Gaming GTA V PC - Digital Download vs Physical Copy

CheatingSoi

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I want to preorder GTA V for PC but don't really know what direction to go. Is there any advantages to a physical copy vs digital? I have never purchased anything on Steam and have never really seen a need for it. However I do like the aspect of cloud storage and such. What way are any of you going, to those of you who are getting the game.?
 

jonthedit

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I want to preorder GTA V for PC but don't really know what direction to go. Is there any advantages to a physical copy vs digital? I have never purchased anything on Steam and have never really seen a need for it. However I do like the aspect of cloud storage and such. What way are any of you going, to those of you who are getting the game.?

If you are legitimately going to get it- get it on Steam when it goes on sale.
Physicals are worthless -once you register it its there forever.
 

Rizzorules

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If you like steam, pay with virtual cash and buying games without going to a videogame store you should really buy a digital game but if you like Videogame cases and discs then you should buy a physical copy. I only buy a physical copy when they are cool or they are an special edition
 
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Regarding anything that requires steam regardless of whether you buy it on steam or physical, the physical copy is almost completely redundant unless you have a low broadband cap.
 

Taleweaver

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Regarding anything that requires steam regardless of whether you buy it on steam or physical, the physical copy is almost completely redundant unless you have a low broadband cap.

Low? If the PS4/xbone is an indication, it'll be a 50 gigabyte download. I'd say that if you have a monthly cap at all, it should at least be taken into account.


This file size is also something that makes me unsure. Thus far, I've just bought everything on steam, but this is half my own monthly limit. It's that the alternative isn't much better (I don't feel like playing DJ changing about ten DVD's or something :P ).
 
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Low? If the PS4/xbone is an indication, it'll be a 50 gigabyte download. I'd say that if you have a monthly cap at all, it should at least be taken into account.


This file size is also something that makes me unsure. Thus far, I've just bought everything on steam, but this is half my own monthly limit. It's that the alternative isn't much better (I don't feel like playing DJ changing about ten DVD's or something :P ).
For modern PC games that use DRM the retail copy is usually just an install disc for the digital copy with a code to activate on Steam/Battle.net/etc. The few exceptions are games with no online features or don't use steam for online features which may skip Steam integration altogether for the retail version and use the disc and windows registry as DRM like the good ol days. You should double check but I highly doubt you will need the disc for GTA beyond installing it.

IMO, if I were to play GTA I would just pirate it It is a crimespree simulator afterall ;)
 

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Digital is much cheaper if you buy it at a third party shop. Steam is quite expensive in that regard. gta V is atm 40 euros, but it will drop fast when it is released. Watchdogs went from 40 to 15 in one week.. Especially the rusian keys are cheap, but they require vpn to register.
 

migles

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very long explanation about physical vs digital
digital: you buy a license to play a game. you dont buy the game.
its cheaper, there are lots of sales.
after you purchase you can download the game as many times you want
usually you just have to download the game, no installs prompt required no need to write the serial that comes with the game (you dont go through a install prompt. steam does all the work for you)
you have the game on the account, you login on a computer let it download and play.. is really easy...
you can backup the game files\record a dvd (or several) with the game, so if you want to reinstall the game and have poor internet, you can use the backup and internet will be only used to verify..
if the game breaks you don't need to reinstall the game, you can just verify if the game is correctly installed
you are forced to have the client installed on your computer, and to play the game the client must be running on your machine (and the client consumes a piece of resources, if your computer is old, this will make your computer "busy")

however. you are under steam DRM...
if you lose the account you lose the game and all your purchases
you can't sell your used copy or give it to other people in case you ditn' liked
you have to keep internet connection, you can go into offline mode, but if there is a tiny change on your computer (like a hardware upgrade or you change the time on the clock) you will be blocked from playing your games unless you verify the account (you just have to login and check if the steam client is upgraded)
if you are banned from steam (only if you do something serious and bad), all your purcahses are gone
if a game is VAC protected and you try to cheat (or a virus messes up your computer) you get VAC banned, and every game on your account gets limited on which servers you can play
if valve decides they want out of businnes and close the steam service, all your games are gone (unless they find a solution)
i make a special note to "if valve closes the service" because nintendo pretty much closes old services like wii and dsi shops (and happened to my symbian phone from nokia) if they decide to close the service for whatever reason, you are pretty much screwed up... i bought apps onmy nokia, i couldn't make backups of the install files, they closed the shop and i can't reset the phone without loosing all my apps and never get them again unless i find a third party website that provides them illegally...

