Current Events > I don't understand why physical copies of games is still a thing

(+) Yeah! (+)

It doesn't make any sense to me. It's extremely more cost effective to just offer the game up for download, which ideally should lead to games not costing as much to make and then maybe studios would feel less of a need to nickel and dime everyone over content.
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Solid Snake07 posted...

and then maybe studios would feel less of a need to nickel and dime everyone over content

lol

TheMarthKoopa posted...

Solid Snake07 posted...

and then maybe studios would feel less of a need to nickel and dime everyone over content

lol

yeah probably not, but you know. ideal world and all
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Solid Snake07 posted...

It's extremely more cost effective to just offer the game up for download

And when they start passing those savings on to the customer, I'll start doing that. Until then, I'll stick with the one that lets me sell and donate it when I'm done while also protecting me from losing the game when servers go down or it gets pulled from the store.
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Physical > digital
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Solid Snake07 posted...

should lead to games not costing as much to make

Developmental costs of major games still in the hundreds of millions of dollars a year with 5-10 year cycles. Costs ain't never going down fam.
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s0nicfan posted...

Solid Snake07 posted...

It's extremely more cost effective to just offer the game up for download

And when they start passing those savings on to the customer, I'll start doing that. Until then, I'll stick with the one that lets me sell and donate it when I'm done while also protecting me from losing the game when servers go down or it gets pulled from the store.

Yeah, don't get me wrong. I blame the industry, not the consumers. Games should be cheaper to buy from a download, it's pretty ridiculous that the opposite is usually true.
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If you have a digital game, it's entirely possible for the download to get glitched, thus forcing you to delete and redownload it. In a perfect world, all this takes is time, but what if it's a game that is no longer available to be downloaded? You're out however much you paid for it.

If you have a physical game, unless the storage media is compromised (cracked disc, etc), you can play it forever.
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Solid Snake07 posted...

s0nicfan posted...

Solid Snake07 posted...

It's extremely more cost effective to just offer the game up for download

And when they start passing those savings on to the customer, I'll start doing that. Until then, I'll stick with the one that lets me sell and donate it when I'm done while also protecting me from losing the game when servers go down or it gets pulled from the store.

Yeah, don't get me wrong. I blame the industry, not the consumers. Games should be cheaper to buy from a download, it's pretty ridiculous that the opposite is usually true.

What's more is now you don't even get it tax free like you did months ago.
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Makeveli_lives posted...

Solid Snake07 posted...

should lead to games not costing as much to make

Developmental costs of major games still in the hundreds of millions of dollars a year with 5-10 year cycles. Costs ain't never going down fam.

Obviously most of the cost goes into development, but a ton of money goes into the logistics of making and shipping physical copies. and that cost is pointless
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I mean it makes less and less sense considering you still have to install the fucking game either way
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Does TC also question why books are still a thing?
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As long as data caps exist this will never become the norm.
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I hate digital only stuff. There's no guarantee to it. Once the platform is no longer supported, anything you bought is gone forever if the platform you have it on dies. Physical media can degrade, but it will outlast this short 10-15 year cycle for sure.

I'm mainly a PC gamer, so I am used to everything downloading super fast and being ready to play in no time.

I haven't used my PS4 in a while, so it was a bit of a shock to see how long it took for RDR2 to be ready to play. Disks really are insanely slow. I do like collecting physical copies of things, but I'd be alright with a shift to completely digital. It'll save me space anyway.
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EvalAngell posted...

Does TC also question why books are still a thing?

This is a poor comparison unless you need a kindle or e-reader to use a book.
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EvalAngell posted...

TC the type of dude to burn books cuz "u can read dem online!"

false equivalence. reading from a book and off a screen are two different things, it makes sense for them to be sold separately. A game/movie/music are the same experience digitally
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7 day return policies if it turns out it sucks (or if you beat Mario 3D world in a weekend like me)
Trading/selling when you're done
Rental/gamefly
Servers go down
Letting friends borrow it
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I can still find physical copies of games that got their digital copies removed.
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Not everyone has internet, much less good high speed internet.
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most phsyical games are basically just a key to download the digital version anyway. actual full games on a disc with no download needed are all but extinct these days. except for the 3ds

Solid Snake07 posted...

s0nicfan posted...

Solid Snake07 posted...

It's extremely more cost effective to just offer the game up for download

And when they start passing those savings on to the customer, I'll start doing that. Until then, I'll stick with the one that lets me sell and donate it when I'm done while also protecting me from losing the game when servers go down or it gets pulled from the store.

Yeah, don't get me wrong. I blame the industry, not the consumers. Games should be cheaper to buy from a download, it's pretty ridiculous that the opposite is usually true.

They don't want to piss of retailers by selling their games for less
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Zikten posted...

most phsyical games are basically just a key to download the digital version anyway. actual full games on a disc with no download needed are all but extinct these days. except for the 3ds

Where do you come up with this stuff zikten, the vast majority of games are not just download keys in a box
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I was thinking about this last night when I was gonna get RDR2. The only benefit to digital is I dont have to go anywhere and I save a little physical space.
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There are plenty of better reasons to prefer physical but I just like collecting and seeing all of my games lined up on my shelf.

You cant resell a digital game. You cant lend a digital game to a friend. You cant trade a digital game.

