Buying a game is easy and it's getting easier - but the age old question remains - digital or physical?

When it comes to purchasing a game, given the choice, should you opt to buy a physical copy of a game or purchase it digitally for an instant download? What are the pros and cons of each? Does it make a difference?

While digital games are no doubt the more convenient option, that "purchase" comes with an enormous amount of fragility attached to it. What if the publisher revokes the game from the storefront? What if the game is has DRM that can affect performance? Is the purchase even a true purchase or is it a lease of a service? Let's not forget that all too often we're seeing games removed from digital store fronts due to licensing arrangements. We've even seen games being changed at a moments notice with soundtracks being edited, or replaced entirely, as rights expire. And what of service games - they can be shutdown remotely if the game underperforms rendering the game unplayable.

Then you have physical media. While unlike days past, even physical media can carry some questions when its merits. Day one patches that prevent you from playing the game without updating the title; disc-based consoles cost more; mandatory internet connections or account registration can be a thing; and what of the environmental impact? And let's not forget that inevitable disc rot!

Publishers are even thinking up ways to make physical ownership less attractive - you only need to look at the plans by Microsoft during the initial Xbox One reveal where physical disks, once used on a console were then digitally tied to that system and unable to be traded or resold without going through hoops and paying a premium to do so.

At the end of the day - does it even matter? Should video game ownership and preservation be a concern for the average player or should the purchase be seen as the equivalent of a theme park ticket - a temporary thrill with no regard for the future?

And what of piracy? Is there a merit and legitimacy to breaking DRM and illegally copying games when it comes to video game preservation?

Let us know your thoughts below.

 

[SaberLilly]

Digital is good for the sake of convenience, but you don't really "own" digital games, you just own a license to download and play them.
I prefer physical myself when i can get them.

 

[gnmmarechal]

I prefer physical, mainly because I like owning boxes of games, but I despise useless physical copies, like PC releases that simply come with some code and are worthless after you use them. I do however like to keep digital backups, that is, DRM-free backups.

 

[KeeperCP1]

In the nintendo switch, digital is your only hope. Though physical copies downloads the game to the storage, it implements an unnecessary DRM that forces you to insert the cart to BOOT the game
The (3)DS(i) line and the Wii (U) handles the physical stuff correctly and doesn't bloat your storage with garbage. Instead, the data is in the cartridge/disc, which was pretty nice compared to the switch's "cartridge" (which is just an accessory that lets you play your fake "physical" game)

And yes, nobody cares about my info and they stay physical freaks with their switch forever for not reading this

 

[playstays_shun]

they both have their purposes.

Switch is hybrid digital and physical, games I always want on the go and know I won't trade I go digital. Else, mostly physical since I like collecting Nintendo stuff. If digital is real cheap I go that route too

PS5 almost all physical.

SX almost all digital a la GamePass or dirt cheap sales.

 

[YugamiSekai]

I prefer digital. Ease of access and whatnot + on Switch physical loading time is a lot slower than digital, along with My Nintendo gold points only being redeemable up to a year after release with a physical copy, compared to forever with a digital copy.

 

[TheFlungster]

I think I may be the opposite to a lot of others.

Due to having 2 sons there are multiple Xboxes and Playstations in our house. I buy digital on those so less copies need to be bought as they can be shared depending on how each users home console is set.

I also have 1 gaming PC and I wish I could get physical copies on that still as it's ridiculous that digital copies can't be shared between multiple users on the same PC. Even Steam family share is a joke most of the time due to shared save files.
If we had physical on PC then whoever was logged in would insert the disc and play away. Why am I expected to by a digital copy for each user on the same PC when I can buy a digital copy of a game on Xbox and have 2 different users play it on 2 different machines at the same time? Even online at the same time like COD.

Unless I am missing something with PC Digital? Just got back into PC gaming after about 16 years of console only.

 

[bonkmaykr]

Digital media means they can't lock it behind a proprietary hardware format that requires an adapter to rip from. Software DRM will always be bypassed. Digital please

 

[squeakycleanswine]

I personally believe defeating DRM and piracy in general is going to become more and more of a necessity in the near future. It's a proven fact that DRMs like denuvo impact game performance for the end user despite paying $60 for the game, which just isn't right. Also, companies like Ubisoft are killing off their old games and making it so legitimately purchased content will no longer be playable after a certain date, leaving no way to play the content except piracy. It's a tricky subject, but I personally believe the world was better with physical copies that access can't be revoked to at any given time for any reason.

 

[mrdude]

Physical 100% of the time for me. Then I can rip it and have a backup of the image files - knowing full well that I will be able to play it in 20 years time if I am still alive at that point.

