# [POLL] Do you prefer physical games or digital games?



## PrincessLillie (Apr 8, 2018)

I've heard people say that "people are slowly phasing out physical games in favor of digital-only games", but I personally think that Digital-only is shit. While it is a major convenience, if you lose or break your device or your data becomes corrupted and you don't have a backup, you're fucked. I'd rather bring my cartridges with me than risk losing my many hours of gameplay in Pokemon like I did when my SD Card died a while back.


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## Depravo (Apr 8, 2018)

sks316 said:


> if you lose or break your device or your data becomes corrupted


Then after replacing or repairing your device you re-download the games along with the cloud saves?


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## FAST6191 (Apr 8, 2018)

As I can't easily resell, trade, give or otherwise dispose of games (or as the case may be never do that but have games from others doing that) that are sold as downloadable/"digital" then I am an analogue guy.
Come the day I can easily resell, trade, lend, give or otherwise dispose of games like I can my DVDs then I will switch over. There is no technical limitation which prevents this from happening -- it is all lawyers all the way down. The worst I think I saw was Valve used to have a thing on its FAQ or something about how your friends would not want a battered and used copy of your game on their service... said service being entirely digital.

I do have a few downloaded titles but other than those that are DRM free or so weakly DRMed it does not matter then I consider them long term rentals and treat them accordingly.

"and don't have a backup"
Traditionally one loses the right to complain if you are rolling like that.
Equally having carts with you does not prevent you from losing stuff when your bag gets stolen or house gets burned down.


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## Ryccardo (Apr 8, 2018)

Whenever possible (you know what this means), buy physical at usually excellent prices, then install to the console so I don't have to get up to swap cards/discs

Though on 3DS most of my games were bought on the eShop, there's a certain cool factor to being able to play {cool new release} on launch hour, and also in not having to drive to a store (in my city that's invariably game$top with their questionable business practices)

Never had a problem with Nintendo's "account" system, and yes I did email them for a manual license transfer once - everything went fine; have also taken advantage of the "free replacement insurance for some unclear number of years" of digital software a decent number of times, although the only true long term solution is """backups""" - which I took a bet they would eventually be possible!


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## PrincessLillie (Apr 8, 2018)

Depravo said:


> Then after replacing or repairing your device you re-download the games along with the cloud saves?


What if the platform you're playing on doesn't support cloud saves? (I'm looking at you, Nintendo Switch.)


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## deinonychus71 (Apr 8, 2018)

sks316 said:


> What if the platform you're playing on doesn't support cloud saves? (I'm looking at you, Nintendo Switch.)


Cloud saves aren't on the cart on Nintendo Switch afaik.


And by that time, it'll be well hacked, you'll have your backups made by yourself.

Voting digital as well. Much more convenient.


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## Taleweaver (Apr 8, 2018)

I think a lot has to do with how the digital games work.

Nintendo is notoriously bad on this behalf: everything you buy on the eshop is (apparently still) tied to the device rather than an account. So yeah...in that case, breaking your device loses your library. However, steam, google store, gog, uplay, origin and a shitload of other services tie your purchases to your account. I've probably installed my steam account on about a dozen pc's/partitions now, and my entire library still works flawless. And unfortunately, I wish I could say the same about some of my early game CD's*.

In any case: assuming it's not some half-assed online system, I go with digital games all the way. Heck...it's been years since I bought a physical game, now I think of it (bayonetta 2...and that just might have been the single physical game I got that year).




*mind you: I ALWAYS keep my games in their proper shelves. I've had friends who just had disks "hanging around" on the desk where they rolled their cigarettes


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## Deleted User (Apr 8, 2018)

where's the "whatever's cheaper" option?


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## Ryccardo (Apr 8, 2018)

Taleweaver said:


> Nintendo is notoriously bad on this behalf: everything you buy on the eshop is (apparently still) tied to the device rather than an account. So yeah...in that case, breaking your device loses your library


Not really, you can always contact them for a manual license transfer... while it may be slower than going on PSN/iTunes, remotely deactivating ALL consoles on that account with no other choice (which you can only do a couple times a year) and logging in from the new one - it still works fine and it's "inherently" hack proof compared to 11-year-old-me-and-friend asking random people for PS3 account passwords in exchange for Modern Warfare 2 prestige levels ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


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## FAST6191 (Apr 8, 2018)

LiveLatios said:


> where's the "whatever's cheaper" option?


