Current Events > Why are people so against video game progress? (Digital)

(+) Yeah! (+)

People are holding back progress for what? To hold the game in your hand? To "own it" when that means very little in reality when compared to digital? That value is so little compared to the positives of digital.

Not having to go to the store to buy it is the smallest positive. All digital leads to things like EA access and Gamepass which gives you access to tons of games for 10 dollars a month. 10 dollars. 120 dollars a year gives you access to 100s of games that are actually major titles for the cost of 2 phyisical copies.

Why are gamers fighting innovation?
---

what
---

Do you need a hug

What? I'm just making a point. If I say the new console should be all digital, some people will get very angry
---

To be fair, since game developers refuse to compress their textures now, resulting in huge file sizes, combined with stagnant internet speeds and data caps, physical is often the best choice for some people
---

Thing is a lot of people don't have the internet speed to go full digital.

And physical media is slick
---

If some server screws up somewhere, my discs aren't going to disappear.
---

DepreceV2 posted...

What? I'm just making a point. If I say the new console should be all digital, some people will get very angry

Prove it.
---

Shadowplay posted...

To be fair, since game developers refuse to compress their textures now, resulting in huge file sizes, combined with stagnant internet speeds and data caps, physical is often the best choice for some people

The real danger is the internet monopoly. Internet should be WAY faster on average than it is now. Companies are purposely holding it back and charging too much to fill their pockets. I think our way out of this is Google and... IMO if they decided to get involved.. Microsoft. If both companies offer fiber optic type of internet and compete with each other, prices will defiantly go down and it would be more wide spread. That's just a dream though lol
---

DevsBro posted...

DepreceV2 posted...

What? I'm just making a point. If I say the new console should be all digital, some people will get very angry

Prove it.

I'll give it a shot
---

all digital solves the biggest problem that's been plaguing games for decades, and that is how you basically turn into a video game hoarder if you dont want to sell/throw out your older consoles. i'll take a dramtic de-cluttering for the slight chance that an older game i dont play goes offline or something
---

And you dont really own the game.
---

LordMarshal posted...

And you dont really own the game.

Also a big issue. At least with a physical copy it can't be taken away/you lose access to it (short of losing it/being stolen)
---

LordMarshal posted...

And you dont really own the game.

That matters so little it's practically irrelevant
---

Funkydog posted...

LordMarshal posted...

And you dont really own the game.

Also a big issue. At least with a physical copy it can't be taken away/you lose access to it (short of losing it/being stolen)

I have went all digital this generation and never lost access to a single game.
---

I think for the most part the fear of digital is a weird resistance to change some people have, but there are some legitimate concerns with it. I dislike how much power it gives producers to control the market, like the way apple phones have gone - you buy this $1000 piece of hardware but it's never actually yours, and they lockdown the software so severely that it's basically a paperweight unless you sign over all right to the digital content on it.

So that's a legitimate concern. Being annoyed that you don't get to put a cartridge into your games console is a pretty silly concern. The arguments over convenience are the most stupid, because the entire point of switching to digital is it's more convenient for everyone.

The price thing is a legitimate concern. It's crazy now how people are happy to pay fullprice for 10 year old games that get released on digital marketplaces.
---

ClunkerSlim posted...

I use to be a console gamer who has now switched over to the all digital PC marketplace. So let me just say...

Physical media is cheaper and you need to hold onto that for as long as you can. Once Sony switches over to a closed digital marketplace then youre fucked. It will completely kill any source of competition and five year old games will stay at $60 and $70. Hold on to the physical media market with a death grip.

We are progressing past paying for a game.
---

im scared of the day valve shuts down and all my steam games are gone
---

Crap, I missed getting the second post.
---

DepreceV2 posted...

Funkydog posted...

LordMarshal posted...

And you dont really own the game.

Also a big issue. At least with a physical copy it can't be taken away/you lose access to it (short of losing it/being stolen)

I have went all digital this generation and never lost access to a single game.

I mean, it is pretty unlikely. But it is a possibility I guess?
---

YOUHAVENOHOPE posted...

im scared of the day valve shuts down and all my steam games are gone

won't happen. they said they'll allow people to download all the games that you own if the service ever goes down
---

Shadowplay posted...

