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.

 

[gaga941021]

View attachment 331232​

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.

Digital all the way. More convenient, less noise, less plastic.

Post automatically merged: Oct 11, 2022

Owning vs Not Owning

That's essentially it. If people don't mind not owning it for convenience, then that's their decision.

I mean, when the servers go down, bunch of games won't be playable either way. Physical games require huge updates to be playable.

 

[tech3475]

Console - physical
PC - Digital

On the PC it’s more because I have little choice and even physical media still might have DRM anyway which can/has caused problems e.g. Cd keys, drivers, etc. Reducing the benefits and causing more hassle. My laptop and Steam Deck also lack an internal ODD.

On console it’s usually just the disc/cart as DRM and I often find physical becomes cheaper quicker than digital (seriously, you could potentially make up the difference in the PS5 digital vs physical with just a few games because of the price difference between PSN vs retail).

 

[zxr750j]

I'm like most, PC: digital, console: physical (when available). Redownloading after reinstall pc is convenient and quick.

 

[Jayro]

Physical, always.

I'm a cartridge collector, and I've gone "all-in" on the Switch, and will continue to support it as long as Nintendo does, if not longer. And as much as it pains me to pay extra for Limited Run Games' physical copies, in the end, it's worth it. They always come with all the game content, DLC, and latest update on the cartridge itself. So to me, that somewhat justifies the price hike. Plus you get extra goodies with it too, which is nice. They usually offer a steelbook too.

 

[pustal]

Digital. We still have a long way to go in consumer protection laws but a game bought on say Steam will last much longer than a physical copy of it. Discs rot, cartridge chips decay.

Added to the convenience of downloading them at any time.

 

[console]

I always buy physical copies of games because I heard big negatives about digital downloads on Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox consoles when companies end support or shut down servers (online stores) cause digital games not able to download anymore and people are lost all digital games forever means can't get get back to re-download anymore. When gaming consoles are going in end of support then physical copies of games value prices will skyrocket between two to five times of cost over old retail price.

I'm very careful which physical copies of games have bugs free to very little bugs are fine for us and people. Always read all game reviews to avoid some of physical copies of games which have major bugs and lot of problems like crash, freeze, etc should be avoid for us to purchase them. Please be very careful what we bought game maybe have major bugs in them without our know maybe get surprise happen anytime.

 

[Aldrei]

I used to only get physical thinking I could play them at any time in the future but with so many games now requiring patches to even run properly I don't know if this will continue.

 

[DAZA]

its a tricky one... i would have 100% said physical copies but the problem now is thats only classed as ID proof of ownership and the respective console will download it from the servers due to "changes" and "updates" within the game which basically means they lost a license to have music, video or content so they forced change and you cant play the original inteded version of the disk.. which screws with things.

also with having digital they can just as easily remove it from the store of the console and if you purchased it cant get it back which is crap as a lot of us suffered that fate

 

[Working_Goose]

i prefer digital Piracy.. uhm

 

[Kubas_inko]

It's simple. I prefer digital downloads, but I want for physical copies to always exist.

 

[CoolMe]

I think one should use both, as both have their pros and cons. I mean if i have the physical game and i want to play said game, switching between physical games can be a inconvenience. I'd use their digital versions, i'll put all the games that i want to play to an hdd or sd card instead, much more convenient..
That's mostly for consoles and handhelds, for pc it's all digital nowadays..

 

[Jayro]

companies like limited run games are why i'm not fond of physical anymore. they purposely only make like 5 copies, refuse to make any more and then if i end up wanting a physical copy of a game it goes for like 8 million dollars on ebay jut because it's limited run

So preorder when the window is open. They keep it open for an entire month, AND email you when there's "Last Chance" warnings. So that really falls on you, not them.

I think one should use both, as both have their pros and cons. I mean if i have the physical game and i want to play said game, switching between physical games can be a inconvenience. I'd use their digital versions, i'll put all the games that i want to play to an hdd or sd card instead, much more convenient..
That's mostly for consoles and handhelds, for pc it's all digital nowadays..