Does that include the option to buy something new at retail, trade it in a few days later (because as a modern game you know it is only going to take 15 hours at most, or a decent Friday afternoon-night + saturday morning) for fairly high price and maybe buy it back in 5 years when you see it going for pocket change?


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## Deleted User (Apr 8, 2018)

FAST6191 said:


> Does that include the option to buy something new at retail, trade it in a few days later (because as a modern game you know it is only going to take 15 hours at most, or a decent Friday afternoon-night + saturday morning) for fairly high price and maybe buy it back in 5 years when you see it going for pocket change?


what. i'm only talking about whatever's cheaper at the time of purchase, for example, $80 on steam/psn/whatever, or $30 at retail or something


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## FAST6191 (Apr 8, 2018)

LiveLatios said:


> what. i'm only talking about whatever's cheaper at the time of purchase, for example, $80 on steam/psn/whatever, or $30 at retail or something


I know. I was just suggesting a popular thing people do where your example would have been overly simplistic.


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## Tom Bombadildo (Apr 8, 2018)

These days I prefer digital games over physical for a few reasons. Easier to manage, I can own a ton without sacrificing shelf space, I can use them across multiple devices without losing saves (for the most part), they'll never break/I'll never lose them until the company goes bankrupt (AKA years and years away, which by then I probably won't care). 

The only physical games I buy these days are collectors editions for games I love that I'll mostly just display, like the Souls games and such. If I happen to see a physical game I want that's cheaper than a digital title, I might pick it up, but so far that's happened a whole 2 times the past few years, so my physical collection of games from the past couple generations is quite small.


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## Deleted User (Apr 8, 2018)

I do personally see digital games eventually surmounting physical releases as the primary method of distribution, due mostly to its sheer convenience (for both the developers and end players). Your backup point is practically moot, given the prevalence of cloud storage that most gaming services provide these days and more a cause of Nintendo not "getting with the times", so to speak. 

That being said, as a retro gaming enthusiast, I will always find something endearing about taking a disc or piece of plastic and stuffing it into a game console. It's immensely more satisfying than selecting a game from a menu, as irrational as that sounds. You also have ways of displaying your physical releases (something that I'm sure, with time, digital releases can catch up to, but haven't, as of yet). 

While I do use digital downloads for services like Steam (it's hard not to when they're practically giving away games for free), I just find something irrationally satisfying about physical releases, especially considering the fact that you have to get out and buy them,  making them an excuse to go outside once and a while.


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## GeorgeKuwanay (Apr 8, 2018)

I prefer the physical games but the only downside that I can see are most likely the updates and the different release editions that the published release. Digital games right now also tend to get cheaper with sales like from steam, gog or other online publisher and also physical games takes space on where you can put them in your house.


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## AdenTheThird (Apr 13, 2018)

Physical. Only on 3ds do I prefer digital only because I have FreeShop (: 
I think digital copies are just a tactic to get more sales.


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## The Real Jdbye (Apr 13, 2018)

I picked both. On consoles I prefer physical, on PC I prefer digital.
Once digital purchases on consoles become as good as Steam and storage isn't a problem that opinion may change.


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## FAST6191 (Apr 13, 2018)

The Real Jdbye said:


> Once digital purchases on consoles become as good as Steam and storage isn't a problem that opinion may change.



Until Steam readily allow me to resell my games I am not prepared to call it good.


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## The Real Jdbye (Apr 13, 2018)

FAST6191 said:


> Until Steam readily allow me to resell my games I am not prepared to call it good.


EU court ruled a while back that services like Steam are required to allow reselling games but I've yet to see anything come out of that.


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## FAST6191 (Apr 13, 2018)

I saw the case, and I think there is something. I doubt it would fit under anybody's definition of "readily" though.


