Gaming why to buy from eshop when physical prices of games are cheaper

[dragonmaster]

well the question is quite obvious i searched for pokemon x or y on amazon uk and prices where 31gbp for a physical copy and when i searched nintendo eshop it was 39.99gbp that means digital purchase was almost 10gbp more expensive . in my opinion there is no reason to download the game as you can get a physical copy cheaper and you can use it as you want it fit or even later on sell it again.
i want to hear opinions about the subject

 

[emigre]

If you live in a developing country where obtaining gaems is difficult and nominally expensive, I imagine buying digital is a godsend.

Other reasons could be the whole accessibility of having all your gaems on one system or having instant access to a gaem, of which your fine to a pay premium for that immediacy.

 

[Waygeek]

Doesn't have to be a developing country, can just be a foreign country.

It's stupid that they aren't tied to an account though. So so stupid.

 

[Arnold0]

I bought it on eShop myself because I can't go in a shop tooday, so with buying online I can already enjoy the game :-)

 

[ResleyZ]

I guess most people don't get the physical copy because you can get the digital one from your own home, and you don't need to keep all your games with you.

 

[mightymuffy]

My 2 sons are now 13 & 12 years old, yet in the past 6 months Mario Kart 7 and Luigi's Mansion 2 have gone missing completely.... now it's slightly more difficult to lose a 3DS itself, so yeah there's another advantage of digital content. However, since there's 4 of us in the house that enjoy Pokemon, I've bought 4 physical copies, as in this case it'd be difficult to trade & battle with digital copies, and me only having 2 3DS's in the house.

But on topic: digital prices are steep, but Nin (Sony, MS) have to keep retailers happy: the rrp is £39.99 so the digital price pretty much has to be the same. It's annoying but to be expected.
Now when I see PS3 games that have an rrp of £49.99 in shops, but cost £59.99 in the PSN store, THAT'S taking the freaking piss if you ask me!

 

[xBleedingSoulx]

I've never bought a digital copy for this exact reason, if I know a game I want is coming out I'll pre-order a physical copy as I did with Pokemon. I got it a day before it was released on the E-shop and for £5 cheaper.

 

[Jockel]

I just bought it off the Canadian eShop for 30€ as opposed to the 45€ it costs in Germany, so I won't complain.

 

[Originality]

Canada does euros?!

 

[Jockel]

42 Canadian Dollars are roughly 30€.

 

[Waygeek]

How? Canadian 3DS?

 

[stanleyopar2000]

is pokemon X and Y cheaper in eShop in America? I haven't updated my 3DS yet...and I don't want to for obvious reasons

 

[DinohScene]

Digital sales are preffered for people that have little kids, hard to obtain games and people that prefer games to be on the console/handheld itself rather then loose carts/UMD's

Personally, I prefer physical copies.
But I can see why people want digital ones.

 

[Vipera]

I'm going to quote myself from another thread:

I like digital copies better for these reasons:

- If I had a copy for every game I have right now I wouldn't have space for anything else Same thing with books. The only thing I don't have 100% digital is music because I can't find a site to buy loseless tracks, they usually are crappy 256kb/s mp3 files.
- If I had more space, it'd suck to swap cartridges/discs every time I want to play a different game When I play on my 3DS, I might want to play one track of Mario Kart 7 before beating the last boss of Code of Princess (yes, I'm weird like that). Why swapping cartridges when I have everything I need in my SD card?
- Physical games nowadays aren't that special anymore You buy a game, you will most likely get a box with a tiny paper of instructions, and the game. That's it, unless you want to spend more for some limited edition that gives you more plastic crap. I just want to play the game.
- Digital copies are (usually) available before the physical release Nerdy point, but when Pokémon Mystery Dungeon came out, I downloaded it at midnight from the eShop. Fun night
- I can make backups A cartridge or a disc can break, but if I purchased the digital copy I will most likely have a cloud backup always available for me, like Steam/Nintendo eShop. And if it's gone, I can make my own by simply copying them. I have multiple backups of my 3DS SD card.
- Digital copies get their sales more regularly than physical games They usually get a discount when they become old or not selling good, while digital copies will most likely have discounts during holiday sales or some anniversary, like Steam.
- Digital copies have "unlimited" availability If you are looking for some hidden gem on console, chances are that you might find that game sold-out everywhere. When Solatorobo came out, I heard that every Gamestop had 1-2 copies, max 3, of the game. I have a few friends who want to play the game but can't find a copy because of the game's rarity, and they will most likely have to import it, adding costs. If the DS had a digital shop, I'd have downloaded it instead of getting it the day-one with a Gamestop employer looking at me like "Solatowut?".

Of course, I don't want the physical games to die, I just want the chance to get them online without people full of smug saying that physical games are better because of an instructions manual that 9/10 gamers will never read.

 

[elmoemo]

you can always sell physical when done though

 

[Jockel]

How? Canadian 3DS?

I got an imported American 3DSXL for legit games (mainly for Shin Megami Tensei IV) and a GW3DS compatible European Unit.

The US eShop will only accept US credit cards, but all other American eShops, including the Canadian, Mexican and Brazilian eShop will accept any credit card. Each country has different pricing, so sometimes you can score real bargains.

That works with European countries as well, even though everything in Europe is expensive.
Seeing as you're in Korea, you should probably be able to access the Japanese store and some others. Probably not China, though- since they got their own line of "iQue" 3DS units, and they're their own region AFAIK.

 

[yagami69]

It depends, I got Mario & Luigi for 42.50 CAD (including tax) when here in Mexico is 799MXN (which today are 63.59CAD), same history for Pokemon X/Y, so will get a retail import from Gamestop in the US

Digital or not is the same at least for Mexico on most cases, is just to see from where I can import if I want good prices

 

[DJPlace]

so pokemon x/y are on eshop now?

 

[Mariko]

If you live in a developing country where obtaining gaems is difficult and nominally expensive, I imagine buying digital is a godsend.

You don't seem to know which countries qualify as developing ones. If the economy can't support a game market, how can citizens of souch country afford to buy games in the first place? It's because they can't, the market isn't there to begin with. The chosen few will still have Amazon and other stores, which usually offer better prices than those of digital releases. You can often get free worldwide shipping as well.

Digital games are overpriced (not counting PC games, which are a part of pay-what-you-want bundles), and that's all there is to it. I'm sure product keys make great review copies, though.

 

[Jockel]

so pokemon x/y are on eshop now?

Have been since midnight. Happy gaming!