as for physycal:
you own the game. unless the game is using a stupid drm that uses internet, you can install it where you want, as many times you want.
you can sell\trade the game whenever you want (but since multiplayer are under accounts\serials, the other person will not be able to use the multiplayer part because already registered serial)
you have the small hassle of get up from the chair, find the cd, put it on the computer then going through a install proccess..
if you damage the disc you are much screwed up, but you can usually buy a replacement, but still costy...
you get physycal goods like the game manual (which i really like to have)
you can't usually backup the disc (you have to use third party tools to make a copy that will work)
usually you have to have the disc inserted on the computer for start the game... (and the repeatly process of doing this can easily damage the disc)
some DRM are a totally garbage like gta IV you can only install the game on 5 (i remember if this number is correct)) computers.. and you have to do a license revoque thing. if your computer gets really broken, and you can't revoce the gta iv license from it, it will be a long term problem.. BUT if this type of drm is on the disc version, usually they are also in the steam version... making the steam version sometimes with 2 or more diferent kind of DRM...

BTW CHECK IF THERE IS A STEAM LOGO ON THE BOX. IF THERE IS A STEAM LOGO\ MESSAGE SAYING YOU NEED TO INSTALL STEAM CLIENT, NO MATTER IF YOU BUY IT DIGITALLY OR PHYSYCALLY, THAT'S A STEAM VERSION, AND THE DISC IS TOTALLY USELESS; you CAN use it for install, but you don't actually have to use it.. i bought several steam phisical copies which i never used the disc. the disc is there, just to "give you something, instead a box with paper" and if your internet is slow you can use it for install, but you can just use steam to download it..

you can actually create a copy of that disc with a tool inside steam client, usually theese dvds only have a steam installation exe file, and a "backup" of the game, if you create a disc using the tool on steam you get the same data (except if the game was updated, the update will be included on the copy you made)


personally i love steam. and i love the client and is functions. i just don't like to be "under a company's ass"

like i said, if steam for whatever reason closes is services, my +500 steam games will be gone...
 
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Issac

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I'd say it's up to you.
I've stopped buying physical PC games since Steam is such a solid service in my opinion. (I still prefer physical copies of my video games though).
There are only a few games I buy physical copies of, just because it feels good, like The Elder Scrolls series.
Right now I have 442 games on steam, and I can install, uninstall, reinstall anything whenever I like without having to look for any CDs or keep track of any codes. DRM isn't an issue for me with steam, since it always works and whenever my internet is down, I can play offline anyway (most of the time at least).

And if my computer explodes? Well then I just have to download steam and poof, there are all my games... and for those games with cloud saves... I have all my saves as well!
 

DCG

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I'm not sure that's entirely true.
I've read on some places Valve has build a sort of fail-safe into steam to keep the games working if they were to go down and are unable to resume business.
I'm assuming this only works for games that have already been downloaded though.
 

Spectro87

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migles
I'm not sure that's entirely true.
I've read on some places Valve has build a sort of fail-safe into steam to keep the games working if they were to go down and are unable to resume business.
I'm assuming this only works for games that have already been downloaded though.

I've heard this as well, but I don't have a source. I don't think we actually need to worry about Steam shutting down for many, many years, though. It's too profitable.
 

Apache Thunder

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I'd prefer to have the physical copy. That and I'd spend the next few years just trying to download the damn thing on my ***ty DSL internet. I do have a Blu-Ray drive (it doesn't burn blu-rays though. Couldn't afford a drive that does that. :P ) so if it comes as a Blu-Ray disc, I'm ready for that.

Probably gonna wait till the price drops on it. I can't afford to drop $60 on a game. I don't care how popular it is or how much I would like the game. I simply can't afford prices like that right now. :P
 

Spectro87

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I'd prefer to have the physical copy. That and I'd spend the next few years just trying to download the damn thing on my ***ty DSL internet. I do have a Blu-Ray drive (it doesn't burn blu-rays though. Couldn't afford a drive that does that. :P ) so if it comes as a Blu-Ray disc, I'm ready for that.

Probably gonna wait till the price drops on it. I can't afford to drop $60 on a game. I don't care how popular it is or how much I would like the game. I simply can't afford prices like that right now. :P

I don't think PC games have ever come on Blu-ray, have they?
 

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