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## DarthDub (Apr 13, 2018)

Physical. Look at the Wii Shop Channel.


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## Matthe815 (Apr 25, 2018)

I typically prefer digital games so I don't have to keep up with all of my physical games.
However, I can actually _SELL_ my physical games, which is quite beneficial.

So basically.... Digital is life!


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## spotanjo3 (Apr 25, 2018)

I prefer physical games because I like to collect artboxes. A digital is annoying and take up the space and not fun because you can't have an artboxes to enjoyed to look at.

I dont understand people selling their physical games. I buy the physical games that I love like God of War series and I never sell physical games at all. Why should I ? If people want to sell physical games then they should use digital instead because I have seen many used physical games are being damage like cover and scratches discs as well. No, they should buy a digital games instead if they dont know how to take care of physical games at all or just want to sell it.


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## Armadillo (Apr 25, 2018)

Digital on pc, physical on console.

I'd go digital on console except the prices are a piss take. Not paying £10-15 more just for digital.


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## Deleted User (May 8, 2018)

If we are talking about consoles i usually get 4-5 games physical and the others digital.


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## Condarkness_XY (May 9, 2018)

I like physical games more so than digital (unless it is only released as such). That being said, for pc digital. For everything else, a choice is always better.


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## Deleted User (May 10, 2018)

Digital. It's more convenient, easier, and accessible. I care about the game, not the packaging or any of that crap.


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## Sonic Angel Knight (May 10, 2018)

On playstation 4, it kinda doesn't matter to me. Even if i do buy the disc, the game data dumps a huge load into the HDD to even play the game, unlike ps3 where most games didn't have to always install data, some was optional just for loading time boost, and some was mandatory. I can guarantee most of people ps4 and xbox one is just taken up by those disc which is usually much larger than those download only exclusives.

On nintendo systems, especially switch, you have systems with low internal storage and kinda pressure you to get a SD card (HDD for wii u) to even have a library of more than a few games. But least the retail games don't dump data on your system. I been smart and buying the games that can only be gotten by download (Which is usually smaller in size) and games that have retail option. (except sonic mania, I didn't know the retail one was planned.) 

Most of what remains the same is being able to resell or trade the game, but for someone who never really does that with his games, is almost a pain to have all the disc, then all the data install on the ps4 HDD and still need to swap them to play each game. Wonder how cheap can i get for a HDD upgrade.


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## SG854 (May 10, 2018)

I can see the benefits of going to a digital only future. 

It saves the limited recources we have on this planet needed to create physical copies. And we need to take care of our environment.

It benefits developers because they won’t have to waste money to produce and manufacture physical copies.

It saves lots of space. I can have thousands of games on a HDD or a SD card, that I wouldn’t have the space in my house to store all of those games if I got them as physical copies.

Quick access to all my games in one place. I don’t need to shuffle through hundreds or cartridges or discs to find the game I want to play. And no need to constantly switch out the game every time I want to play a new one. And for portable consoles I don’t need to bring lots of cartridges when I go out.

The only negative I see is the original digital stores closing down. And you won’t be able to re-download the games if your HDD fails or you loose your SD card. And HDD fail quicker than actual cartridges and discs.

But nowadays people hack consoles and back up games digitally. So I don’t mind re-downloading a game off an ISO site, that I originally bought but can’t download anymore because the digital store is now closed. Technically illegal but since I already bought the game I have no guilt. 

So in short digital for me.


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## Deleted User (May 11, 2018)

While I prefer physical copies I wish the Switch was digital only. The game carts jack up the prices of the games and physical copies have longer load times.


sks316 said:


> What if the platform you're playing on doesn't support cloud saves? (I'm looking at you, Nintendo Switch.)


The save is stored on the system memory, not the game cart. We will get Cloud saves pretty soon.


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## chocoboss (May 11, 2018)

Both, I buy physical for collection ( project diva, final fantastique ... ) The other are digital


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## snails1221 (May 11, 2018)

Having a collection of physical games feels a lot more satisfying than digital. Plus you can sell a physical game if you get bored of it or if you're selling the console it's for.


