P
Gaming Physical or Digital?
- Thread starter TheHomesk1llet
- Start date
- Views 6,597
- Replies 65
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2012
- Messages
- 5,498
- Trophies
- 2
- Location
- netti netti.
- Website
- www.youtube.com
- XP
- 7,018
- Country
For me, it depends.
If the physical cart had nice manuals and special items I would buy it.
And I'm in a country where international shipping is slow, so if I wanted a game so badly, I'd get it digitally.
If the physical cart had nice manuals and special items I would buy it.
And I'm in a country where international shipping is slow, so if I wanted a game so badly, I'd get it digitally.
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2012
- Messages
- 5,498
- Trophies
- 2
- Location
- netti netti.
- Website
- www.youtube.com
- XP
- 7,018
- Country
Personally, I love reading colourful long manuals 
I prefer the convenience of digital copies but you can't beat the flexibility and tangible nature of physical copies. There are now 5 3DS consoles in my house, and weighing up the disadvantages makes it infeasible for me to buy digital from the eShop:
- Physical copies are usually cheaper. 5 digital copies of the same game would set me back a bit too much. 5 physical copies would be cheaper, especially during sales.
- Digital games are restricted to a single console. My son and I like to play similar games, but not necessarily at the same time. He particularly likes Fire Emblem, but I only have a digital version on my 3DS, which naturally he can't play on his. I can't loan it to him or anything. Likewise, my friend is interested in the game but I can't loan it to him, either.
- Lose/damage your console, lose your games. Unless you can convince Nintendo to transfer your eShop account, you're limited to either paying them to repair it (if you didn't lose it or have it stolen), or you're pretty much screwed. All my physical games are stored separate from my console, so if it was lost, stolen or damaged, I can play those games on my replacement 3DS without having to fork out for them all over again.
These past few answers, especially Vipera's, are really excellent. I just want to clear up a couple of things. Firstly, there's a misconception of "lose your console/sd card, lose your games." This isn't really the case. If you have your 3DS signed in to Club Nintendo (which you should, it's a great rewards system), then all of your games, past, present, and future, are stored in the cloud. Assuming you've lost your console, you can easily redownload them. If you've lost your SD card only, you can just redownload them, you don't even have to be signed in to Club Nintendo.
Second, digital copies can be transferred across systems, but I'd be willing to bet that it's a long process. You also need internet for verification. I remember transferring my old software from my DSi XL to my 3DS XL, and all of the save data was deleted, not to mention it was just an incredibly long process, especially for Four Swords. Not sure how long this will take on two 3DSs, or if the save data will be deleted.
I appreciate the answers, people.
Second, digital copies can be transferred across systems, but I'd be willing to bet that it's a long process. You also need internet for verification. I remember transferring my old software from my DSi XL to my 3DS XL, and all of the save data was deleted, not to mention it was just an incredibly long process, especially for Four Swords. Not sure how long this will take on two 3DSs, or if the save data will be deleted.
I appreciate the answers, people.
D
Deleted-236924
Guest
I'm quite certain there is a digital manual for the digital versions, and if your system is linked to your Club Nintendo account, then it automatically registers any game you buy off the eShop just as if you registered the code.
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2008
- Messages
- 278
- Trophies
- 0
- Age
- 32
- Location
- Monterrey
- Website
- www.dajavax.tk
- XP
- 194
- Country
if games were actually cheaper digital... and they used a license attached to an account instead of a device... i would prefer digital, right now it's physical for me...
though i'll be abroad for a while, so maybe i'll have to get digital copies for that time because of the region lock
though i'll be abroad for a while, so maybe i'll have to get digital copies for that time because of the region lock
I will say that I prefer digital copies and licenses for games, given they are managed correctly.
Unfortunately, Nintendo does not manage them correctly. Linking them to a console is a silly move. Linking to an online account would have been much better, and would cause me to invest more in digital.
Digital copies don't seem to go on sale as often as physical copies as well, and game saves (as far as I know) aren't interchangeable between the two.