Also, many people dont have good internet connections because some towns just have crappy service. The network in my town used to be monopolized by ONE place that gave you like three megabytes of data and then made you pay $15 for more. Basically, I had to sell my PS4 because I couldnt keep a connection long enough to install the updates.

Now that I have a better service, it still takes way too long to download games. It usually takes about two to three hours, by the time the download and install and forced update are finished. I can run up to gamestop and buy the game and have it playing in 45 minutes. Also, if you cant get into your account, then all of your games are gone.
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I feel like I actually own the game with a physical copy.
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Im about to buy RDR2 and play it until I get bored and sell it to my cousin for 40$
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All digital is a good way to buy a game and end up getting nothing/have stuff glitch. Physical all the way. Also it's hard to corrupt physical copies. Digital, not so much.
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You dont ever truly own a digital game. It can be taken away from you at a moments notice and if it gets taken off line you may never be able to download it again.
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Anybody that thinks digital is better than physical lacks long term thinking skills.
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DiScOrD tHe LuNaTiC posted...

If you have a digital game, it's entirely possible for the download to get glitched, thus forcing you to delete and redownload it. In a perfect world, all this takes is time, but what if it's a game that is no longer available to be downloaded? You're out however much you paid for it.

If you have a physical game, unless the storage media is compromised (cracked disc, etc), you can play it forever.

"You could lose your digital games if something happens to the storage media they're on. On the other hand, you'll only lose your physical games if something happens to to the storage media they're on."
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s0nicfan posted...

Solid Snake07 posted...

It's extremely more cost effective to just offer the game up for download

And when they start passing those savings on to the customer, I'll start doing that. Until then, I'll stick with the one that lets me sell and donate it when I'm done while also protecting me from losing the game when servers go down or it gets pulled from the store.

slmcknett posted...

Physical > digital

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slmcknett posted...

Physical > digital

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MC_BatCommander posted...

Where do you come up with this stuff zikten, the vast majority of games are not just download keys in a box

I can't remember the last time I bought a disc and didn't have to download something

DLC content shows up a lot in downloadable games too, so I think that's a ridiculous statement.

Either way, it depends on the game for me. Sometimes a physical copy is nice, other times digital is better.

Physical copies are generally cheaper and more versatile, so I'm glad they're still around.
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Solid Snake07 posted...

Makeveli_lives posted...

Solid Snake07 posted...

should lead to games not costing as much to make

Developmental costs of major games still in the hundreds of millions of dollars a year with 5-10 year cycles. Costs ain't never going down fam.

Obviously most of the cost goes into development, but a ton of money goes into the logistics of making and shipping physical copies. and that cost is pointless

Except for ya know...selling, lending donating games.

Also some people can't have internet or have terrible internet that cannot cope with modern game sizes.

Also digital only gives a single storefront for each system a monopoly. It's the only place to buy anything
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nemu posted...

I hate digital only stuff. There's no guarantee to it. Once the platform is no longer supported, anything you bought is gone forever if the platform you have it on dies. Physical media can degrade, but it will outlast this short 10-15 year cycle for sure.

this isn't really a problem with digital inherently, it's just a problem with our current digital services. If you actually buy and download a game, and it's not a game that actually needs the online connection (eg something that's only online multiplayer) there's no reason it should have to stop working when the service you bought it from goes down
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Yeah I always love having to figure out what to delete whenever I get a new game.
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@kirbymuncher posted...

there's no reason it should have to stop working when the service you bought it from goes down

Konami just released an "update" that disables the PT demo. Imagine if they did similar things to some other real digital game right before servers go down.
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DoomSwell posted...

kirbymuncher posted...

there's no reason it should have to stop working when the service you bought it from goes down

Konami just released an "update" that disables the PT demo. Imagine if they did similar things to some other real digital game right before servers go down.

yeah, I know things are definitely not ideal at the moment. And it's why I say there's no reason it should have to. Because it doesn't have to. And yet it still does, because that's how the system is set up.

I'm sure you can picture what a digital game that doesn't rely on the service where you got it from to keep working in order to remain playable is like. I'm sure you have plenty of programs on your computer that meet this criteria. It's not impossible, in fact it's far from it
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Zikten posted...

MC_BatCommander posted...

Where do you come up with this stuff zikten, the vast majority of games are not just download keys in a box

I can't remember the last time I bought a disc and didn't have to download something

Downloading a patch that fixes some glitches != download key.
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eggcorn posted...

slmcknett posted...

Physical > digital

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TiamatLover posted...

DiScOrD tHe LuNaTiC posted...

If you have a digital game, it's entirely possible for the download to get glitched, thus forcing you to delete and redownload it. In a perfect world, all this takes is time, but what if it's a game that is no longer available to be downloaded? You're out however much you paid for it.

If you have a physical game, unless the storage media is compromised (cracked disc, etc), you can play it forever.

"You could lose your digital games if something happens to the storage media they're on. On the other hand, you'll only lose your physical games if something happens to to the storage media they're on."

Textbook false equivalence right here, people.

A digital game glitching doesn't mean the hard drive it's on glitched, genius. It just means there's an unrecoverable error in the game data, one that can be resolved by deleting and redownloading it. But if that game has been removed from the servers for whatever reason, you can't do that.

If your physical copy gets damaged, it's possible to find another.
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How come no one has mentioned that you are not purchasing a game digitally but rather you are purchasing a license which can be withdrawn at any time.
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