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## chocoboss (May 11, 2018)

I forgot that a re-selling / trading games is also an advantage

I also forgot in this case : at PSP bring aller tout umd was notre really cool if you have many. Being able to dump them was cool, you never forgot one if you have a big memory card


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## Taffy (May 11, 2018)

I just want my games

Physical games can be broken, lost, scratched, etc


Digital games are comparable to putting all of your eggs in one basket. I lost 20+GB of games when my 3DS' sd card got fucked by a defective reader.


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## oji (May 11, 2018)

Physical to buy & digital to pirate.


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## VinsCool (May 11, 2018)

Physical as much as possible.
They become my possession, and it's always possible to resell years later, after the console/online service is discontinued (wii shop anyone?), Or find them for cheap used.

Digital is very convenient, but the day you lose Steam, bye bye 200+ games, you only had a licence to download them. Also you can't sell digital games, as far as I know. Meanwhile, a stack of games on my shelves could lead to very quick bucks at any moment.


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## Temperal (May 13, 2018)

I prefer physical games over digital ones. If there is a physical I pick that up over a digital version. When I bought my 3ds I got a Zelda edition Link Between Worlds, and I was disappointed it was a code only. I've since bought the physical copy. Snow if the game is strictly digital, I'll be okay getting it. The only thing I worry is if the server is taken down, and no longer be able to down load it. 

Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk


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## CMDreamer (May 13, 2018)

I prefer physical over digital for the simple reason that I can play a physical game on whichever console (from the same family that is) I want to. A digital game is "engaged" to a console ID, so then I would need to buy it for each console I own to be able to play it whenever I'd want.

This reminds me of the junk games of XBOX One and PS4, as they are using the physical disks as DRM keys, and you need to download the whole games from their servers to be able to play, that sucks!!!
That's why it's not on my plans to get any of those junk consoles.


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## Lacius (May 13, 2018)

I buy physical copies of my games purely for the resale value.


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## sniper_x002 (May 13, 2018)

I prefer digital games for playing, but for collecting purposes I prefer physical games. I don't even consider digital games 'collectable'.


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## Deleted User (May 13, 2018)

Adding on to my previous statement, oftentimes I prefer physical games over digital because they help maintain a certain "spectacle," something I find fading as time goes on.

In the Emulation vs. Original Hardware debate thread, I believe @osaka35 mentioned how gaming can be seen as a collection of experiences, and how emulating a game and playing it on the original hardware can provide two very different experiences.  Playing _Street Fighter II_ on a Genesis will provide different experience than emulating the Genesis version of _Street Fighter II _on a PC, due in part to the controls (3 button controller vs. keyboard), picture quality (individual pixels are much more apparent in emulators), and so on and so forth.  Likewise, playing _Fire Emblem _on a phone will be very different than playing _Fire Emblem_ on an actual GBA, even if the one differing factor (the control scheme) is quite trivial.

I believe having a physical copy of the game with you impacts your experience, perhaps on a subconscious level.  Having a fresh physical copy of the game with you impacts how you'll perceive the game, as stupid as that sounds.  Humans can be very irrational creatures by default, so such inconsequential details, such as the controller you play it with, the system and screen you play it on, and the circumstances surrounding your play time (something as simple as the noise level in the room at the time, or something as far-reaching as the point in your life at which you're playing the game) can impact how you see the game.  Stuff like game manuals and cover art all feed into a first impression of a game, which, in turn, greatly impacts your overall opinion of said game.

Some may find this opinion silly, that, in the end, it's only the games themselves that matter.  However, consider this: if games themselves are simply a matter of evoking a series of responses and actions from the player within the context of the game, then why _wouldn't_ the circumstances in which you play the game impact your perception of it?

Just my two cents.  Curious as to what you guys think.


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## Deleted User (May 13, 2018)

Physical Always.


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## voracious (May 13, 2018)

Kind of both, sometimes I can't get the game physically.


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## slaphappygamer (May 13, 2018)

you dont have to blow the dust out from a digital copy. you also dont have to worry about it getting scratched.


