Vita Games Ship without Instruction Manuals

[Foxi4]

Well, there goes the only reason to buy a physical copy.

I disagree, there's still a nice box (including boxart) and a physical game storage that you can physically hold.

I can physically hold a PS Vita, which is a physical game storage.

...with limited capacity. I can have a set ammount of VITA games on a memory card, but I can have just as many VITA cartridges/cards as I see fit, plus they are all branded and with their jewelboxes. It's like arguing that having a knife and a fork equals having a set of cuttlery in its designated box - you can still cut up and eat your meal, but the latter is simply more stylish.

EDIT: Ugh, Auto-Merge hates me. >>

 

[Deleted User]

Couldn't care less.
They make great bbq lighters.

 

[Rydian]

The only down side to this is that we might not get glimpses at removed content and such that are sometimes included in manuals because they're often printed before the game is 100% finalized.

Well, there goes the only reason to buy a physical copy.

I disagree, there's still a nice box (including boxart)

Wonder how long that will last.

 

[4-leaf-clover]

Meh i always lose those damn things..

 

[Kioku]

Well, there goes the only reason to buy a physical copy.

I disagree, there's still a nice box (including boxart) and a physical game storage that you can physically hold.

However, it would only be nice to exclude the manual if the retail price would drop too

A whole quarter.. Man, I want some gum.

 

[SifJar]

...with limited capacity. I can have a set ammount of VITA games on a memory card, but I can have just as many VITA cartridges/cards as I see fit, plus they are all branded and with their jewelboxes. It's like arguing that having a knife and a fork equals having a set of cuttlery in its designated box - you can still cut up and eat your meal, but the latter is simply more stylish.

EDIT: Ugh, Auto-Merge hates me. >>

You may only be able to store so many games on one memory card, but nothing stops you from carrying as many memory cards as you see fit. Considering you can definitely store > 1 game per memory card, the number of memory cards required < number of individual VITA cards required. So therefore digital downloads are more convenient from that point of view.

However, factoring in the price of the memory cards, and the set price of downloads (as opposed to special offers etc. in stores and online for VITA cards), it may not be as cost efficient. Also, for those who have very slow internet connections, downloading huge Vita games (considering the size of a typical PSP game is 1-2GB in my experience, assuming Vita games will be larger) could take days. Also use up a large amount of download allowance for those with limited allowance due to pathetic ISPs.

In my opinion, these are the factors that should affect a decision between physical and digital purchases. An instruction manual (which most people don't read) should not be the deciding factor.

 

[Foxi4]

...with limited capacity. I can have a set ammount of VITA games on a memory card, but I can have just as many VITA cartridges/cards as I see fit, plus they are all branded and with their jewelboxes. It's like arguing that having a knife and a fork equals having a set of cuttlery in its designated box - you can still cut up and eat your meal, but the latter is simply more stylish.

EDIT: Ugh, Auto-Merge hates me. >>

You may only be able to store so many games on one memory card, but nothing stops you from carrying as many memory cards as you see fit. Considering you can definitely store > 1 game per memory card, the number of memory cards required < number of individual VITA cards required. So therefore digital downloads are more convenient from that point of view.

However, factoring in the price of the memory cards, and the set price of downloads (as opposed to special offers etc. in stores and online for VITA cards), it may not be as cost efficient. Also, for those who have very slow internet connections, downloading huge Vita games (considering the size of a typical PSP game is 1-2GB in my experience, assuming Vita games will be larger) could take days. Also use up a large amount of download allowance for those with limited allowance due to pathetic ISPs.

In my opinion, these are the factors that should affect a decision between physical and digital purchases. An instruction manual (which most people don't read) should not be the deciding factor.

You complimented my post incredibly well.

I'd like to add that from a collector's point of view, individual jewel cases with as much "stuff" crammed in them as possible are far more "valuable" than a standard download. If you're only after the game, I can understand how you'd only download it and not give a damn, especially when it's cheaper.

If you're collecting games from a given series though, it's a shame to pass on a boxed edition. I LOVE putting jewel cases on display and I sincerely hope that a 100% shift to digital downloads will never occour - I'd much rather have "only limited editions" in boxes and downloads for the rest of the population. Physical media have more of a soul to me.

 

[MasterPenguin]

Honestly we get babied enough with tutorial levels, who needs manuals?

 

[Souldragon]

Honestly we get babied enough with tutorial levels, who needs manuals?

I dunno, I find that some manuals has that extra pages that added to them just to make you go oh hey at least the manual is nice. I agree going green and using less paper and would be glad that if it give us cheaper cost of the game but I don't see that happening any time.