 

[K3Nv2]

Each have their own place it's no different than Android vs Apple, I am a bit worried about the future of physical due to online capabilities, imagine popping in your physical disc and it saying "sorry the servers are down." Buying digitally can also just feel like a rental service no idea on how long the actual service will stay active. Having offline back ups is very important these days. One of the main reasons I believe in digital rips over oh no my CD is too scratched to play then again I grew up in the days of CRTVVHS eating VHS tapes and out a entire TV.

 

[SSG Vegeta]

I prefer physical copies of games as opposed to a digital library of games.

 

[MetoMeto]

I think this whole premese is wrong. its not about this vs that, cause they are both great and have its plus and minus, but physically owning something should never be in question. Digital should be and adition and convinience, not equal or to replace physical.

I dont know anyone who realistically said they prefer this or that, cause people like both. But as i said, its gami g companies that push unnaturally inorganically toward downloadable games to replace physical, which is bad. So because of THAT i prefer physical, but i cant say i really do.

 

[Anxiety_timmy]

Honestly physical should still always be an option. If you don't want it that's fine, but I want at least the option for physical media.

 

[White_Raven_X]

This is a great topic.

I'm an old school gamer so I prefer physical copies. My issues/concerns with digital copies is if it's no longer supported by the creator/publisher, or If they shut down the servers or if you cannot play it offline. For those reasons I prefer a physical copy. Also if I didn't like the physical game then I can sell it and get back a portion of my money to go towards another game that I might prefer.
Unfortunately the future seems to be going the direction of digital. You can see the slow but steady transition to cloud gaming and digital copies being pushed to sell by offering early copies or special dlc's.
I will try to stick to physical copies as long as I can.... It also looks pretty sick when you have 2 bookshelves full of only game discs and cartridges.

 

[Benja81]

Personal opinion, I think back to the 90s, early 2k and how many physical copies of CDs/games/movies that have either been lost, stolen, or damaged. Then I started doing digital and...ya the time my ex washed my ambassador 3DS...(no good very bad day ), I was able to eventually redownload all those games onto the new console. That felt like magic TBH, and to this day I can still download them over again if ex washed 3DS something unspeakable happens. How many physical copies of items do I have from back then; just a few for one reason or the other...like the day my daughter lost the Zelda 3DS cartridge IN THE CAR: "it fell where we can never get it daddy." Which was I guess inside the under shell of the actual back seats, ya we never found it and for years I kept just the case, so sad.

When there is no more eshop one day I guess I'd be out of luck if I needed to install them again, although even as it is I usually just reinstall from the backup copy now. Its just more fun to install a cia/nsp anyway (for a big nerd).

In the nintendo switch, digital is your only hope. Though physical copies downloads the game to the storage, it implements an unnecessary DRM that forces you to insert the cart to BOOT the game

Wow, so in that case in 2042 or whatever the frick, when they eventually shut down the Switch eshop. Does that mean those cartridges are useless without being able to DL data from the eshop? Or would they still work with the data stored on them, even if it has to install?

 

[Digital_Cheese]

Physical duh. In a few years of a consoles release this site has some dude crack the thing and then we can just backup the games anyways

 

[Noander]

I prefer Disc why? The game will be always yours and you can sell it or trade it. A digital one you can play but won't sell it and what happend when the shop is going offline ps3?

 

[dh3lix-pooch]

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Buying a game is easy and it's getting easier - but the age old question remains - digital or physical?

When it comes to purchasing a game, given the choice, should you opt to buy a physical copy of a game or purchase it digitally for an instant download? What are the pros and cons of each? Does it make a difference?

While digital games are no doubt the more convenient option, that "purchase" comes with an enormous amount of fragility attached to it. What if the publisher revokes the game from the storefront? What if the game is has DRM that can affect performance? Is the purchase even a true purchase or is it a lease of a service? Let's not forget that all too often we're seeing games removed from digital store fronts due to licensing arrangements. We've even seen games being changed at a moments notice with soundtracks being edited, or replaced entirely, as rights expire. And what of service games - they can be shutdown remotely if the game underperforms rendering the game unplayable.

Then you have physical media. While unlike days past, even physical media can carry some questions when its merits. Day one patches that prevent you from playing the game without updating the title; disc-based consoles cost more; mandatory internet connections or account registration can be a thing; and what of the environmental impact? And let's not forget that inevitable disc rot!

Publishers are even thinking up ways to make physical ownership less attractive - you only need to look at the plans by Microsoft during the initial Xbox One reveal where physical disks, once used on a console were then digitally tied to that system and unable to be traded or resold without going through hoops and paying a premium to do so.

At the end of the day - does it even matter? Should video game ownership and preservation be a concern for the average player or should the purchase be seen as the equivalent of a theme park ticket - a temporary thrill with no regard for the future?

And what of piracy? Is there a merit and legitimacy to breaking DRM and illegally copying games when it comes to video game preservation?

Let us know your thoughts below.

Physical for sure