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## PrincessLillie (May 13, 2018)

slaphappygamer said:


> you dont have to blow the dust out from a digital copy. you also dont have to worry about it getting scratched.


Yes, but what happens when the service you have the digital copy on dies, and you lose the media the digital copy is on or it corrupts?


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## slaphappygamer (May 13, 2018)

sks316 said:


> Yes, but what happens when the service you have the digital copy on dies, and you lose the media the digital copy is on or it corrupts?


then, youre fucked. unless you locally made a backup, which you cant do with a physical copy.


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## PrincessLillie (May 13, 2018)

slaphappygamer said:


> then, youre fucked. unless you locally made a backup, which you cant do with a physical copy.


Yes, but that backup is vulnerable to the exact same things your original copy was.


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## Deleted User (May 13, 2018)

sks316 said:


> Yes, but what happens when the service you have the digital copy on dies, and you lose the media the digital copy is on or it corrupts?


You make frequent backups.  This is where cloud storage comes in; so long as the servers are up and running, your stuff is safe. 

This was how I was able to wipe my phone while rooting it in good conscience, as I had all my emulator saves backed up to the cloud.


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## cots (May 13, 2018)

I bought a PS4 last year and I have only 2 physical games which are the demo disc and a game that came with the PS4 and the PSVR. I have a total of 48 games now which I have bought digitally. I am not so worried about losing the games as they can be downloaded again and the save games are also backed up online. Given World War III and the loss of the Internet this may be a foolish decision, but until that happens I am satisfied with the digital only games. For one I don't have to find a games in the stores, travel to get them (I don't own a car), wait in line and spend top dollar. I usually buy digital games while they are on sale or a couple I bought that were brand new releases. It's much more convenient, but if I were to lose the Internet for any reason and also the console broke I guess I would be SOL. There is also something to be said about owning a physical game with the nice box and hopefully an instruction manual that's not 10 pages long (8 of which are legal shit), but it is always wise to keep backups of your physical media and digital media just in case.


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## Dreamhigh1708 (May 20, 2018)

I was reading this article : https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/video-games-curse-retro which made me reconsider my view on physical vs digital copy

I always was naturally drawn to physical copies (in contrast with digital copies bought on "online stores" like the Playstation Store), but only though it was because I liked having a "collection" on my shelves. Now that I read this article, I'm even more determined to buy physical copies... Despite having to pay three times the price. The idea of some of my games becoming obsolete did sadden me, who knows, I might have a nostalgic spree in 10 years and want to play those games again... 
That is funny because I usually like gaming on my computer best but that's the medium must likely to become obsolete... that really changed my way to see things... Any opinions ?


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## Shadow#1 (May 20, 2018)

Dreamhigh1708 said:


> I was reading this article : https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/video-games-curse-retro which made me reconsider my view on physical vs digital copy
> 
> I always was naturally drawn to physical copies (in contrast with digital copies bought on "online stores" like the Playstation Store), but only though it was because I liked having a "collection" on my shelves. Now that I read this article, I'm even more determined to buy physical copies... Despite having to pay three times the price. The idea of some of my games becoming obsolete did sadden me, who knows, I might have a nostalgic spree in 10 years and want to play those games again...
> That is funny because I usually like gaming on my computer best but that's the medium must likely to become obsolete... that really changed my way to see things... Any opinions ?


If I can pirate digital all the way and if not physical when possible


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## Alkéryn (May 20, 2018)

Digital, dont need to carry shit around 
Then homebrew to backup saves


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## johnbus (May 20, 2018)

Whichever gives me the best DRM-free experience down the road. If I can either buy a physical copy that doesn't need an online connection, or a digital copy that requires an additional service that could prevent me from playing it at some point, I'd go with physical. If I can buy a physical copy that requires an online service like Steam, or a digital DRM-free copy like from GOG, then digital.

It dawned on me some years back that all electronic platforms will one day be obsolete. When they are, my best chance of playing my favorite games is whatever version can't be remotely shut down. Having the entire game on hand, whether physical or digital, is best.