For my NDS, 3DS, and even some Gameboys, having all my games digitally is nice. Especially if it's a game I play all the time. Like Splatoon 2 and 3 on Switch... I typically buy Switch carts, but Splatoon 2 and 3 I bought digitally because I play them all the time, I never tire of them, the replay value is insane, and I'm never going to trade them in. So to me, that digital purchase made sense. But for all other Switch games, I'm always buying cartridge copies. I'm upset that Capcom lobbied for the Switch to double the RAM to 4GB so they can port their games to the system, and now they won't even port the good ones over (2 & 3 remakes, 7 and 8) without them being "Cloud versions". So Capcom is on my shit list. I think SqueEnix just pulled some crap like that for Kingdom Hearts III, yeah? A PS4 era game that's not even graphically intense like Nier Automata is, and that got a cartridge version... I'm tired of the lazy "cloud version" ports. If I wanted to watch a video stream of a game, I'd open YouTube or Twitch.

/end rant

 

[Skelletonike]

I always go for Physical.
I do buy a lot of digital games when I see them on sale, but more often than not I end up buying those digital games in the physical format when I find them on sale.

There's also the fact that most games end up being cheaper when I buy them physically. Most switch games for example, cost me around 45€ on preorder, some less. If I buy them digitally they'd cost way more.

 

[Darkshadow1997]

I will be honest as this is quite hard for me to decide, Personally , I love digital as all my games would be in one place , especially with the N3DS and Switch but the issue is if let's say the servers are gone then How I would I get those games back without piracy? On the other hand, physical games are so much cheaper as opposed to digital but the problem is that it is unlike the old days where the game was completed and you did not need to download DLC or pay to unlock content as opposed to the games these days. The physical copies can get damaged and no longer work which is a problem on PS4 as you would need to the disc to play the games that the disc installs. In the end, I love both digital and physical and each have their own strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Kopimist]

I'm old school and prefer the physical copies but with a digital backup (hack the console, if possible) and load a backup copy off an external/internal drive for faster loading times and to preserve my physical purchase. That being said, I do realize that nowadays most physical discs are mostly triggers to grab the rest of the game off of the servers which bothers me. What happens to all those physical discs when the servers eventually go offline? They're effectively coasters. I do like that the Xbox One lets you install games entirely from physical discs if you're offline. So when the servers eventually are no more, the games can still be installed and played. Just no updates or dlc will be obtainable.

 

[tr3vk4m]

In theory I prefer digital as I think a desire to "hold something in my own hands" is really just a symptom of the materialistic society we've all been born into,

I also believe that consumers of digital games should have more rights and should 100% own what they have paid for.

 

[CoolMe]

I think SqueEnix just pulled some crap like that for Kingdom Hearts III, yeah? A PS4 era game that's not even graphically intense like Nier Automata is, and that got a cartridge version...

I'm tired of the lazy "cloud version" ports. If I wanted to watch a video stream of a game, I'd open YouTube or Twitch.

100% Agreed!

 

[godreborn]

100% Agreed!

pretty much why I bought the ps4 version of the kingdom hearts collection. I think it's 10 games across two or three discs.

 

[Alexander1970]

In the Meantime - Digital.....

Sadly.....I do no longer go to Stores like Media Markt,online is the Thing.
And for older Games - If GOG has it not,buying a Physical Game on Amazon & Co.

(for @KleinesSinchen )
...und ärger mich,wenn ein blöder Kopierschutz drauf ist,der mein System ruiniert....oder die CD / DVD läuft gar nicht.....

...and I get annoyed if there is stupid copy protection on it that ruins my system....or the CD / DVD doesn't work at all...

 

[godreborn]

In the Meantime - Digital.....

Sadly.....I do no longer go to Stores like Media Markt,online is the Thing.
And for older Games - If GOG has it not,buying a Physical Game on Amazon & Co.

(for @KleinesSinchen )
...und ärger mich,wenn ein blöder Kopierschutz drauf ist,der mein System ruiniert....oder die CD / DVD läuft gar nicht.....

...and I get annoyed if there is stupid copy protection on it that ruins my system....or the CD / DVD doesn't work at all...

pretty much everything is digital now. I don't know about older bc titles for the series x, but both ps4 and ps5 games are installed on the ps5. you can't play them from the disc. they're copied, and they must reach a certain point, which doesn't mean much. I could boot king of fighters xv on the system, once it got to that point, but no option was selectable until it was completely copied over. the disc is just a license for the most part now.