezonrath]

I personally like Hard Copy. There is nothing like owning something tangibly and having all the other interesting stuffs that comes with the box like the artwork and the manual guide, though manual guides like Anno 1404 is a bit on the crap side but that is besides the point.

I have nothing against Digital Distribution though, but coming from where I come from, with my net being somewhat NOT blazing fast, I cannot choose Digital Distribution as a viable choice. That is the Achilles' Heel of Digital Distribution right now. ISP in various countries providing differing speeds to consumers: most of the time: slow

 

[Jirlond]

I like both forms - I think many people prefer hard copies because it is the way it has always been done.

My preference is digital distribution - I feel that steam has made a goob job of distribution - their servers are fast and you can download a game onto any pc you like, the upside to this is that you will always have a copy of that game available (as long as you remember your account name etc). Discs can scratch and deteriorate, the digital copy will remain for as long as need it.

It also saves on physical publishing there is less need to use paper, plastic and CD/DVD's.

I think its the future, steam combining a community and distibution platform was amazing.

 

[Treblaine]

I hate selling old games, it only ever get a fraction of the original money I paid for it and then after the store gives me like only £4 they then put it on sale for £15! GRRRR! Selling online is a pain in the neck I don't want to have to deal with as well. Anyway, when I do sell them I always regret it as I want to go back and play them again, I must have sold and re-bought MGS1 about 3 times, same with Devil May Cry.

I love digital distribution for the convenience, just double click and start the game, no need for disk-check or any of that bullcrap.

It also means we can avoid using the dreadful Blu-ray. God, has there ever been a worse execution of a new media format? I mean who cares about blu-ray when 1 terabyte hard drives cost less than $100 and unlimited 50-100Mbit/sec broadband is on its way and DVD and 6-8Mbits/sec will do till then.

 

[crypt-creature]

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!

Its not always cheaper, but it is often cheaper, and would facilitate cheaper games if it became the standard. Especially games that are over a few months old. Ive seen physical copies of Bioshock, for example, for $20. Ive seen digital copies for $5. Once you cut out the need for shipping and all those details, life becomes easier. You may find a fantastic deal hear and there, but with Digital Distribution, you can get consistently cheaper stuff.

That's great and all, but not everyone is going to have access to digital distribution, or if they do some people wont have their console connected because it doesn't meet their security standards or cannot be properly configured even when the company (sony, nintendo, or microsoft) are contacted.
And yes, I have had that scenario happen to me.
With digital distribution, yes a company can make older games available to consumers. But they will be older games that the companies pick due to popularity, things that will make them money. There are going to be plenty of obscure titles that get over-looked.

I'd rather have to go to the store and pay for the game, since if I'm willing to do that it means I actually want the game and it's not an impulse purchase. Aside from that it's also a social experience I usually enjoy.
As far as games being cheaper, that might be true. But you factor in the membership initially, the money to keep it activated, and money to buy points or to download the game... in the long run is it really cheaper than going out and buying a used game or new game often?

Besides, in the long run I'd rather have a disc fry on me than my consoles memory. I can resurface the disc. The memory, not so much.
Not only that, I'm proud to own games physically rather than virtually.

 

[crypt-creature]

I hate selling old games, it only ever get a fraction of the original money I paid for it and then after the store gives me like only £4 they then put it on sale for £15! GRRRR! Selling online is a pain in the neck I don't want to have to deal with as well. Anyway, when I do sell them I always regret it as I want to go back and play them again, I must have sold and re-bought MGS1 about 3 times, same with Devil May Cry.

Depending on where you download the game from, what is going to stop you from deleting the file and having to re-download it, either because you are running out of memory or don't play it often and think you're over it?
What happens when a title no longer becomes available? You'll have to find another place to download it or go out and buy a physical copy anyway. Making certain things digital is another way for companies to toy with consumers and make some downloads seem more important and convenient than they really are.

 

[Jirlond]

Steam sold the original half life for 50p once - what a steal!

It is not cheaper than the shops in some respects - when shops have special offers etc and pre-owned (L4D is £26 on steam but still £40 in the shops, but I have seen the orange box for the same price steam sells team fortress) I will still buy physical games if they are cheaper.

Internet speeds will get faster - and as it does the popularity of DD will become greater. Not just for games but for TV and Movies.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Hard copy. Anything happens to your system/PC/Steam service, you're outta luck.

Once I pay for something I OWN it. I decide how much I play it, where and when. If I think somebody's system of purchasing is going to deprive me of my basic right to use what I paid for, I'm not going to buy from them.

 

[krement]

I'd go with Digital Distribution.

I travel a lot and can't really cart all my games around with me or get no-CD cracks for all the ones that still require a disk in the drive.Digital distribution also means I can get past the late release dates in some of the countries I travel to and enjoy whatever game, whenever I want.