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## VinsCool (May 20, 2018)

Physical copies, digital games eventually get lost in time, while the physical releases may become rare and be worth a lot.


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## Dreamhigh1708 (May 20, 2018)

johnbus said:


> It dawned on me some years back that all electronic platforms will one day be obsolete. When they are, my best chance of playing my favorite games is whatever version can't be remotely shut down. Having the entire game on hand, whether physical or digital, is best.



Yeah, exactly my thought, but then wouldn't physical copies on consoles be the best bet ?



VinsCool said:


> Physical copies, digital games eventually get lost in time, while the physical releases may become rare and be worth a lot.



I agree... I remember my very first video game I bought digitally for PC... Don't think I can find it and install it on my new computer to play again... and it was only 6 years ago...


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## johnbus (May 20, 2018)

Dreamhigh1708 said:


> Yeah, exactly my thought, but then wouldn't physical copies on consoles be the best bet ?.



Usually, yes. I have heard of exceptions where there was just an online code in a physical 360 game box, though. I cannot remember what game it was, but some people were talking about how that was going to become the norm for the Xbox One. It didn't (I don't think, I don't play much Xbox), but that still has me on edge.

There were a lot of 'features' that enraged consumers during the months leading up to the Xbox One's launch that were later removed, but that doesn't mean they won't try it again.


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## smileyhead (May 20, 2018)

Both have their positives for me.

Physical
- Nice case
- A big collection looks great on a shelf
- It somehow feels satisfying switching games
- The base game doesn't fill the storage (at least on Nintendo systems)

Digital
- Can be pirated
- Doesn't need physical space when travelling
- More comfortable when I feel lazy, because I don't have to get up


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## migles (May 20, 2018)

Dreamhigh1708 said:


> I agree... I remember my very first video game I bought digitally for PC... Don't think I can find it and install it on my new computer to play again... and it was only 6 years ago...


what game was it?


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## SG854 (May 20, 2018)

smileyhead said:


> Both have their positives for me.
> 
> Physical
> - Nice case
> ...


A big collection looks cool. Unless it’s too big, I would have run out of space if I had physical for all the games I have. Majority of what I have is digital. And my rooms look cleaner because of that.

Physical cartridges can be a pain to use since they don’t always load properly. And I’m lazy so I prefer the easy switch of digital.

Digital for me. But some games have really cool box art to display.


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## Dreamhigh1708 (May 20, 2018)

johnbus said:


> Usually, yes. I have heard of exceptions where there was just an online code in a physical 360 game box, though. I cannot remember what game it was, but some people were talking about how that was going to become the norm for the Xbox One. It didn't (I don't think, I don't play much Xbox), but that still has me on edge.



Yeah, I really wouldn't like that... I mean I've seen people who really just want the box for display... But buying a physical copy to find a code... Thankfully they seem to limit that sort of things to software and not games...



smileyhead said:


> Both have their positives for me.
> 
> Physical
> - Nice case
> ...



I totally agree with that last point... Especially since I got some PSVita games...  The specific card you need to buy to download Playstation Store bought games is pretty expensive given the price of SD cards with equivalent storage... Might as well keep buying physical copies (even if it's twice as expensive, with the SD Card price I think it's just better to buy physical for the Vita...)



migles said:


> what game was it?



It was Alice Madness Returns !


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## migles (May 20, 2018)

Dreamhigh1708 said:


> It was Alice Madness Returns !


did you bought it off steam? if you bought in steam it's in your account, just need the client
for other digital versions you probably have a cd key that can use in EA's client origin


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## IC_ (May 20, 2018)

Physical because I can buy a used copy and pay less


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## Captain_N (May 20, 2018)

I go physical where possible. When i buy a digital game it feels like i did not get anything. feels no different then if i downloaded it on that iso site. Physical makes it feel like i actually got something. I am also a collector. I started cataloging what the value of my collection is actually and boy, i got to say i never spent anything near what its all actually worth...


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## DarthDub (May 20, 2018)

Digital purchases have no real world monetary value. Physical all the way.