I think with a portable console like the 3DS, digital is much better, because portability is key. No accidentally losing game carts when having to switch between two.
Unfortunately, Nintendo does not manage them correctly. Linking them to a console is a silly move. Linking to an online account would have been much better, and would cause me to invest more in digital.
Digital copies don't seem to go on sale as often as physical copies as well, and game saves (as far as I know) aren't interchangeable between the two.
I think with a portable console like the 3DS, digital is much better, because portability is key. No accidentally losing game carts when having to switch between two.
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2008
- Messages
- 278
- Trophies
- 0
- Age
- 32
- Location
- Monterrey
- Website
- www.dajavax.tk
- XP
- 194
- Country
i'm pretty sure that's not how linking to club nintendo works... i believe it's just for the rewards, not the redownload of games in a new console
Linking it to a console doesn't give me any incentive to go digital. Digital or physical, it doesn't matter. I still would need multiple copies under the current system Nintendo uses.
I have multiple 3DS units. My girlfriend likes a lot of the same games. With the PSP/Vita, we could buy a game once and both have it as long as both machines are on the same account. Can't do that with Nintendo, and frankly, double-dipping for every game we both like is too expensive at full retail or eShop prices. eShop sales are a nice start, but rarely do first-party games hit sales.
Price tends to decide how we'll get games. With very few exceptions, retail is cheaper.
I have multiple 3DS units. My girlfriend likes a lot of the same games. With the PSP/Vita, we could buy a game once and both have it as long as both machines are on the same account. Can't do that with Nintendo, and frankly, double-dipping for every game we both like is too expensive at full retail or eShop prices. eShop sales are a nice start, but rarely do first-party games hit sales.
Price tends to decide how we'll get games. With very few exceptions, retail is cheaper.
I guess I meant to say that it makes it easier for Nintento to be able to validate that you're the holder of your games if they're linked to an account.
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2012
- Messages
- 5,498
- Trophies
- 2
- Location
- netti netti.
- Website
- www.youtube.com
- XP
- 7,018
- Country
Good luck finding manuals that aren't in black and white or just a large sheet of paper with the basic infos
Didn't need the good luck cause I had it
Almost all of my 3DS games have nice manuals and I read the 3DS and Wii U manuals.
That's not entirely true, coming from my own experience. Lose your SD card and, yes, you can download your games again to a new card. Lose your console and you're probably out of luck. Your games are not tied to your Club Nintendo account, and it has nothing to do with it.
My Wii was tied to my Club Nintendo account, it broke and I had the option of sending it for an expensive repair or buying a replacement. I got one in absolutely perfect condition for £40 and I repeatedly emailed Nintendo to ask them if there was a way to transfer the account from one to the other and they said "no". Like the Wii and the Wii U, eShop downloads are tied to your 3DS console and you'd have the same problem if you lose that, too.
For Nintendo it's a mix of physical and digital copies, because they don't really have a great system... It should be a non-issue in the future but for now they're inferior to other companies like Valve, Sony or Microsoft.
Otherwise I buy all my games as digital versions now as it's much more convienent and cheaper for me. Also with account systems and back ups I don't have to worry to ever lose my games.
Otherwise I buy all my games as digital versions now as it's much more convienent and cheaper for me. Also with account systems and back ups I don't have to worry to ever lose my games.
Similar threads
-
Xdqwerty
what are you looking at? -
realtimesave
-
Psionic Roshambo
-
-
@
SylverReZ:
@Psionic Roshambo, JonTron's back yet again until he disappears into the void for another 6 or so months.+1 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
@
Xdqwerty:
@realtimesave, hey there buddy chum pal friend buddy pal chum bud friend fella bruther amigo pal buddy friend chummy chum chum pal
-
@
Xdqwerty:
@realtimesave, hey there buddy chum pal friend buddy pal chum bud friend fella bruther amigo pal buddy friend chummy chum chum pal
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
