Gaming What's the point of physical games?

[Song of storms]

I bought L.A. Noire from a store to have something to play on my way to Los Angeles when... surprise! Game update!

Ok it wasn't really a surprise because of the warning that was one third of the box cover.

The only reason for me to have bought the physical version of a game is that I'm sure I won't play over and over again like some other games. This means that I can just sell it in the used market and get back like half the price of what I paid for it, maybe less. Most likely less.

But I'm sure that companies are strongly against the grey market of used games, so what's the point?

Is it for collecting? Oh yes, I have so much fun collecting small game DVD boxes with nothing but a small game card inside. I have no clue, really.

 

[Fusion]

If you have to ask what there for then there not for you, buy which version is best for you and be done with it.

 

[Reploid]

There point to physical games, just not as much as it used to be. Even lesser on switch. But it still there to some degree.

 

[Song of storms]

There point to physical games, just not as much as it used to be. Even lesser on switch. But it still there to some degree.

And they are...?

 

[Reploid]

And they are...?

1 Fetishism 2 Exchange with both friends and strangers alike.

 

[stinkoman]

And they are...?

Not everyone has a decent enough internet connection to download 10+ gigabyte games in a timely fashion. For me, I live out in the country so it's legitimately faster and easier for me to order a game online and have it delivered than to wait for the download to finish and have my internet be basically unusable until it's done.

 

[Clydefrosch]

While I do value my 3ds with all of its digital content, physical games force something that digital games don't.
Commitment.

 

[Song of storms]

Not everyone has a decent enough internet connection to download 10+ gigabyte games in a timely fashion. For me, I live out in the country so it's legitimately faster and easier for me to order a game online and have it delivered than to wait for the download to finish and have my internet be basically unusable until it's done.

You tell me. I had to wait for hours to download the mandatory 14GB update for L.A. Noire and I still bought the physical copy.

But what do you do when you have a game with a lot of day-one bugs that have been fixed with an update? Other than being understandably pissed off.

 

[Lazyboss]

You tell me. I had to wait for hours to download the mandatory 14GB update for L.A. Noire and I still bought the physical copy.

But what do you do when you have a game with a lot of day-one bugs that have been fixed with an update? Other than being understandably pissed off.

You are right, they should collect all the physical copies from the market and update them then return them back every few months, so we won't bother with the 2 min update.
Nintendo don't know what they are doing.

 

[Fusion]

You tell me. I had to wait for hours to download the mandatory 14GB update for L.A. Noire and I still bought the physical copy.

But what do you do when you have a game with a lot of day-one bugs that have been fixed with an update? Other than being understandably pissed off.

Totally agree with this, it's silly to think everyone has time or good internet to get a update when most have time to just game for a bit here or there or can't play there game as it's missing half the content or shipped as a buggy mess. Games physically where better when they shipped without game breaking bugs, internet connections on consoles have made dev's lazy to close most of the bugs & just ship it to do later. They said as new games are harder to make when some companies have been doing it for a long time now and you'll think they got it down by now but it's just excuses, this used to be the upper hand of consoles plug'n'play ability to get home and play straight away rather then waiting for patches to download/install but there nothing but maintenance now too, just like our gaming pc's. Consoles don't have nothing special about them anymore unfortunately.

 

[Song of storms]

You are right, they should collect all the physical copies from the market and update them then return them back every few months, so we won't bother with the 2 min update.
Nintendo don't know what they are doing.

You can download 14GB in two minutes? Wow I'm impressed

 

[geodeath]

Well, physical games have more pros than cons for me right now so until a time comes where digital distros get better i might change my tune.

Physical Pros
1. You actually 'own' something that you can resell/burn/break/gift/sacrifice to the pasta monster if you so wish. Lending games to friends works too
2. 'Usually' you do not have to download any updates as the game is self contained (same for the Xb1, ps4 as long as you remain offline). Cue in the Switch (which other console would do this? Had to be nintendo) and shitty releases like LA Noire among others.
3. Ability to switch games instantly without waiting for download, sometimes for hours. If you DO have multiple digital releases downloaded, obviously this is less of a pro, but if you clean your storage every now and then, it means redownloading
4. You get to enjoy the (fewer and fewer) nice things about a physical release, like a case, artwork, extras if collector's edition, manual (if...)