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## Dreamhigh1708 (May 21, 2018)

migles said:


> did you bought it off steam? if you bought in steam it's in your account, just need the client
> for other digital versions you probably have a cd key that can use in EA's client origin



Unfortunately, I bought the key on a website that sold game keys... which one, I don't remember... I remember trying to put that key into steam a year or two after I purchased, to no avail and just gave up... Thinking back I should have contacted Steam... But given I find a key and all, I won't be able to link it to Steam, Alice Madness Returns was removed from the Steam Store... Origin has it though, but that kinda confirms that I should rather buy physical copies... Keys get lost, games disappear from platforms like Steam (who know if it won't experience the same fate on Origin) I think I'll really focus on consoles and physical copies to avoid this kind of thing as much as possible



Captain_N said:


> I go physical where possible. When i buy a digital game it feels like i did not get anything. feels no different then if i downloaded it on that iso site. Physical makes it feel like i actually got something. I am also a collector. I started cataloging what the value of my collection is actually and boy, i got to say i never spent anything near what its all actually worth...



That's an actual good point I hadn't thought of... The perception one has of a game, physical or digital isn't really the same... Reading your answer, it made me realize I have a better "awareness" of the games I own physically... My Steam library is slowly getting bigger and bigger, but I easily forget about the games I have there... I have 40ish games on Steam (purchased in the last 3-4 years)... but I would have a hard time telling you half the titles by memory... I have accumulated 13 physical copies (for the last 10 years, getting at it slowly as I used to prefer PC gaming)  and I can remember all the titles save one I didn't like much and lost the game somewhere in a box when me and my family moved. Among those games, I am convinced a few of them would have been forgotten if I actually had bought them off Steam...
But my buying pattern on physical and Steam is also different, I am a bit more experimental on Steam, and often just go along with the sales (I mean... it's ok to be experimental for 3 bucks... but it's difficult to find physical games, even second-hand, bellow 5-10 bucks), physical, are ones I know I want, and I so far only bought 3 physical games that were a bit more "experimentalish" (that I wasn't 100% down for) for me (some were gifted to me so that's good but limited, to discover new things)


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## migles (May 21, 2018)

Dreamhigh1708 said:


> Unfortunately, I bought the key on a website that sold game keys... which one, I don't remember... I remember trying to put that key into steam a year or two after I purchased, to no avail and just gave up... Thinking back I should have contacted Steam... But given I find a key and all, I won't be able to link it to Steam, Alice Madness Returns was removed from the Steam Store... Origin has it though, but that kinda confirms that I should rather buy physical copies... Keys get lost, games disappear from platforms like Steam (who know if it won't experience the same fate on Origin) I think I'll really focus on consoles and physical copies to avoid this kind of thing as much as possible


only some titles (specifically the ones you require steam drm, it has a steam logo in the box) let you activate games in the steam store. https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7480-wusf-3601
even if steam sold the game, you woldn't be able to active it in steam

alice madness being published by EA GAMES, i am sure you could use your key in origin and get the game trough there... (their own store)


i am all pro for physical copies, i buy the physical copies of my favorites... but remember, most physical copies nowadays rely in an online activation or online drm
there is even a case of that tony hawk game that in the disc the only thing has inside is the demo of the game and you have to download the full game
(remember GFWL plague lol)
so it breaks the point of having a phisical copy, if it requires an activation and you can't play it without using a third party tool or crack, there is no point in owning the phisical copy...


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## Dreamhigh1708 (May 21, 2018)

migles said:


> only some titles (specifically the ones you require steam drm, it has a steam logo in the box) let you activate games in the steam store. https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7480-wusf-3601
> even if steam sold the game, you woldn't be able to active it in steam
> 
> alice madness being published by EA GAMES, i am sure you could use your key in origin and get the game trough there... (their own store)
> ...



Oh right, that might have been why I gave up without contacting Steam ! That would be cool though, to be able to apply keys to games regardless of platforms and stuff, as long as the key is for a game, it can be applied to it....
Thanks for the tip ! I'll try and look for the key when I will have time (but honestly I'm in more of a rush to get my hands and play on the PSVita I want since they'll run out of stock soon...) 

