Current Events > In 2017, 79% of games purchased was digital. 21% was physical.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.statista.com/statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/



Interesting. Could the Xbox One business model succeed in today's day and age?
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Digital is so convenient
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If I had the space I'd probably just download my games.

Also alot of games are on sale online only so that pretty much makes up for that gap.
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Even console games just install to the hd now so there's no reason to go physical unless you live in an area with shit internet
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I prefer physical, because I like actually owning my games.
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What is the ratio on traditional consoles/handhelds?
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Alucard188 posted...

I prefer physical, because I like actually owning my games.

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Alucard188 posted...

I prefer physical, because I like actually owning my games.

This. I mostly download VC games
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I was strongly anti-digital for a long time, mainly because you can't sell or trade digital games. Game sharing changed that.

If there's a game I want to play co-op or online with my fiancee, I buy it digital 100% of the time. Since couch co-op isn't really a thing anymore, it's the least they could do.

My internet is so slow that downloading a game takes at least a whole day, sometimes 2.

And I still mostly buy digital lol
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digital is the future and we're living in it

physical for me, always

It depends on the game for me. Technically, both ways take up 'space' so it just sort of depends on what storage you have at the time.

Dash_Harber posted...

It depends on the game for me. Technically, both ways take up 'space' so it just sort of depends on what storage you have at the time.

PC games weren't 40 gigs before Steam.
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P4wn4g3 posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

It depends on the game for me. Technically, both ways take up 'space' so it just sort of depends on what storage you have at the time.

PC games weren't 40 gigs before Steam.

... I never said they were.

Dash_Harber posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

It depends on the game for me. Technically, both ways take up 'space' so it just sort of depends on what storage you have at the time.

PC games weren't 40 gigs before Steam.

... I never said they were.

Yeah I know. I'm just saying PC devs got lazy due to digital and it shows. Garbage collection isn't great either and often they don't bother optimizing whatever engine they are using.
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P4wn4g3 posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

It depends on the game for me. Technically, both ways take up 'space' so it just sort of depends on what storage you have at the time.

PC games weren't 40 gigs before Steam.

... I never said they were.

Yeah I know. I'm just saying PC devs got lazy due to digital and it shows. Garbage collection isn't great either and often they don't bother optimizing whatever engine they are using.

Okay, but that has absolutely nothing to do with what I said at all.

Dash_Harber posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

It depends on the game for me. Technically, both ways take up 'space' so it just sort of depends on what storage you have at the time.

PC games weren't 40 gigs before Steam.

... I never said they were.

Yeah I know. I'm just saying PC devs got lazy due to digital and it shows. Garbage collection isn't great either and often they don't bother optimizing whatever engine they are using.

Okay, but that has absolutely nothing to do with what I said at all.

My point was they take up more space now for no good reason.
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I've moved primarily to downloading. If I'm going to have to install a game on the hard drive even if I have a disc I may as well go with the option that doesn't involved any disc swapping.

Plus I'm at a point in my life where I don't want video games taking up a bunch of shelf space.

P4wn4g3 posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Dash_Harber posted...

It depends on the game for me. Technically, both ways take up 'space' so it just sort of depends on what storage you have at the time.

PC games weren't 40 gigs before Steam.

... I never said they were.

Yeah I know. I'm just saying PC devs got lazy due to digital and it shows. Garbage collection isn't great either and often they don't bother optimizing whatever engine they are using.

Okay, but that has absolutely nothing to do with what I said at all.

My point was they take up more space now for no good reason.

I mean, I'd say games are a bit different now, but you may be right. More importantly, storage for computers was much, much smaller, so you were still taking up the same percentage pound for pound. Again, though, I never went into the reason both take up space.

I'll stay physical on console and digital on PC. If they move to all digital next gen fine by me. Saves me money.
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P4wn4g3 posted...

Alucard188 posted...

I prefer physical, because I like actually owning my games.

digital cucks will screw all consumers over in the end
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P4wn4g3 posted...

Alucard188 posted...

I prefer physical, because I like actually owning my games.

I feel this way for PS/Xbox games. But STEAM is just so great and easy.
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My Nintendo Switch is all digital.

I hate those tiny ass fucking game cards and with an all digital Switch you can swap between games in seconds
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owning the disc doesnt mean you actually own the game
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Physical needs to go the way of the dinosaur already.
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I buy physical when it is available around 90% of the time. I will buy certain 'pick up and play' style games digital over physical though.
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cjsdowg posted...

P4wn4g3 posted...

Alucard188 posted...

I prefer physical, because I like actually owning my games.

I feel this way for PS/Xbox games. But STEAM is just so great and easy.

Steam is the great mitigator, and I don't begrudge anyone who buys games on Steam. They have a different economy than consoles. I buy most of my PC games from GoG nowadays.
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shockthemonkey posted...