I am worried what will happen to my games if my computer conks out and I've already used the download limit placed on re downloading games like Mass Effect from steam. There should also be extra digital products with games bought through digital download, like the tech-trees in strategy games etc.

 

[Treblaine]

I hate selling old games, it only ever get a fraction of the original money I paid for it and then after the store gives me like only £4 they then put it on sale for £15! GRRRR! Selling online is a pain in the neck I don't want to have to deal with as well. Anyway, when I do sell them I always regret it as I want to go back and play them again, I must have sold and re-bought MGS1 about 3 times, same with Devil May Cry.

Depending on where you download the game from, what is going to stop you from deleting the file and having to re-download it, either because you are running out of memory or don't play it often and think you're over it?
What happens when a title no longer becomes available? You'll have to find another place to download it or go out and buy a physical copy anyway. Making certain things digital is another way for companies to toy with consumers and make some downloads seem more important and convenient than they really are.

Well the point is with all services I know of you can re-download for free and it is pretty easy to back-up to disk or external hard drive. The best thing is you can literally lose EVERYTHING but as long as you remember your login name and password then you can get all your games back. I have actually had a house fire where I lost my N64, Playstation 1 and old PC + most of the games for them. Plus over time many cartridges/disks have been damaged or just worn out.

Also if a game is no longer available that is what I consider abandonware and maybe not legally but at least morally I have no compulsion about pirating it. There is no reason for a company to jealously sit on a classic game that many people want and then suddenly get annoyed if it is pirated.

In fact I have never had to resort to that as you just have to look at all the retro releases that are FLOURISHING via direct download (Virtual Console, G.O.G, XBL Arcade, PSN Store) as many old games are only really worth selling at a low price (~$10) where it is not worth the shelf space on retail or even the expense of printing and distributing the disks if sold via the internet. This is helped even more by how older games generally have smaller data size.

 

[vamp rocks]

hard copy only way to go man... without it i dont feel like i own the game lol

 

[crypt-creature]

I hate selling old games, it only ever get a fraction of the original money I paid for it and then after the store gives me like only £4 they then put it on sale for £15! GRRRR! Selling online is a pain in the neck I don't want to have to deal with as well. Anyway, when I do sell them I always regret it as I want to go back and play them again, I must have sold and re-bought MGS1 about 3 times, same with Devil May Cry.

Depending on where you download the game from, what is going to stop you from deleting the file and having to re-download it, either because you are running out of memory or don't play it often and think you're over it?
What happens when a title no longer becomes available? You'll have to find another place to download it or go out and buy a physical copy anyway. Making certain things digital is another way for companies to toy with consumers and make some downloads seem more important and convenient than they really are.

Well the point is with all services I know of you can re-download for free and it is pretty easy to back-up to disk or external hard drive. The best thing is you can literally lose EVERYTHING but as long as you remember your login name and password then you can get all your games back. I have actually had a house fire where I lost my N64, Playstation 1 and old PC + most of the games for them. Plus over time many cartridges/disks have been damaged or just worn out.

Also if a game is no longer available that is what I consider abandonware and maybe not legally but at least morally I have no compulsion about pirating it. There is no reason for a company to jealously sit on a classic game that many people want and then suddenly get annoyed if it is pirated.

In fact I have never had to resort to that as you just have to look at all the retro releases that are FLOURISHING via direct download (Virtual Console, G.O.G, XBL Arcade, PSN Store) as many old games are only really worth selling at a low price (~$10) where it is not worth the shelf space on retail or even the expense of printing and distributing the disks if sold via the internet. This is helped even more by how older games generally have smaller data size.

Some services are convenient when it comes to how they treat their downloads, but there are still more that have their quirks.
I guess my point was that I'd rather have all the copies I want/need without internet access since it means no matter what the situation I have the opportunity to always find it, and wont have to cough up a subscription fee to possibly multiple places.

I've downloaded plenty on old games by pirating (nes, N64, etc). The programs available to play those games are amazing, and I am grateful for them, but the problems that can come with those are compatibility issues (controllers, rom port, system, etc) and many times the decent emulator gets abandoned by the team or creator.
People also have to have old roms ported and re-encoded, the games that have had the most difficulty with this have been arcade.
Personally, there are plenty of titles that few and far between forget about or aren't as popular as the classics that I enjoy playing, that just aren't offered on those types or networks.
By making this exclusive to the internet a company is ignoring a huge cut of a possible profit margin. Though it's mostly I don't want to be forced to buy things digitally just because a company is tired of, or makes less money from, distributing hard copies. Having the option to go either way depending on the situation is comforting.
But, if digital downloading does become a huge deal, it'll further drive up the rarity and value of older hard copies, or the cost for a typical new-release title.

 

[GoldenRaz]

Definently hard copy, a digital copy barely feels as though I own it. And it's also a ***** to read the manual (looking at you, FF7 on PSN!).