 

[Gahars]

I miss the days of giant manuals that would give you nice, detailed information on the backstory, the setting, the characters, the enemy types, some interesting locales, a guide to preparing your own delicious cuisine, and a list of items, all in one giant and convenient document.

Ah well, at least there's still the internet.

 

[Shabutie78]

this is sort of the news i've been expecting.
i liked the idea of certain PS3 games (ok fuck it, i just mean mass effect 2) having a digital manual.
it's convenient.
am i the only one who takes brand new game cases with me into the bathroom to read the manual while i take a dump?
well when i get my vita, it'll be the only thing that enters the bathroom with me anyway.

anyway i wonder how much it cost to make the manuals ?

The earth

it cost dirt ?

god you're fucking stupid.

 

[thieves like us]

am I the only one that doesn't find this a step in the right direction?

the biggest problem with digital manuals is that you have to leave the action to view the manual. this means that for games like M vs. C, in order to learn some of the more complex moves, you'll find yourself writing down the button combination to perform the move since you won't have the ability to view it physically while still playing the game. the same applies to retrieving detailed information regarding items, spells, etc... in rpg's and action/adventure games.

for the longest time, I fought to try and get prima games to publish all of the their guides for the game boy / game boy advance in a more compact, spiral bound format so that it was pocket sized and convenient to use (square bound books don't tend to stay open where you want them to without breaking the binding). lo and behold almost 5 years after I left that business we finally see some guides of this nature (gran turismo 5 and kirby's epic yarn), but a majority are still in a format which isn't conducive to the media that they were made to support.

digital manuals have their place, but only if they can be implemented properly so that their use doesn't detract from the material they were made to support. (if anyone cares to remember the psn psp titles, you had to physically exit the game and then launch the manual from the xbm, which was a huge mistake in my opinion).

 

[Valwin]

this is sort of the news i've been expecting.
i liked the idea of certain PS3 games (ok fuck it, i just mean mass effect 2) having a digital manual.
it's convenient.
am i the only one who takes brand new game cases with me into the bathroom to read the manual while i take a dump?
well when i get my vita, it'll be the only thing that enters the bathroom with me anyway.

anyway i wonder how much it cost to make the manuals ?

The earth

it cost dirt ?

god you're fucking stupid.

your simple minded

EARTH can be many things if your going to answer be specific

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Odds are most of (or all of) the games will come with a digital manual to view, just not a physical one.

I don't see the issue. I do like manuals but the fact is that it's more eco-friendly to ditch manuals and it keeps costs down. Plenty of titles have switched over to digital manuals or just no manuals at all. Why all the sudden are we complaining?

Almost every PC gamer I've talked to loves Steam and buys everything on Steam. You don't get a box, a manual, or even a disc. It's all digital. But people love it.

It's just utterly ridiculous that people are calling this a "deal breaker" when people should give a larger shit about the games themselves and not a few pieces of goddamn paper stapled together that comes with the game IF you bought it physically.

 

[Satangel]

Hopefully the games are a few euros/dollars cheaper too, since they didn't have to print those manuals! Doubt it though :/

 

[B-Blue]

am I the only one that doesn't find this a step in the right direction?

....

the psn psp titles, you had to physically exit the game and then launch the manual from the xbm, which was a huge mistake in my opinion).

That's not the case with the 3DS (and PSV I think). You can view the manual any time without exiting the game on the 3DS.
You simply press the HOME button and select "Manual". When you're done, simply press the HOME button to go back to where you were in the game.

 

[Shabutie78]

Hopefully the games are a few euros/dollars cheaper too, since they didn't have to print those manuals! Doubt it though :/

well apparently they're $40 retail/hard copy, which is the same price as PSP games.
so it's awesome possum by me.

your simple minded

no, i'm just not retarded and lacking common sense.

 

[Rydian]

the biggest problem with digital manuals is that you have to leave the action to view the manual. this means that for games like M vs. C, in order to learn some of the more complex moves, you'll find yourself writing down the button combination to perform the move since you won't have the ability to view it physically while still playing the game. the same applies to retrieving detailed information regarding items, spells, etc... in rpg's and action/adventure games.

KH:BBS has the manual for things in the start menu, so it can be accessed most times. I found that more than enough for my needs and it may be the way many games go.

(if anyone cares to remember the psn psp titles, you had to physically exit the game and then launch the manual from the xbm, which was a huge mistake in my opinion).

Isn't the manual available from pressing the home button in game?

 

[Valwin]

Hopefully the games are a few euros/dollars cheaper too, since they didn't have to print those manuals! Doubt it though :/

they wont be cheaper sony will use that to profit by taking that free capital to them selfs like any company should

 

[prowler]

they wont be cheaper sony will use that to profit by taking that free capital to them selfs like any company should

Jesus Christ. It is the publishers choice to decide on the price.