Physical Cons
1. You actually have to lug your games around, so if you want a lot of them it could be a nuisance (although the switch cartridge is tiny)
2. You actually have to eject a game then insert another game every time you want to switch games and on the switch this is more of a pain in the ass with the flap etc
3. You have to have the space to store the games, although switch games are again, small
4. You might have to download the 'extra' GBs of data needed for the game because of the custom cartridges... meaning publishers prefer to use the smallest possible cart storage to save on chip money... so you get the worst of both physical and digital

Digital Pros
1. No hassling with physical things at all. No ejecting, no inserting, no finding or losing cartridges.
2. No need for storage of any kind
3. Faster release -> play cycle, as you do not need someone to post your game and waiting until you receive it, you merely download it as soon as it is up in the store
4. Depending on which platform your digital purchases are, it is either a pro or a con being tied to that platform. Ie Steam is great, Psn and Xbox is great, Nintendo's online offerings, retentions and schemes suck big time

Digital Cons
1. See Pro number 4 above depending which platform you use. If it is a nintendo platform, i would prefer to set my money on fire than to spend them in nintendos eshop. Shit retention, all wii stuff are already gone. Xbox & Psn much better in this aspect, especially Xbox's buy once play anywhere (bought cuphead on the Xb1, can play it on the PC and vice versa)
2. You lose your console, you lose your games. Granted, you can redownload anything, *as long as it is still on the marketplace*
3. You do not OWN anything. The £50 you spent on a game is gone with the wind. No way to resell or get some money back if you feel you will not touch the game again in the future
4. NO ADVANTAGE in pricing. If you are spending £50 on a physical release and £50 on a digital release... it does sound like a shit deal right? I looked up the cost of manufacturing & distributing Ps4 games recently and it comes down to around 1/4 to 1/3 of a game's price. On the Switch, it is even more due to the cartridge having actual memory chips. So cost to cost, you are getting less bang for your buck with digital


My 2 personal pet hates with digital are PRICE and availability. If digital releases removed the cost of manufacturing, distributing and retailing, then i would consider them an 'equal' deal to the physical as this is exactly the price difference you are paying for. Making it, distributing it and retailing it. Not passing this cost saving down to the customer is a shit move and the reason why i NEVER buy digital until this is changed.

Availability is yet another issue... I am a retro collector too, have loads of old games that i can pop in and play at any time. Will i be able to do the same 20 years down the line with a Switch, if its digital only? What reassures me that these games will be available again for download say if my console dies and i have to buy another one?

So depending on which reasons are important for you... you go with it.

 

[spotanjo3]

I hate the digital download games. I love the discs/physical cards because they are the collected's items with art manuals and everything.

 

[Zumoly]

You tell me. I had to wait for hours to download the mandatory 14GB update for L.A. Noire and I still bought the physical copy.

But what do you do when you have a game with a lot of day-one bugs that have been fixed with an update? Other than being understandably pissed off.

I do believe there are some limitations regarding the card size (max 16 GB I think).
I also don't understand why they would go through the trouble of releasing a card version of a game that still requires data downloaded to play.

 

[FAST6191]

But I'm sure that companies are strongly against the grey market of used games, so what's the point?

There is no grey market. A grey market implies something that might theoretically be against some rules somewhere or circumventing a restriction of a sort.

None of the top markets, traditional markets or emerging markets say anything about not being able to resell you things, and indeed may go the other way and have the option to resell you things both enshrined in their fundamental aspects of law and commonly enforced by the highest courts in the land.

Companies can say they don't like it and imagine what would happen if it all ceased all they like. Still remains imagination though

This means that I can just sell it in the used market and get back like half the price of what I paid for it

Surely the trick then is to buy it used in the first place and sell it back, maybe still at a loss but a lot less of a loss -- depreciation curves are anything but linear.

 

[Slimmmmmm]

Get used to digital only.

Companies purposely are moving towards it for many, many reasons.
Many companies have whole departments that dedicated to the subject of persuading people to (pardon the pun) make the switch.

In meetings if someone can suggest what to do to a physical game to make the buyer think they have made a mistake then it is applauded and they are a genius, but you will never get respect for suggesting things to the contrary.

Making people switch over is an actual "target" some must meet and if X% of people change to digital you might get promoted.

So the point in physical games now has changed, part of the strategy with them is to have the buyer feel it's better to move over to the digital side of things.

Interesting post and subject, I could write a book on it.... perhaps someone has already

 

[Mr. Wizard]

Step 1) Buy physical.
Step 2) Hack console.
Step 3) ????
Step 4) Sell physical.
Step 5) Profit.

 

[slaphappygamer]

You can’t sell a digital game if it turns out you hate the game or 100%’d it. Also, the cases of switch games are kind of nice as stash boxes. You can fit a number of joints in there.

 

[Xzi]

The point is resale value. Even despite updates, Switch carts are nowhere near as much of a pain as PS4 discs.

 

[Zumoly]

The point is resale value. Even despite updates, Switch carts are nowhere near as much of a pain as PS4 discs.

I hope they'd drop disc gaming and adopt the card system which is much more durable.