To be fair, since game developers refuse to compress their textures now, resulting in huge file sizes, combined with stagnant internet speeds and data caps, physical is often the best choice for some people

Since you have to install games on Xbox and PlayStation nowadays that's a moot point outside of download speeds

I went all digital on the Switch because if it gets lost my games aren't compromised
---

From another thread:

Questionmarktarius posted...

I see no compelling reason to pay more to not have First Sale rights.

ThyCorndog posted...

YOUHAVENOHOPE posted...

im scared of the day valve shuts down and all my steam games are gone

won't happen. they said they'll allow people to download all the games that you own if the service ever goes down

cute that you believe that.
---

ThyCorndog posted...

YOUHAVENOHOPE posted...

im scared of the day valve shuts down and all my steam games are gone

won't happen. they said they'll allow people to download all the games that you own if the service ever goes down

yeah lets everybody just break out our 10TB HDDs and download all 500 games in our steam libraries

hahahahaha lol jk
---

the biggest downside of digital in my mind is the inability to do anything with the game other than play it. it's hard to lend to a friend. it's hard to resell. it's hard to display as part of a collection. it means the game won't come with any cool extras usually.

ultimately though I still think digital benefits outweigh physical benefits and I mostly prefer digital stuff nowadays
---

Digital would end up being cheaper if they could cut production costs in a perfect world. I'm all digital for this gen besides big Nintendo first party games. I haven't looked back tbh. Owning a physical copy purely for trade in value is dumb imo especially when you're most likely not even getting 25% of the original cost of the game. Convenience is much more important to me. PC gamers have moved on from physical a long time ago. I think consoles have to join as well.

EA Access and Game Pass are huge steps towards a better gaming experience imo.
---

metralo posted...

ThyCorndog posted...

YOUHAVENOHOPE posted...

im scared of the day valve shuts down and all my steam games are gone

won't happen. they said they'll allow people to download all the games that you own if the service ever goes down

cute that you believe that.

you think they'd just let you lose your games forever?
---

data caps alone make it a easy decision to buy physical on console.
---

ThyCorndog posted...

metralo posted...

ThyCorndog posted...

YOUHAVENOHOPE posted...

im scared of the day valve shuts down and all my steam games are gone

won't happen. they said they'll allow people to download all the games that you own if the service ever goes down

cute that you believe that.

you think they'd just let you lose your games forever?

Thinking Steam will be going away anytime soon is already laughable. It's a non issue.
---

DevsBro posted...

If some server screws up somewhere, my discs aren't going to disappear.

No, but your always-online requirement still means you can't play it.
---

Smashingpmkns posted...

ThyCorndog posted...

metralo posted...

ThyCorndog posted...

YOUHAVENOHOPE posted...

im scared of the day valve shuts down and all my steam games are gone

won't happen. they said they'll allow people to download all the games that you own if the service ever goes down

cute that you believe that.

you think they'd just let you lose your games forever?

Thinking Steam will be going away anytime soon is already laughable. It's a non issue.

This too
---

ThyCorndog posted...

metralo posted...

ThyCorndog posted...

YOUHAVENOHOPE posted...

im scared of the day valve shuts down and all my steam games are gone

won't happen. they said they'll allow people to download all the games that you own if the service ever goes down

cute that you believe that.

you think they'd just let you lose your games forever?

If the service goes down, how are you going to download anything from it?
---

darkjedilink posted...

DevsBro posted...

If some server screws up somewhere, my discs aren't going to disappear.

No, but your always-online requirement still means you can't play it.

It's good to be a 7th-genner.
---

Questionmarktarius posted...

From another thread:

Questionmarktarius posted...

I see no compelling reason to pay more to not have First Sale rights.

In what universe do you pay more?

I bet my Steam library ALONE only cost me 5 percent of the games' cost physical. Lower for my Origin and Ubisoft libraries.
---

ThyCorndog posted...

metralo posted...

ThyCorndog posted...

YOUHAVENOHOPE posted...

im scared of the day valve shuts down and all my steam games are gone

won't happen. they said they'll allow people to download all the games that you own if the service ever goes down

cute that you believe that.

you think they'd just let you lose your games forever?

yes? you're essentially renting a digital game. you're just paying for the key to access it, which can be revoked at any time.
---

darkjedilink posted...