You mean the fact games heavily rely on online stores for updates, extra content etc ? That is a bit concerning, if the online things that link a physical game to an online store doesn't work anymore in 20 years... Would we still be able to play the games through a physical copy only ? I didn't think about that, is there that much games where you HAVE to have an online activation or something ?
That's why I like my PSVita games, the physical copy gives you all you need, you don't need to be connected to the wifi to play (at least for the games I own, maybe some do ?) and it's a straightforward process, with those (like the good old DS games) you can just pop the game in and bam you can play... I'm pretty sad PSVita games will be discontinued for that reason...


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## migles (May 21, 2018)

Dreamhigh1708 said:


> You mean the fact games heavily rely on online stores for updates, extra content etc ?


no, i mean that they rely in an online service to be activated and unlock the game you bought
not just extra content or updates. you require an online connection to launch the game



Dreamhigh1708 said:


> I didn't think about that, is there that much games where you HAVE to have an online activation or something ?


any recent game practically that is not drm free..
any game that you buy that relies in steam or ubisoft or ea game client, or other activation services requires that client\tool in order to launch it
there are some games that even has a limited number of installs, for example the gta 4 and 5 (i think they removed the activation limit in gta 4 but i am not sure)
they rely in an internet server that tells the executable "this is an allowed computer"


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## Attainable (May 21, 2018)

Physical always....in fact, for any digital titles that don't get their own releases I usually make my own cases for them.


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## Dreamhigh1708 (May 23, 2018)

migles said:


> no, i mean that they rely in an online service to be activated and unlock the game you bought
> not just extra content or updates. you require an online connection to launch the game
> 
> 
> ...



I didn't realize there was so much of those among physical games... That's definitely a problem... I have a few games that relied on a server like 5 years back being moved to Steam because they didn't want to maintain the server anymore and Steam was there anyway... But what if, in the long run this keeps happening until it doesn't work at all...  Hopefully we won't transition gaming COMPLETELY online... But it does seem like we are...



Attainable said:


> Physical always....in fact, for any digital titles that don't get their own releases I usually make my own cases for them.



I actually feel tempted to do that too sometimes ! Do you just do empty cases for display or do you also put a copy of the game on the card ?


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## DinohScene (May 23, 2018)

Physical all the way.


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## DS1 (May 23, 2018)

Digital. Too lazy to switch discs/keep track of little cartridges anymore. I have a lot of older systems, don't want to generate any more clutter than I have to.

Absolutely will not buy a fighting game physical anymore, because if I have people over to play, I want to be able to switch games on the fly.


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## MrCokeacola (May 24, 2018)

All digital future.


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## Attainable (May 24, 2018)

Dreamhigh1708 said:


> I actually feel tempted to do that too sometimes ! Do you just do empty cases for display or do you also put a copy of the game on the card ?



I can't put a copy of the game in the case if it doesn't exist physically, but I do empty cases with inside cover art...you can check more on my IG @AttainableArts


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## HaloEliteLegend (May 28, 2018)

Depends, honestly. Physical copies on PC are a total pain, so all-digital for me there. However, I would prefer physical when possible on Switch, for resale and because Switch doesn't have much internal storage and microSD space is more expensive than HDDs. For other consoles, I suppose I don't really care either way because the digital infrastructure is solid and reliable while physical copies have all their benefits too. I don't sell most games, so digital is fine mostly.


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## FAST6191 (May 28, 2018)

HaloEliteLegend said:


> I don't sell most games, so digital is fine mostly.



Might you not like the ability to purchase those that others would sell?


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## HaloEliteLegend (May 28, 2018)

FAST6191 said:


> Might you not like the ability to purchase those that others would sell?


Ah, right, I do buy used games fairly often. But sometimes there's digital sales or it's a brand new game I'm paying full price for and expect to keep. That's typically when I might buy digital on consoles.


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## Delerious (May 28, 2018)

Kinda depends. Digital for Steam and indie games. Otherwise, for big titles on console, I'll take physical any day. Plus, you practically have to do physical copies on console with how fast your disk space gets eaten up.


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