Does this include games that are only digital like mobile games?

This. Very curious. Would make the whole statistic irrelevant.
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Can't wait till 20 years from now when everyone is having to rebuy their digital games or complaining that there are not enough retro games in circulation.
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Can't argue with digital games, especially on a mobile platform. You can have tens or hundreds (or thousands?) of games right there with you in your pocket.

I grew up with the Game Boy/Game Gear etc., so a physical cartridge will always seem "normal" or "correct" to me when it comes to portables. But damn, if I was a kid again, carrying a bunch of games with me on my smartphone and switching between them in seconds would've been epic.
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I only buy digital games if they're on sale. You only own the license and they can remove it at will if they really wanted to. I like actually owning the game, if I buy a game that was super short I can re sell it or trade it. If I buy a 60 dollar game like doom on steam when it came out that's a waste. Instead I got a used one at gamestop and returned it in for the money

Feels good to own the actual to add to your collection, plus collectors editions
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I buy digital only. My ps4 disc drive stopped working a year ago. I have a 4tb external hdd I use and it's amazing. I have like 30 games downloaded and not even half full
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I don't know anyone who does digital when physical is available
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I would need a bigger hdd than 500gb on my PS4 just to go digital.
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The old me says 'I prefer to own my games.' But considering that you have to install all games anyway, and that you always have to play online for various reasons with most games, and given how many times I've gotten the 'do you own this game?' popup on my XB1 and had to reset the console to get it to go away ('OF COURSE I FUCKING OWN IT YOU DIPSHIT MACHINE YOU'VE GOT THE DISC THAT I PAID FOR SPINNING IN YOUR TRAY RIGHT NOW!!1!'), there doesn't even seem to be much point in it.

If a modern system is actually simple and user-friendly (Switch), then physical copies are still desirable. Beyond that, hell with 'em: the console manufacturers finally made it annoying enough to no longer be desirable.
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I still buy physical versions of new console games so that I can trade them in when I beat them. Normally end up 'technically' spending about 20-30 on them as a result.
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FLUFFYGERM posted...

owning the disc doesnt mean you actually own the game

Right. You own the license to play the physical version of the game.
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Antifar posted...

Digital is so convenient

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Alucard188 posted...

I prefer physical, because I like actually owning my games.

This was how I thought for my entire life right up until maybe a few years ago. As cool as it is to have a collection of games that you can display and "own," digital is just too damn convenient. Plus everything is force installed now anyway, so what's the point? Even if you buy a physical game disc, you're just buying the rights to access the digital version anyway. The disc itself is entirely superfluous.

It's not like before when you bought a cart or disc and everything was stored and read right on there, you got a detailed instruction manual, maybe an extra goodie here or there. Everything is online now and it kinda sucks. One day you won't even have a choice to get a physical copy. Maybe retailers will just sell a piece of paper with a download code.
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depends on the price
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The percentages aren't matching up with the article. I guess that makes sense since GFaqs users are now older gamers who has been with the site for a long time.
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DoubleDare posted...

I would need a bigger hdd than 500gb on my PS4 just to go digital.

4tb external :)
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Ultima Dragon posted...

Alucard188 posted...

I prefer physical, because I like actually owning my games.

This was how I thought for my entire life right up until maybe a few years ago. As cool as it is to have a collection of games that you can display and "own," digital is just too damn convenient. Plus everything is force installed now anyway, so what's the point? Even if you buy a physical game disc, you're just buying the rights to access the digital version anyway. The disc itself is entirely superfluous.

It's not like before when you bought a cart or disc and everything was stored and read right on there, you got a detailed instruction manual, maybe an extra goodie here or there. Everything is online now and it kinda sucks. One day you won't even have a choice to get a physical copy. Maybe retailers will just sell a piece of paper with a download code.

Agreed. Having every single ps4 game I own on one hdd, with plenty of room for probably every game I'm gonna want for the system.
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babyeatermax posted...

FLUFFYGERM posted...

owning the disc doesnt mean you actually own the game

Right. You own the license to play the physical version of the game.

No, you actually own the game.
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After my experience with Killer Instinct I'm a little weary about digital buys. After a few months of inactivity, all the characters were somehow deleted from my Microsoft account and I haven't been able to get them back.
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Are those by dollar breakdown or by number of individual games? I could easily buy 9 old or indie games on sale for a dollar each over time just because they're so cheap and don't have physical releases anyway, but if it's an actual game I want that I'm willing to pay full price I'd prefer physical. But that chart could be saying 90% of games I buy are digital, when in reality I dropped $9 on digital and $60 on physical.

I used to prefer physical, but it's so convenient not having to get up and switch the disc out.

God, I'm so fucking lazy.
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