In what universe do you pay more?

Console Peasantry.

metralo posted...

yes? you're essentially renting a digital game. you're just paying for the key to access it, which can be revoked at any time.

this isn't always the case, depends on the game/distributor
---

metralo posted...

yes? you're essentially renting a digital game. you're just paying for the key to access it, which can be revoked at any time.

Once disc copies of Too Human are somehow remotely disabled, we'll know this has gone too far.

- collecting in general plus resale
- long term playable viability if kept in good condition

Im pro digital for everdrives in retro consoles and being able to have a lot of games in one place that are easily accessible on newer ones but Im also very worried that my digital games wont last decades.
---

Shadowplay posted...

To be fair, since game developers refuse to compress their textures now, resulting in huge file sizes, combined with stagnant internet speeds and data caps, physical is often the best choice for some people

This. For me a AAA PS4 game could take a most of or even a whole day+ to download. For many who are poor or in rural areas it could legit take a week+

Also you can sell physical games. And many services want you to be always online which is not always practical. Oh your router died? Your Hotel Wi-Fi is super spotty? Power goes out?(relevant to portables like Switch)

No gaming for you! Digital only without a secondhand market solution would give digital stores a monopoly on sales. I could see companies price gouging as there are no retailers or secondhand market to make that sort of behavior risky.

Both should remain an option for now. Digital only is not feasible for all gaming yet. Reliable widespread Internet access and some other issues are still not fully addressed.
---

A lot of people don't have access go the kind of internet service they would need to feasibly support an all-digital gaming library. Whether it's speed, data caps, or not having the physical infrastructure in place to have the service in the first place.
---

Why wouldnt you always want both for more options?
---

pikachupwnage posted...

Shadowplay posted...

To be fair, since game developers refuse to compress their textures now, resulting in huge file sizes, combined with stagnant internet speeds and data caps, physical is often the best choice for some people

This. For me a AAA PS4 game could take a most of or even a whole day+ to download. For many who are poor or in rural areas it could legit take a week+

Also you can sell physical games. And many services want you to be always online which is not always practical. Oh your router died? Your Hotel Wi-Fi is super spotty? Power goes out?(relevant to portables like Switch)

No gaming for you! Digital only without a secondhand market solution would give digital stores a monopoly on sales. I could see companies price gouging as there are no retailers or secondhand market to make that sort of behavior risky.

Both should remain an option for now. Digital only is not feasible for all gaming yet. Reliable widespread Internet access and some other issues are still not fully addressed.

If you were gaming on PC, you'd know this is bs. Keysites and multiple digital storefronts keep prices crazy low.
---

masticatingman posted...

- collecting in general plus resale
- long term playable viability if kept in good condition

Im pro digital for everdrives in retro consoles and being able to have a lot of games in one place that are easily accessible on newer ones but Im also very worried that my digital games wont last decades.

Do you really believe this is the case?

Because I would argue that digital has made gaming way more accessible and allowed older games to last even longer than they could before. I can go online and find perfect copies of any 1990 game free on the internet, many of them legally, the rest without any hassle at all - something I couldn't guarantee even if I managed to get my hands on a rare physical copy.
---

DepreceV2 posted...

What? I'm just making a point. If I say the new console should be all digital, some people will get very angry

If the demand was there to ensure the next console was physical only, would you not be angry as well?

It's going to gradually happen just it has for music CD's and DVD's/Blu-Ray. There will always be physical games but more and more will go digital only or send out less physical copies (stuff like an initial print and nothing else) as the percentages shift.

Physical games are rarely the completed version of the game these days anyway.

On top of this physical PS1-PS3 discs aren't even supported on any PS4 and they likely won't be supported on any future PlayStation. Most people seem to rely on digital re-releases and remasters. Not sure why people are expecting physical discs to last longer than digital.
---

amerk posted...

DepreceV2 posted...

What? I'm just making a point. If I say the new console should be all digital, some people will get very angry

If the demand was there to ensure the next console was physical only, would you not be angry as well?

Meh. Kinda. I have done physical only since the NES days. If anything, I'll be annoyed because we have the capability to do digital without it costing extra money but they purposely hold themselves back to please a future minority.
---